Bobbi Van Gilder, PhD

Associate Professor, Communication, Journalism & Media; Director, Women's & Gender Studies

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Education

  • Ph.D., University of Oklahoma
  • M.A., California State University, Long Beach
  • B.A., California State University, Long Beach

Research Interests

My research interests include intercultural communication, intergroup communication, and gender and sexuality studies, with particular emphases on identity, difference, and disparities. Specific lines of inquiry I have explored include: (a) discourses of diversity, difference, and marginality (e.g., whiteness, heteronormativity), (b) identity negotiation and identity management, and (c) social identity and intergroup relations (e.g., ethnic identification, social prejudice, racial discrimination).

Selected Publications

Books

Van Gilder, B. J., Austin, J. T. & Bruscella, J. S. (Eds.) (2024). Communication and organizational changemaking for diversity, equity, and inclusion: A case studies approach. Routledge.

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

Ault, M. K., Amacher, A., & Van Gilder, B. J. (In Press). Navigating structural conflict: How Tongan students cope with the intersection of Tongan cultural and higher-education structures. Journal if Intercultural Communication Research.

Van Gilder, B., Amacher, A., & Ault, M. K. (2024) Whiteness, marginalization, and exclusion: An analysis of Tongan students’ experiences in higher education. Journal of International & Intercultural Communication, 17(1), 56-82.

Van Gilder, B. J. (2019). Sexual orientation stigmatization and identity work for gays, lesbians, and bisexuals in the U.S. military. Journal of Homosexuality, 66(14), 1949-1973.

Van Gilder, B. J. (2019). Femininity as perceived threat to military effectiveness: How military service members reinforce hegemonic masculinity in talk. Western Journal of Communication, 83(2), 151-171.

Van Gilder, B. J., & Ault, M. K. (2018). Disrupting dominant discourses of the idealized nuclear family: A study of plural families in Centennial Park, Arizona. Journal of Communication and Religion, 41(4), 77-96.

Van Gilder, B. J.  (2017). Coping with sexual identity stigma in the U.S. Military: An examination of identity management practices prior to and after the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Identity, 17(3), 156-175.

Van Gilder, B. J. & Jackson, R. (2017). The Oklahoma Affirmative Action Ban Amendment: A dialogic analysis of equal opportunity discourse in Oklahoma. The Howard Journal of Communications, 28(4), 356-373.

Abdi, S., & Van Gilder, B. (2016). Cultural (in)visibility and identity dissonance: Queer Iranian-American women and their negotiation of existence. Journal of International & Intercultural Communication, 9(1), 69-86. 

Ault, M., & Van Gilder, B. (2015). Polygamy in the United States: How marginalized religious communities cope with stigmatizing discourses surrounding plural marriage. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 44(4), 307-328. 

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Courses Taught

  • CJN 101 Intro to Communication
  • CJN 216 Intercultural Communication
  • CJN 232 Gender, Sexuality, Communication
  • CJN 321 Research Methods in Communication
  • CJN 336 Social Identity & Intergroup Relations
  • CJN H506 Senior Honors Seminar
  • WGS 115 Introduction to Gender Studies