Amanda R. Martinez, Ph.D.

Teaching

I teach Communication Studies courses at Davidson College and some of my courses are cross-listed with Sociology. I regularly advise and mentor students, including for senior thesis research and capstone projects. Below is a list of courses I’ve taught organized by institution (syllabi linked for frequent course offerings), and memento pictures of celebratory highlights taken at end-of-year celebrations with my major and minor advisees.

DAVIDSON COLLEGE

Communication Studies

  • COM 101: Principles of Oral Communication (Syllabus)
  • COM 201: Introduction to Communication Studies (Syllabus)
  • COM 280: Intercultural Communication
  • COM 350: Communication & Issues of Diversity
  • COM 495: Communication Theory and Research (senior seminar capstone) (Syllabus)

Communication Studies & Sociology (cross-listed courses)

  • COM/SOC 218: Gendered Communication in Society *GSS course (Syllabus)
    • The spring 2022 semester class of COM/SOC 218 students created collaborative group projects as their finals. These projects are meant to be shared widely with various audiences. Check them out here, including a list of scholarly and academic resources as well as weblink sources for further information to assist in our ongoing educational journeys on these topics!
  • COM/SOC 275: Mass Media & Society (Syllabus)
    • We created and often worked within our class website to act as produsers of creative and critical content to share with mass audiences online. Feel free to visit the website I designed and maintained during the fall 2015 semester: http://comsoc275.amandarmartinez.com/
  • COM/SOC 315: Media Effects (Syllabus)
    • Students in Media Effects spring 2020 semester completed multimedia media literacy projects meant to be shared widely. Click through their creative work here!
  • COM/SOC 344: Stereotypes & Humor

Other Courses

  • EDU/COM 210: Dialogues on Race & Racism (co-taught with Dr. Trent Foley, Religious Studies)
  • EDU 250: Multicultural Education
  • July Experience: Life in the ‘Global Village’: Effective Intercultural Communication
  • July Experience: Media Effects
    • *3-week summer course for rising high school juniors and seniors
  • “The Story of Fake News” *EdX Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) co-led with Dr. Mark Sample (Digital Studies)

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON DOWNTOWN

  • COMM 1304: Introduction to Communication
  • COMM 1306: Public Speaking
  • COMM 2307: Intercultural Communication
  • COMM 3304: Advanced Public Speaking
  • COMM 3330: Nonverbal Communication
  • COMM 3313: Race, Ethnicity, & Communication
  • COMM 3310: Women, Men, & Communication
  • COMM 4390: Media Effects

TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY

  • COMM 215: Interviewing: Principles & Practices
  • COMM 240: Rhetorical Criticism
  • COMM 243: Argumentation & Debate
  • COMM 203: Public Speaking
  • COMM 335: Intercultural Communication

BLINN COLLEGE

  • SPCH 1315: Public Speaking

UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – MAIN CAMPUS

  • COMM 1302: Public Speaking

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We attended a fancy banquet held for students and their advisors on the 84th floor of the Bank of America tower in downtown Charlotte. My thesis advisee and Sociology major Courtney Rufh was awarded a highly competitive (1 of 3 Davidson College students selected) Bank of America Kemp and Abernethy Scholarship Award in 2013 for her project entitled “Extra-ordinary People: Nonprofit Perceptions of Celebrity Involvement in Charity.”
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I’m so proud of my Sociology major thesis advisees and class of 2016 graduates, Divya, Rashaad, & Layne! These smart, critical thinkers took on cutting edge research topics centered on race relations and society. Here they each hold their year-long thesis documents with pride.
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COM 495 class of 2016 Communication Studies minors pictured with the community organization leaders they worked with on communication proposals all semester. Organizations include: Charlotte Bilingual Preschool, Uncommen, and Present Age Ministries.
COM 495 class of 2017 with organization partners they worked with this semester: Gen-One Charlotte and the American Pitbull Foundation.
COM 495 class of 2018 Communication Studies minors after their presentations for the non-profit organization partners they worked with this semester: Charlotte Rescue Mission, Profound Gentlemen mentorship, & Restore Global.
Our first Communication Studies majors at Davidson College, class of 2017: Kayla Seymour and India Gupta. Hooray for these trailblazers, paving the way for others to come!
Class of 2018, Communication Studies majors: Mackenzie, Hannah, Katie, Dr. Martinez, Bridget, Joanne (front row), Karaz, Sophie, & Jacob (back row).
Class of 2019, Communication Studies majors Luke, Alexa, & Sophia at the CIS Banquet in The Hurt Hub, Davidson College.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic that prompted an abrupt shift to remote learning, our end o’ semester celebrations were held via Zoom. We will have a graduation ceremony when it is safe to gather in person, but for now, congratulations class of 2020! Communication Studies majors with department faculty pictured here (starting at the top left): Dr. Amy Fallah, Dr. Amanda Martinez, Jaylen Thompson, Julia Sirvinskas (top row), Ellie Hudson, Daniel Bunson, Dr. Antonio Spikes, Prof. Ike Bailey (middle row), Alexis Yates (departmental coordinator), and Bryce Perry-Martin (bottom row).
Class of 2021 did not get to meet all year in person, however, we did get to see each other in person at the end of spring for graduation celebrations. Thesis writers Lucie Desvallees and Nellie Turnage conducted outstanding honors research and I’m so proud of them!
Check out these fun thesis wordles I created with their massive research documents!
Our only in-person meeting all year long! Here we meet for a celebratory coffee toast to these majors’ accomplishments. Pictured here with Julia Balick and Jessie Epstein.
Gabby Delp, Prof. Bailey, Evan Clark, & me – raising a toast to our class of 2022 graduates!
Congratulations to Jalen Jefferson ’22 & his lovely mom on graduation day! It takes a village & we’re all so proud.
Ricky Pinnock, Juan Diaz Mercado, me, & Ashley Ip — collaborators on the Davidson Microaggressions Project & 2022 graduates!
The class of 2022 marks an important transition moment for Communication Studies at Davidson ~ this is our last class of majors (4 of 14 majors pictured) to go through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS): (from left to right) me, Jalen Staples, Eli Turner, Jalen Jefferson, Evan Clark, & Dr. Sara Baugh. We are not only surviving and thriving but also super legit and now operate as our very own stand-alone major from this point forward! We’re so proud of these trailblazers, and all those before them since 2016, when our major first began.
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