Exploring GenderSpeak: Personal Effectiveness in Gender Communication

This text is designed for a junior/ senior course focusing on gender and communication. Comprehensive in nature, this text discusses topics ranging from "nature vs. nurture", the effects of media on gender communication, to the effects of gender in relationships.

Diana K. Ivy received her undergraduate degree in speech communication and theatre from Texas Wesleyan University in her hometown of Fort Worth, Texas. After serving Wesleyan for four years as Assistant Director of Admissions, Ivy pursued graduate education in the Department of Communication at the University of Oklahoma. Concentrating on instructional and interpersonal communication there, she received her M.A. in 1984 and her Ph.D. in 1987. Ivy’s first faculty position was in the Department of Speech Communication at Southwest Texas State University, where she received the Professor of the Year Award from the Nontraditional Student Organization and the departmental Outstanding Teacher Award. She then served four years as Basic Course Director in the Department of Communication at North Carolina State University. Currently, Ivy is an Associate Professor of Communication Arts and Director of the Women’s Center for Education and Service at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi.sti.

Philip M. Backlund received his undergraduate degree in business administration and a master’s degree in speech communication from Humboldt State University (California). His first academic position was at the University of Alaska in Fairbanks as an assistant professor. Then he pursued a Ph.D. in speech communication at the University of Denver. During his graduate program he taught full and part time for Arapahoe Community College. After received his Ph.D., he and his growing family moved to Utica, New York where he taught at Utica College. After two years in New York, he and his family returned to the west to Central Washington University where he is currently a professor of speech communication and Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Humanities. The students of Central Washington University have twice honored him with the Associated Students Distinguished Professor of the Year Award.