Communication Studies Faculty

Degrees:
         Ph.D., Florida State University
         M.A., Florida State University
         B.A., University of Central Florida

Dr. Elizabeth "Jody" Natalle, Associate Professor, has a B.A. in foreign language—with a major in Spanish, a second major in communication, and a minor in secondary education—from the University of Central Florida and an M.A. and Ph.D. in communication from Florida State University. She has taught in the Department of Communication Studies at UNC Greensboro for twenty-three years and is affiliated with International Programs, Honors, and Women's and Gender Studies. Natalle teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in communication theory, gender and communication, semiotics, and relational communication. She is the UNCG Director of our exchange program with Vaxjo University in southern Sweden . Her consulting, research, and teaching have taken her to Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, and Russia.

Her research specialization in gender and communication has included work on gender and interpersonal process, conflict, feminist criticism, women's communication networks in Scandinavia, feminist metatheory, and first ladies communication. Natalle regularly consults on issues regarding gender and communication with corporate managers, state government managers, hospital social workers, university supervisors, law firms, federal court administrators, and the Federal Judiciary.

Dr. Natalle is an award winning teacher-scholar who has received several honors in recognition of her contributions to the field:

Dr. Natalle's personal interests include art and architecture, fashion, film, travel, hiking in national parks, and reading Japanese novels in translation. She's also been known to show up at a Dave Matthews concert here and there, although you are more likely to find her reading, looking at nature, or socializing with her friends at her favorite hangout, Fishbones.

My teaching philosophy centers on the notion of a rigorous intellectual experience that connects theory to the real world. Confucius said: Isn't it a pleasure when you can make practical use of the things you have studied? I believe in working hard, reading primary sources, and then trying out ideas and theories in daily life. Learning should also be fun, and being in the classroom is my favorite part of the day. Commitment to the learning experience and enjoyment of the knowledge gained are what I look for in a good student. My students have characterized me as "tough but fair," "awesome," "fabuloso," and "hard." Dr. Natalle has been nominated six times for the UNCG Alumni Teaching Excellence Award. One of her personal goals is to mentor students in their scholarship. Note that most of her co-authored publications are with former students.

My primary research agenda is tied to interdisciplinary interests in communication and feminist theory. I am pursuing an integrated research agenda that I call the Woman's Voice Project. The general research question is: How do women find public voice in the contemporary world? In my research, I have looked for answers to this question through the examination of women as public speakers and actors; through the implications of feminist critical thinking in classroom pedagogy; and through an extensive mapping of feminist rhetorical theory and criticism. I am also a first ladies scholar with a specialty in Jacqueline Kennedy, and I am currently writing a book on Mrs. Kennedy's rhetorical activities. This research examines notions of first ladies as communicators in the ambiguous space of public and private life where her role is not defined. I would argue that knowledge of women as communicators helps us to understand the way people survive in human society. The social, political, economic, cultural, and communicative implications we glean from this knowledge is invaluable.


	Elizabeth J. Natalle Associate Professor
	Office: 112 Ferguson Building Phone: 336-334-3841 E-mail: ej_natall@uncg.edu Degrees: Ph.D., Florida State University M.A., Florida State University B.A., University of Central Florida Dr. Elizabeth "Jody" Natalle, Associate Professor, has a B.A. in foreign language—with a major in Spanish, a second major in communication, and a minor in secondary education—from the University of Central Florida and an M.A. and Ph.D. in communication from Florida State University. She has taught in the Department of Communication Studies at UNC Greensboro for twenty-three years and is affiliated with International Programs, Honors, and Women's and Gender Studies. Natalle teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in communication theory, gender and communication, semiotics, and relational communication. She is the UNCG Director of our exchange program with Vaxjo University in southern Sweden . Her consulting, research, and teaching have taken her to Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, and Russia. Her research specialization in gender and communication has included work on gender and interpersonal process, conflict, feminist criticism, women's communication networks in Scandinavia, feminist metatheory, and first ladies communication. Natalle regularly consults on issues regarding gender and communication with corporate managers, state government managers, hospital social workers, university supervisors, law firms, federal court administrators, and the Federal Judiciary. Dr. Natalle is an award winning teacher-scholar who has received several honors in recognition of her contributions to the field: 2007: Theodore Sorensen Fellow at the John F. Kennedy Library. 2006: Linda Arnold Carlisle Faculty Research Grant in Women's and Gender Studies 2004: Betty Jo Welch Service Award from the Carolinas Communication Association for continuing and outstanding service to the association and the profession. 2003: UNCG College of Arts & Sciences Teaching Excellence Award. 2003: Teaching Exchange Fellow at Vaxjo University in Vaxjo, Sweden. 1999: Scholar in Residence at Lulea University of Technology in Lulea, Sweden. 1996: First Woman of Distinction Awards at UNCG for her service and mentoring to students. Dr. Natalle's personal interests include art and architecture, fashion, film, travel, hiking in national parks, and reading Japanese novels in translation. She's also been known to show up at a Dave Matthews concert here and there, although you are more likely to find her reading, looking at nature, or socializing with her friends at her favorite hangout, Fishbones. Teaching My teaching philosophy centers on the notion of a rigorous intellectual experience that connects theory to the real world. Confucius said: Isn't it a pleasure when you can make practical use of the things you have studied? I believe in working hard, reading primary sources, and then trying out ideas and theories in daily life. Learning should also be fun, and being in the classroom is my favorite part of the day. Commitment to the learning experience and enjoyment of the knowledge gained are what I look for in a good student. My students have characterized me as "tough but fair," "awesome," "fabuloso," and "hard." Dr. Natalle has been nominated six times for the UNCG Alumni Teaching Excellence Award. One of her personal goals is to mentor students in their scholarship. Note that most of her co-authored publications are with former students. Undergraduate Courses Taught: CST 207 Interpersonal Communication CST 300 Communication Theory CST 460 Cases in Intercultural Communication CST 460 Cases in Gender and Communication CST 499 Senior Capstone Seminar in Communication Combined Courses Taught: CST 502 Semiotics (Undergrads and Grad Students) Graduate Courses Taught: CST 612 Seminar in Feminist Rhetorical Criticism CST 601 Communication Theory CST 659 Communication and Gendered Communities Research My primary research agenda is tied to interdisciplinary interests in communication and feminist theory. I am pursuing an integrated research agenda that I call the Woman's Voice Project. The general research question is: How do women find public voice in the contemporary world? In my research, I have looked for answers to this question through the examination of women as public speakers and actors; through the implications of feminist critical thinking in classroom pedagogy; and through an extensive mapping of feminist rhetorical theory and criticism. I am also a first ladies scholar with a specialty in Jacqueline Kennedy, and I am currently writing a book on Mrs. Kennedy's rhetorical activities. This research examines notions of first ladies as communicators in the ambiguous space of public and private life where her role is not defined. I would argue that knowledge of women as communicators helps us to understand the way people survive in human society. The social, political, economic, cultural, and communicative implications we glean from this knowledge is invaluable.
	Publications to read: Natalle, E.J. (2008). Teaching interpersonal communication: Resources and readings. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's. Natalle, E.J., & Bodenheimer, F.R. (2004). The woman's public speaking handbook. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Natalle, E.J. (2004). Jacqueline Kennedy: The rhetorical construction of Camelot. In M.M. Wertheimer (Ed.), Inventing a voice: The rhetoric of American first ladies of the Twentieth Century (pp. 243-271). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. Natalle, E.J., with Flippen, J.L. (2004). Urban music: Gendered language in rapping. In P.A. Backlund & M.R. Williams (Eds.), Readings in gender communication (pp. 140-149). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth. Ryan, K., & Natalle, E.J. (2001). Fusing horizons: Standpoint hermeneutics and invitational rhetoric. Rhetoric Society Quarterly, 31, 69-90. Knott, K. B., & Natalle, E.J. (1997). Sex differences, organizational level, and superiors' evaluation of managerial leadership, Management Communication Quarterly, 10, 523-540. Natalle, E.J. (1996). Gendered issues in the workplace. In J.T. Wood (Ed.), Gendered relationships (pp. 253-274). Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Press. Natalle, E.J., Papa, M.J., & Graham, E.E. (1994). Feminist philosophy and the transformation of organizational communication. In B. Kovacic (Ed.), New approaches to organizational communication (pp. 245-270). Albany: SUNY Press. Pearce, K.C., & Natalle, E.J. (1993). Deconstructing gender differences in persuasibility: A bricolage. Women's Studies in Communication, 16, 55-73. Natalle, E.J. (1985). Feminist theatre: A study in persuasion. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press. [Nominated for a Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Women's Caucus Award for Excellence in Feminist Studies in 1987.]