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College of Liberal and Fine Arts

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Sara DeTurk, Ph.D.

Associate Professor
Department of Communication

Email: sara.deturk@utsa.edu
Phone: (210) 458-7737
Office: MB 2.248D

Research area: Intercultural Communication, Intergroup Communication

General
Teaching
Research
Publications

  • Biography

    Dr. Sara DeTurk received her B.A. in Psychology from the University of Virginia and her M.Ed. in International Education from the University of Massachusetts. She received her Ph.D. in Communication from Arizona State University in 2004, with a focus on Intercultural Communication. Her research is qualitative in nature and addresses the role of communication in perpetuating and challenging ethnocentrism.

    Dr. DeTurk’s publications include articles on intercultural empathy, decision making and conflict management in culturally diverse organizations, the meaning of diversity for Americans, and the effects of intergroup dialogue programs. These appear in journals such as Communication Education, Communication Quarterly, The Journal of Intergroup Relations, and The Journal of Business and Management. She has also co-authored a manual for community development practitioners working with immigrants and refugees, and has presented numerous papers, panels, workshops, and performances at national and international conferences.

    Degrees

    • Ph.D. in Communication, Arizona State University, Tempe (2004)
    • M.Ed. in International Education, University of Massachusetts, Amherst (1992)
    • B.A. in Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville (1986)

  • Recent Courses

    • Communication, Culture, and Identity
    • Qualitative Research Methods
    • Communication and Activism

  • Research in Progress

    • DeTurk, S. Bricolage and communication makeovers: Structure, agency, and tactics of activist organizations. Preparing for submission to the Western Journal of Communication.
    • DeTurk, S. Critical andragogy and communication activism: Approaches, tensions, and lessons learned. Preparing for submission to Communication Teacher.
    • DeTurk, S. Allies in action: The communicative experiences of people who challenge social injustice on behalf of others. Preparing for submission to the Journal of Intergroup Relations.

  • Recent Publications

    • DeTurk, S. (2010). “Quit whining and tell me about your experiences!”: (In)tolerance, pragmatism, and muting in intergroup dialogue. In R. T. Halualani & T. K. Nakayama (Eds.), A Companion to Critical Intercultural Communication Studies. Malden, MA: Blackwell.
    • DeTurk, S., & Foster, E. (2008). Dialogue about dialogue: Investigating intersubjectivity in interview research. Qualitative Research Journal, 8 (2), 14-27.
    • DeTurk, S. (2006). The power of dialogue: Consequences of intergroup dialogue and their implications for agency and alliance building. Communication Quarterly, 54, 33-51.