Network. Learn. Contribute.
Celebrating twenty-four years in 2024, the department's annual Communication Day is a celebration of the many ways communication enriches our daily lives, advances our professional goals, and feeds our democracy. To celebrate communication-in-action, we invite community experts onto our campus, where we ask local practitioners to share their knowledge with our students, staff, and faculty, hence merging traditional classroom spaces with embodied and experiential learning. Our Department’s mission is “To cultivate the knowledge and ability to use communication to create a more equitable and humane world,” so we ask our guest speakers to frame their work within larger issues of communication ethics and civic responsibility.
The Department of Communication is pleased to present this year’s Communication Days Keynote Panel.
Comic-COMM: A Discussion of Comedy in Communication
2024 Keynote Presentation and Awards Ceremony
Tuesday, April 16th | 11:00 am-12:15 pm
Lawrence Street Center Terrace Room
1350 Lawrence Street, 2nd Floor
On Zoom: https://ucdenver.zoom.us/j/98924300042
Meet This Year's Panel
Soumia Bardhan
Moderator
Soumia Bardhan is assistant professor of Communication at the University of Colorado Denver. Bardhan uses qualitative and rhetorical approaches to explore: a) the rhetoric of political Islamists, and Islam and democracy; b) the communication dynamics and deliberative capacity of Muslim communities/individuals in marginalized contexts; and c) the role of media in the cultural-political transformation of Middle Eastern and South Asian societies. In addition, Bardhan is invested in contributing to the internationalization of the Communication discipline by promoting a non-West- and non-U.S.-focused terrain.
Nick Marx
Panelist
Nick Marx is an associate professor of film and media studies at Colorado State University, specializing in media studies, media industries, digital media, and American politics and culture. His most recent book project is That's Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work For Them (University of California Press, 2022), which analyzes the cultural influence and economic clout of libertarian and conservative comedians like Joe Rogan, Tim Allen, and Fox News' Greg Gutfeld. An excerpt from the book ran on the New York magazine site. @marxnick on X.
Nancy Norton
Panelist
Nancy Norton resides in the Boulder Valley of Colorado, balancing being a, “A Single Stay AWAY from Home Mom,” producing Nurses Off the Charts! comedy shows, speaking engagements, workshops, and a weekly Podcast called Tromedy. Tromedy is all about transmuting the darkness of trauma with the lightness of comedy. Norton connects with crowds from all walks of life with her fast paced, intuitive, in the moment style as she tours headlining clubs, festivals, conferences and events doing Standup Comedy and Keynote Speaking.
Lacy Lowrey
Panelist
Lacy Lowrey is an instructor in the Department of Communication here at CU Denver. Her Master's thesis, an analysis of Sarah Silverman's standup special Jesus is Magic, along with other publications focused on Margaret Cho and Amy Schumer, highlights her academic interest in the ways women use humor as a rhetorical device to spotlight problematic social issues and enact change. In addition to writing about standup comedy, Lowrey performed as a comedian for 10 years. Lowrey will be teaching a special topics course for the Department of Communication during the Fall 2024 semester, COMM 4710: The Rhetoric of Standup Comedy.
2023-2024 Award, Scholarship, and Travel Fund Recipients
The Sonja K. Foss Academic Excellence Award - Madeline Grace
Madeline Grace is a third-year student at the University of Colorado Denver. When she is not reading tarot, she focuses on her podcast: Growing Up During the End of the World. She centers on fighting misinformation and disinformation online with an emphasis on prison and drug reform. She plans to enter the journalism world of radio and podcasting after she graduates in 2025 and hopes to continue her education through a master's and PhD program.
The Sonja K. Foss Academic Excellence Award - Samuel Hendrickson
Sam grew up in a rural community in Minnesota. He graduated high school in 2000. A first attempt at college was interrupted by the birth of his first son Mason in 2003. He was married to his wife Kelly in 2005. Their second son Alex was born in 2006. Sam moved to Colorado in 2012 with his family to get away from the harsh Minnesota winters. He as worked in the automotive field and in the music industry with a Swedish record label. In 2022 Sam found his way back to his college education after applying to CU Denver. While studying Communications and International Studies he found his passion. With the guidance and expertise of the communication department at CU Denver, Sam has decided to pursue a master's degree in international relations. He has accepted admittance into Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic and will attend fall of 2024.
The Sonja K. Foss Academic Excellence Award - Daphne Galloway
Daphne embarked on her academic journey at the University of Colorado Denver in 2020 amidst the challenges of the pandemic. Four years later, in May 2024, she is prepared to graduate, with her Bachelors of Arts in Communication with a minor in Creative Writing. Driven by a profound passion for mental health advocacy, Daphne has dedicated her communication studies to the impacts of media especially within the mental health realm. Her commitment to this cause culminated in her thesis, titled "Representing Obsessive Compulsive Disorder: Exploring Mental Health Stigmatization through Popular Media," which she completed as part of COMM 4700. Daphne aspires to leverage her writing skills to provide valuable resources for individuals grappling with mental health challenges. Her journey underscores the power of combining passion with scholarly inquiry to effect positive change in society.
Lynx Strong Spirit Award - Don Warner
Don Warner completed several of his classes from behind bars as part of our College-in-Prison program. He is now enrolled as a CU Denver student on campus. He has excelled in his educational pursuits thus far, and he even managed to tutor a number of other students during especially difficult times (COVID prison education was a nightmare of logistics, short-staffing and canceled classes). Don also participated in this year’s publication of Captured Words/Free Thoughts, contributing his advice as a student transitioning from prison to campus, and offering tips for success in the form of an author interview. He has maintained contact with many of our former students and continues to mentor them from the outside.
Friend of the Department Award - AnQuanette Murray-Cawthorn
AnQuanette Murray-Cawthorn, HR Payroll and Operations Senior Professional, has spent much of her career in the CLAS Dean’s Office. She has been a part of the CU Denver Community since 2008 as a high school student with the Pre-Collegiate Development Program. She attended CU Denver and received two bachelor’s degrees: one in Communication and the other in Sociology. She also pursued a minor in Business Fundamentals and a certificate in Criminology. As an alumna of the Communication department, it became a full circle moment to continue working with the department in HR capacities. Upon graduating from CU Denver, she was hired in a permanent staff role in the CLAS Dean’s office and started her HR position in 2017. AnQuanette is the HR liaison for 10 departments/units in CLAS. She enjoys working with CLAS staff and faculty as CLAS is very collaborative and welcoming. She notes that everyone is so passionate about their roles and it is reflected in the work that they do. She looks forward to supporting CLAS in many years to come.
Barbara J. Walkosz Distinguished Alumni Award - Shahid Ahmed
Shahid Ahmed graduated from the University of Colorado Denver in 2018 with his BA in Communication. He obtained his MA in Communication with an emphasis in Public and Media Relations from The Johns Hopkins University in 2021. Shahid resides in Washington, D.C., where he has worked as a congressional communications staffer in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2018. He currently serves as Deputy Chief of Staff and Communications Director to Congresswoman Jennifer McClellan from Virginia's Fourth Congressional District. During his time on Capitol Hill, he has served as a key communications and digital advisor to multiple Members of Congress.
Community Health Education and Retention Scholarship (CHEARS) Winner - Isaiah Coleman
Isaiah Coleman earned his degree is in Mass Communication with an emphasis in Health communication to help others navigate the health care system, understand how broken it is, and help others by becoming an advocate for those who need and want help.
The Community Health Education and Retention Scholarship (CHEARS) supports students from historically and currently underrepresented or underserved groups who are facing financial barriers to completing their degrees and have an interest in public health. Funding is used to pay the tuition and fees for a three-credit class as well as the time and support of a faculty mentor dedicated to helping the student achieve their goals.
Department Travel Funds Recipient - Xiting Tong
Xiting Tong has been accepted to present two papers this year, and the department is proud to provide travel funds for these conferences.
Reimagining Grassroot Resistance: A Case Study of a Chinese Student Organizational Network (ICA 2024)
Rhizomatic Labyrinth: JianZheng as a Rhetorical and Political Community in China (IAMCR 2024)
Department Travel Funds Recipient - Yu Wei
Yu Wei has been accepted to present at the IAMCR conference this year in New Zealand, and the department is proud to provide travel funds for this conference.
Her presentation is titled "Alternative Sub-culture for Free Self-expression: Case study of Skateboarding Feminism in Mainland China."