About Katherine Denker
Dr. Kathy Denker received her Ph.D. in Interpersonal Communication at the University of Missouri, after completing a M.A. focused on Instructional Communication at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She is an associate professor who also has the privilege of serving as the Director of Graduate Studies and co-director of the Basic Course. Her research and teaching stem from the areas of interpersonal and instructional communication, with a focus around issues of power. Her work as appeared in book chapters as well as
Journal of Family Communication,
Women & Language, and
Computers in Human Behavior among others. Beyond serving the university, Dr. Denker is active in professional organizations and volunteers for community non-profits.
Education
Ph.D., University of Missouri
M.A., University of Nebraska-Omaha
B.S., University of Nebraska-Omaha
Research Interests
- Critical Interpersonal Communication
- Work-Life
- Gender
- Instructional Communication
- Power
Teaching
COMM 210 Fundamentals of Public Communication
COMM 440 Interpersonal Communication
COMM 441 Contemporary Issues in Organizational Communication
COMM 635 Interpersonal Communication
COMM 655 Instructional Communication
Awards and Honors
- 2019-2020 Mid-American Conference (MAC) Leadership Fellow
- 2019 Outstanding Masters Mentor Award, Masters Education Division, National Communication Association
- 2018 Outstanding Service Award, Central States Communication Association
- 2017 Twenty Under 40- The Star Press/M Magazine- Muncie, IN
- 2016 Accessible Teacher Award, Ball State University Office of Disability Services
- 2014 Faculty Research Award, Ball State University College of Communication, Information and Media
- 2013 Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender- Outstanding Feminist Teacher Mentor Award
- 2013 Lawhead Teaching Award for Outstanding Teaching in the Core Curriculum, Ball State University
- 2012 High Technology Award -College of Communication, Information and Media, Ball State University
- 2011 Department of Communication Studies- Outstanding Faculty Service Award
Service
- Editorial Board Member- Journal of Communication Pedagogy, Women & Language, and Basic Communication Course Annual
- Member at Large- Executive Committee, Central States Communication Association,
- Chair, Graduate Education Committee
- Member, University Core Curriculum Committee
- Member, Curriculum and Program Development Committee, Department of Communication Studies,
- Member, Promotion and Tenure Committee, Department of Communication Studies
Selected Publications
- Denker, K. J., Manning, J., Heuett, K. B., & Summers, M.E.* (2018). Twitter in the classroom: Modeling online communication attitudes and student motivation to connect. Computers in Human Behavior, 79, 1-8.
- Denker, K. J. (2017). Power, emotional labor, and intersectional identity at work: I would not kiss my boss but I did not speak up. In Hermann, A. F. (Ed.). Organizational autoethnographies: Power and identity in our working lives (pp. 16-36). New York: Routledge.
- Kinser, A. E. & Denker, K.J. (2016) Feeding without apology: Maternal navigations of distal discourses in family meal labor. In F. Pasche Guinard and T.M. Cassidy (Eds.) Mothers and food: Negotiating foodways from maternal perspectives (pp. 11-27). Bradford, ON: Demeter.
- Denker, K. J. (2015). Are you achieving the best life? Just read this: Advice books and how working mothers can (and maybe should) do it all. In Martinez, A., & Miller, L. (Eds). Gender in a transitional era: Changes and challenge (pp. 3-20).Lanham, MA: Lexington Press.
- Manning, J. & Denker, K. J. (2015). Doing feminist interpersonal communication research: A call for action, two methodological approaches, and theoretical potentials. Women & Language, 38, 133-142.
- Denker, K. J. (2013). Maintaining gender relations during work-life negotiations: Relational maintenance and the dark side of individual marginalization. Women & Language, 32, 11-34.
- Denker, K. J., & Dougherty, D. (2013) Corporate colonization of couples’ work-life negotiations: Rationalization, emotion management, and silencing conflict. Journal of Family Communication, 13, 242-262. doi: 10.1080/15267431.2013.796946