Part Time Faculty
Burcak Aydin-McBride
aydinburcak@gmail.com -- (818) 677-2631 | MZ 356 -- Office Hours: TBD
Jessica Baty
jessica.baty@csun.edu -- (818) 677-2631 | MZ 356 -- Office Hours: TBD
Dan Durbin
ddurbin@usc.edu -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours:
Paul Mason Fotsch
plotsch@csun.edu -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours: TBD
Paul Mason Fotsch received his Ph.D. in Communication from the University of California, San Diego. His book Watching the Traffic Go By: Transportation and Isolation in Urban America won the 2007 Jane Jacobs Urban Communication Publication Award. His teaching and research interests include gender, race, globalization and the city. He is a member of the Bus Riders Union, a group struggling for social justice and the rights of the transit dependent–the mostly working poor who live in L.A. without a car.
GiGi Hessamian
gigi.k.hessamian@csun.edu -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours: R 5:30-7:00 S 3:00-4:00
It wasn’t until grad school at CSUN under the tutelage of amazing mentors that I became a true academic. The best part of the job is the chance to engage and connect with my audience…CSUN students are truly great!
Sally Kassamanian
Bill Kelly
william.kelly@csun.edu -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours: S 11:00-12:00
I was born in New York City in 1945. My bachelor’s and master’s degrees are in philosophy from New York University. From 1972 to 1996, I lived mostly in Japan but I also spent five years in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. I received a Ph.D. in communication in 2000 at the University of New Mexico. I am most enthusiastic about teaching intercultural communication and keeping up with developments in the rest of the world. My wife is Japanese, and I have two children of college age.
Michelle Mega
professormega@yahoo.com -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours: TR 12:30-2:00
Syllabi:
- COMS 309 Advanced Public Speaking
- COMS 321 Rhetorical Discourse
- COMS 323 Group Communication
- COMS 356 Intercultural Communication
- COMS 351 Communication Theory
- COMS 360 Communication and the Sexes
Karen Peck
karen.peck@csun.edu -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours: W 6:00-6:50 R 12:00-1:50 F 1:30-2:0
Randi Rulayne Picarelli
ronda.r.picarelli@csun.edu -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours: MW F 9:40-10:00 T 3:00-3:30
Randi Rulayne Picarelli claims CSUN as home, having earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Communication Studies/Speech here. She’s since been teaching in the Coms. and Gender/Women’s Studies departments for several years. An avid traveler, Randi gleans insight for her classes by spending time abroad every year; destinations such as India, Nepal, Antarctica, and Indonesia are among her favorites. She’s very active outside of the classroom when she’s home; chairing committees representing community colleges on the west coast, taking courses to improve her pedagogy, and involving herself in many political causes. Of particular importance to her are women’s, minority community, and environmental social justice movements.
Bridget Sampson
bspeech@gmail.com -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours: TR 6:00-7:00
Syllabus:
Karen Swett
karen.swett@csun.edu -- (818) 677-2112 | MZ 348 -- Office Hours: TR 6:00-7:00
Lisa Thranow
lisa.thranow.761@csun.edu -- (818) 677-6545 | MZ 230 -- Office Hours: R 6-7 | S 8-8:25| S 12-12:35
For some people finding what they love to do is easy; for others, like me, finally arriving at your passion takes detours. I graduated with both my B.A. and M.A. in Communication Studies from CSUN. As I mentioned it took quite a few detours to find my passion. I went on the road of human resources and risk management. Tried the boulevard of the entertainment industry where I work in both production and the business side. Finally I arrived at my passion, through the avenue of teaching in 2006. It felt like I had been reunited with an old friend. No awkward first meeting, we just jumped into it and away we went as if we’d known each other our whole lives. I was honored with my first teaching award in 2008 when I was presented the Elizabeth Berry Teaching Associate of the Year. To that end I would like to thank all of my students. You are what have made my job such a pleasure. In addition I have been working with the Communication for Youth Institute program (CYI) for the past two years. A service learning program which offers COMS students¹ invaluable hands on experience, if you are interested check it out, COMS 437. On the academic flip side, my research interests are focused on interpersonal and organizational communication, specifically I have spent the majority of my time analyzing cross-sex friendships (CSF). Whether I eventually have the pleasure of meeting you in one of my classes or not, just remember follow your dreams. No matter how long it might take you or how windy the road - you can do it!