Dennis DeBeck

COMS 130: Interpersonal Communication

Since communication in relationships is tied to life satisfaction and success, this course provides an introduction to person-to-person interaction in the interpersonal communication field. Students begin to explore aspects of self and communication (e.g., culture, verbal, nonverbal) in relation to personal relationships in multiple contexts (e.g., friendships, family, romantic, workplace).

COMS 236: Small Group Communication

Effective group navigation is essential to success in many facets of life. Students will be introduced to the uses and types of group and team communication, including aspects such as evolution of groups, roles, leadership, creativity, managing meetings, presentations and group problem-solving. Because of the group work nature of the course, students are very involved in designing and navigating activities, discussions, and direction of the daily and long-term aspects of the course.

COMS 239: Health Communication

This course explores how health communication is applied and practiced in academic research and in everyday life. Health communication concepts and theories, as well as how to apply both, are areas of focus. More specifically, the course covers topics such as patient-caregiver communication, organizational communication, mediated communication, and health promotion.

COMS 240: Cultivating Quality Communication

This is a student-driven course whereby students determine interpersonal areas (such as personal, romantic, small group, workplace, and other interpersonal communication contexts) in which they create opportunities to develop and improve quality interpersonal communication skills (for example network and job shadow, create and test a relational improvement self-disclosure guide, work in a small group to create a community building experience on campus). Because of the experiential and out-of-class aspects of the course, students must have flexibility in their schedules during January.

COMS 275: Workplace Relationships

There are few contexts that involve more time than that of our workplaces; thus, understanding workplace relationships is essential in navigating quality experiences both professionally and personally. Despite the ubiquity of workplace relationships, they are nuanced and may be challenging. In this course, students will explore communication aspects (e.g., influence, management, gossip, affection, perceptions) in the many relationships that may be encountered (e.g., peer, subordinate, superior, customer/client, romantic, friendship, bullying).

COMS 325: Romantic Relationships

Students will challenge notions of romantic relationships to better understand societal implications and actions regarding communicative aspects that make them beneficial, disadvantageous, bright, dark, and otherwise further complex and nuanced. Engaging in multiple avenues for exploration, students will consider communication and aspects such as courtship, maintenance, technology, termination, affection, intimacy, abuse, aggression, and more.

COMS 330: Family Communication

In this course, students will examine the role of communication in families, how families shape us as individuals, and how the context of family functions in larger society. Through reading scholarship on family communication, discussion, projects and presentations, we will address questions such as how definitions of family have changed overtime, how individuals define self in relation to family members, how challenges in families are managed, how differences in family forms influence family function, and how communication patterns affect how we interact with and understand each other. Ultimately, this course investigates individual human behavior and human interactions within the societal context of the family.

COMS 362: Relational Theories and Methods

This course is a combination of studying advanced relational communication theories and learning and implementing social scientific research methods (such as interviewing and survey data collection and qualitative and quantitative data analysis). By reading and researching relationship theory and engaging in collecting and analyzing data, students will focus on the connections between theories of relationships while learning research methodologies to understand the complexities of communication in human relationships.

Doctoral Candidate, Department of Communication, University of South Florida.
Dissertation Proposal: Relational Turbulence during a Military Exit

M.A., Department of Communication, Northern Illinois University, 2020
Thesis: Peer Social Support in the Classroom

B.S., Department of Communication, University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, 2018.
Major: Communication
Minor: Business Administration

Published Journal Articles

1. DeBeck, D. P., & Scudder, J. N. (2024). An integrated health belief model: Predicting uptake of the first COVID-19 booster vaccine. Health Communication, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2204583
2. Wilson, S. R., DeBeck, D. P., Worwood, J., Scacco, J. M., Anderson, A., McCormick, M., & Marguiles, S. (2024). A goals-plans-action model analysis of messages encouraging hesitant family members in the United States to get vaccinated for COVID-19. Communication Monographs. https://doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2023.2275632
3. Scudder, J. N., & DeBeck, D. P. (2024). A survey of fear for others, fear for self, and pandemic anxiety predicting intention to take the first booster vaccine to combat COVID-19. Vaccines, 12(1)>/i>, 47. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines12010047
4. Kuang, K., Wilson, S. R., Betts, T., Boumis, J. K., Hintz, E. A., DeBeck, D., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2023). A Longitudinal analysis of involuntary job loss and communication resilience processes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Communication, 73(4), 382–397. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqad004
5. Owens, K. N., Dean, M., Borquadez Clark, E., Welsch, P., Rose, D., Kuhn, E. S., DeBeck, D.P., Conaty, J., Pugh Yi, R. H., Friedman, S. J., & Klemp, J. (2024). Needs of oncology navigators serving young or metastatic breast cancer patients. Journal of Oncology Navigation and Survivorship, 15(4), 113-121. https://doi.org/10.1158/1538-7445.sabcs23-po4-10-11.
6. Wilson, S. R., DeBeck, D. P., Betts, T., Boumis, J. K., Kuang, K., Hintz, E. A., Whipple, T., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2024). Constructing optimism as anticipatory resilience: Enacting resilience processes following pandemic-related job loss predicts optimism of lessons learned. International Journal of Communication, 18, 4533-4553.

Manuscripts in Progress

1. Wilson, S. R., Worwood, J. V., Marshall, S., Vidal, A. C., Scacco, J. M., & DeBeck, D. P. (Revise and Resubmit). Difficult Health Conversations: Dilemmas that Vaccinated People in the United States Experience when Discussing COVID-19 Vaccination with Hesitant Family Members. Health Communication.
2. Scudder, J. N., & DeBeck, D. P. (Working on Submission). The integrated health choice model (IHCM): Predicting actual uptake of the first COVID-19 booster vaccine.

Conference Papers/Panels

1. Scudder, J. N., & DeBeck, D. P. (2024, November). The integrated health choice model (IHCM): Predicting actual uptake of the first COVID-19 booster vaccine. National Communication Association.
2. Wilson, S. R., DeBeck, D. P., Betts, T., Boumis, J. K., Kuang, K., Hintz, E. A., Whipple, T., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2023, November). Lessons Learned from Pandemic Job Loss: Enacting Resilience Processes Predicts Optimism of Lessons Learned. National Communication Association.
3. Wilson, S.R., DeBeck, D. P., Worwood, J., Scacco, J., Anderson, A., McCormick, M., & Margulies, S. (2023, May). A Goals-Plans Action Model Analysis of Messages Encouraging Hesitant Family Members in the United States to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19. International Communication Association. Toronto.
4. Kuang, K., Wilson, S. R., Betts, T., Boumis, J, K., Hintz, E., DeBeck, D. P., & Buzzanell, P. M. (2022, November). A longitudinal analysis of job loss and communication resilience processes during the COVID-19 pandemic. National Communication Association
5. Boumis, J., Kuang, K., Wilson, S. R., Buzzanell, P. M., Betts, T., Tian, Z., Hintz, E., & DeBeck, D. P. (2022, November). Family and individual resilience: A cross-cultural comparison of the United States and China. National Communication Association
6. DeBeck, D. P. (2022, November) GIFT PRESENTATION: Understanding Marginalized Groups through Group Presentations. National Communication Association.
7. DeBeck, D. P., & Scudder, J. N. (2022, November) The HBM and Its Factors Influencing Behavioral Intentions to Receive the COVID-19 Booster Vaccine. National Communication Association.
8. Discussion Panel (2022, November). What about Teachers? College Teachers’ Mental Health and Teaching. National Communication Association.
9. Discussion Panel (2022, April). Making up for Lost Time, Or Losing Time We Thought We Could Make Up? Graduate School and the Pandemic. Central States Communication Association.
10. DeBeck, D.P., & Boumis J. K. (2022, April). Experiences of Domestic Violence as Told on Reddit. Central States Communication Association.
11. Paper Panel. Pokrywczynski, J. & DeBeck, D. P. (2021). Athletes, Fans and Coaches Communication Behavior in Youth Sports.
12. Discussion Panel (2020, April). A Tale of Two Woes: Graduate School Year One and COVID-19. Central States Communication Association
13. DeBeck, D. P., & Scudder, J. N. (2020, April). Inspiring and Engaging Peer Classroom Social Support. Central States Communication Association.
14. DeBeck, D. P. (2019, March) Mike Pence: The Defense of Donald Trump and Apologia Theory. Midwestern Conference on Literature, Language and Media (Cancelled due to COVID-19)

Works in Progress

1. International Students and their Acculturative Stress: A Communication Privacy Management View (Data Collection)
2. Military Veterans’ and Partners’ Experiences of Exiting the Military: Using Relational Turbulence as a Framework (Dissertation)

Dennis BeBeck’s CV