CURRICULUM VITA Sara J. Peters, Ph.D. Fall 2013 Department of Communication 1752 Timber Creek Dr. 108 Switzler Hall, Suite 210 Columbia, MO 65202 University of Missouri Tel:(541) 619.3974 Columbia, MO 65211 Email: PetersSJ@missouri.edu EDUCATION Ph.D. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO Degree conferred August 2012 Prospectus Defense: September 2011 Primary Emphasis: Mass Communication Secondary Emphasis: Health Communication Dissertation: Let s talk about sex: The influence of a sexy media diet on college freshmen s endorsement of the hookup culture, peer influence, and behaviors regarding casual sex and sexual risk taking. Dissertation Advisor: Dr. Jennifer Stevens Aubrey Committee Members: Dr. Elizabeth Behm Morawitz, Dr. Colin Hesse, Dr. Paul Bolls M.A. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO Degree conferred August 2008 Primary Emphasis: Journalism Secondary Emphasis: Strategic Communication Master s Thesis: The effects of advergames on game players' processing of embedded brands. Master s Advisor: Dr. Glenn Leshner Committee Members: Dr. Paul Bolls, Dr. Kevin Wise, Dr. Jennifer Stevens Aubrey B.A. Linfield College, McMinnville, OR Degree conferred May 2006 Major 1: Mass Communication Major 2: Mathematics Magna Cum Laude Research and Teaching Interests Research Interests: Mass media, media effects, new media, social media, health communication, campaigns, media literacy, sexual health messages, hookup culture, body image, children and the media, persuasion, advertising, and cognitive and emotional processing of media. Teaching Interests: Public speaking, mass media in society, emerging technologies, new media, social media, senior project course, campaigns, health literacy, children and the media, advertising, media effects, mass communication theory, media writing, quantitative research methodology, and theory and research in persuasion.
PUBLICATIONS Journal Articles and Book Chapter Noltensmeyer, C., Peters, S., Meisenbach, R., & Eastman Mueller, H. (2013). Managing sexual health and related stigma through electronic learning environments. In R. Ahmend & B. Bates (Eds.), Health Communication and Mass Media: An Integrated Approach to Policy and Practice. Gower Publishing Co. Peters, S., & Leshner, G. (2013). The effects of advergames on game players' processing of embedded brands. Journal of Advertising, 42(2 3), 113 130. Peters, S., & Aubrey, J. (2010). A fat diet of the thin ideal: Investigating relations between exposure to the thin ideal and television viewers estimates of and attitudes toward overweight people off screen. Journal of Health and Mass Communication, 2(1 4), 5 34. Leshner, G., Bolls, P., Moore, J., Gardner, E., Peters, S., Kononova, A., Bailey, R., &Wise, K. (2008). The impact of narrative and emotional breast cancer survivor testimonies on message processing for African American female viewers. Psychophysiology, 45, 51 80. Manuscripts under Review Peters, S., & Aubrey, J. (under review, submitted September 2013). MTV s docu series delivers platform for teen parenthood: Content analysis of 16 and Pregnant. Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media. Manuscripts in Preparation Peters, S., & Aubrey, J. (in preparation for submission, projected submission Winter 2013). The Influence of a sexy media diet on college freshmen s hook up experiences and sexual risktaking behaviors. Communication Research. Peters, S. (in preparation for submission, projected submission Winter 2013). The influence of individual differences on college freshmen s sexual risk taking behaviors. Journal of Adolescent Health. Peters, S. (in preparation for submission, projected submission Winter 2013). The impact of traditional versus new media sexual content on college freshmen s sexual health decisions. Communication Monographs. Peters, S. (in preparation for submission, projected submission Winter 2014). The unintended boomerang effects of exposure to humorous safe sex public service announcements on high sensation seekers. Journal of Health Communication. Peters, S. (in preparation for submission, projected submission Winter 2014). The effect of emotional appeals in safe sex PSAs on college students self efficacy, attitudes, and behavior intentions toward condom use. Health Communication.
Peters, S. (in preparation for submission, projected submission Winter 2014). Rap it Up: Examining the different message appeals employed across entertainment education safe sex campaigns. Journal of Communication and Media Research. Media Attention Peters, S. (2011, May 12).Glamorizing teen pregnancy. KOMU TV. Columbia, MO. Peters, S. (2009, May 8). This is your brain on advertising: A brief overview of how the brain processes advertising and how that knowledge can be applied to designing effective ads. Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute. http://www.rjionline.org/blog. Columbia, MO. Peters, S. (2008, November). Missouri J School. Graduate Studies Newsletter. Columbia, MO. CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS Peters, S. (November, 2012). The unintended boomerang effects of exposure to humorous safe sex public service announcements on high sensation seekers. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Health Communication Division, Orlando, FL. Peters, S. (November, 2012). Game, set, match: The importance of game product congruity on game players processing of advergames. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Human Communication and Technology Division, Orlando, FL. Peters, S. (November, 2011). MTV s docu series delivers platform for teen parenthood: A content analysis of 16 and Pregnant. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Scholar to Scholar Division: Communication, Popular Culture, and Politics, New Orleans, LA. Peters, S. (November, 2010). Does no glove really mean no love? The types of information seeking strategies a person employs when requesting safe sex practices in a romantic relationship. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Health Communication Division: Let s Talk about Sex In the Media, Education, and Interpersonal Contexts, San Francisco, CA. Peters, S. (November, 2009). The fat imperfection of the thin ideal: How the exposure to thin television characters can influence viewers estimates of and attitudes toward overweight people off screen. Paper presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Mass Communication Division: Looking Good? Media Exposure and Perceptions of Attractiveness, Chicago, IL.
Peters, S. (May, 2009). The effects of advergames on game players processing of embedded brands. Paper presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Information Systems Division: Keywords in Information Systems: Attitudes (High Density), Chicago, IL. Bolls, P., Leshner, G., Moore, J., Gardner, E., Bailey, R., Kononova, A., Peters, S., &Wise, K. (May, 2008). Stories of feeling and courage: The effect of narrative and emotional tone on processing cancer survivor stories. Paper presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Information Systems Division: Communication Theory Applied to Health Campaigns, Montreal, Canada. Leshner, G., Bolls, P., Moore, J., Peters, S., Kononova, A., Bailey, R., Gardner, E., & Wise, K. (May, 2008). Cognitive and emotional effects of breast cancer survivor testimonies. Paper presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Health Communication Division: Traditional and Online Sources of Social Support, Montreal, Canada. Leshner, G., Bolls, P., Moore, J., Gardner, E., Peters, S., Kononova, A., Bailey, R. & Wise, K. (August, 2008). Effects of African American breast cancer survivor testimonies on cognitive, emotional, and behavioral outcomes. Paper presented at the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication Conference, Minorities and Communication Division, Chicago, IL. Leshner, G., Bolls, P., Moore, J., Gardner, E., Peters, S., Kononova, A., Bailey, R. &Wise, K. (October, 2008). The impact of narrative and emotional breast cancer survivor testimonies on message processing for African American female viewers. Paper presented at the Society for Psychophysiological Research Conference, Austin, TX. RESEARCH EXPERIENCE 2011 2012 Teen Pregnancy and Health Literacy: An Entertainment Education Approach to Examining the Impact of 16 and Pregnant, University of Missouri (J. Aubrey & E. Behm Morawitz, Pls). Graduate student investigator who assisted in pilot data collection to assess females attitudes and behavioral intentions toward pregnancy after exposure to MTV s 16 and Pregnant series. 2010 2012 Affectionate Communication Influence on Fibromyalgia Couples Study, Communication Research Lab, University of Missouri (C. Hesse & C. Proulx, PIs). Graduate student assisting with data collection on 50 participant couples with fibromyalgia in hour long experiment sessions, measuring their heart rate, stress levels, and pain tolerance at three different time intervals. 2010 2012 Exploring Relationships Among Web Browsing, Sexual Health, and Social Stigma, University of Missouri (R. Meisenbach & H. Eastman Mueller, Pls). Graduate student investigator performing quantitative data analysis on pilot study, main experiment, and follow up survey investigating stigma related attitudes after exposure to educational sexual health website.
2010 2012 Investigating the Influence of Get Yourself Tested (GYT) campaign s PSAs: Encouraging STI testing through MTV Sponsored Public Information Campaign, University of Missouri (S. Peters, PI). Investigating GYT PSA messages and interactive comic book to determine their influence on young adults safe sex practices. GYT is part of the public information campaign It s Your (Sex) Life, which is a partnership of MTV and the Kaiser Family Foundation. Working in conjunction with Health Communication Specialist A. Friedman, CDC s Division of STI Prevention. Awarded privileged access to GYT materials to examine the campaigns messages promoting STI testing on a college aged population. 2007 Anger and Fear Anti Smoking Ads Study, PRIME Lab, University of Missouri (G. Leshner, PI). Gained experience with Final Cut Pro to edit ads for research project analyzing the Impact of anger and fear messages featured in tobacco ads on viewers cognitive and emotional processing. Edited content to fit within the four treatment conditions (i.e., high fear, high anger, low fear, low anger). 2007 Cognitive and Emotional Processing of Breast Cancer Messages Study, PRIME Lab, University of Missouri (G. Leshner & B. Polls, PIs). Pilot study for The Storytelling Project, funded by the National Cancer Institute Center for Excellence in Cancer Communication Research (CECCR) and National Institute of Health $56,700. Lead graduate research assistant who recruited participants through use of flyers, phone calls, and public announcements. Performed data collection, measuring participants heart rate, skin conductance, facial EMG, and other psychophysiological measures. Analyzed data with SPSS software. Courses Taught University of Missouri Columbia, MO Communication Department Fall 2013 Fall 2008 COLLEGE TEACHING EXPERIENCE COMM 4638: New Technologies and Communication Fall 2013, Spring 2012, Fall 2012. Instructor of record; put together all class materials; graded all assignments; taught both in online and traditional classroom formats. An advanced undergraduate course focusing on the role of communication technologies in society and culture, focusing primarily on the new and social media of the information age. The course material covers the historical development of technology as well as current applications of new communication technologies; theoretical frameworks for understanding how new technologies influence how humans communicate at the individual, community, and global levels; the economic, political, and social implications of these new technologies; and the ethical issues surrounding their development and use.
COMM 4628: Children, Adolescents, and the Media Fall 2013. Instructor of record; put together all class materials; graded all assignments. An advanced undergraduate course focusing on social scientific research concerning the mass media in the lives of children and adolescents. The course centers on media effects literature and controversies relevant to child and adolescent media users. Course involves readings, lectures, discussions of theories, concepts, methods, and findings. The course also considers social implications and personal choices in media use. COMM 3422: Communication Research Methods Fall 2012, Summer 2012. Instructor of record; put together all class materials; graded all assignments; taught both in online and traditional classroom formats. An introductory methods course to the structure, process, and logic of quantitative empirical research in communication. Topics include research design, measurement, methodology, and descriptive statistics. By the end of this course, students are expected to understand and be able to critique quantitative methodological approaches. COMM 3050: Survey of Communication Studies Spring 2012, Fall 2011. Teaching assistant; graded writing assignments, led discussion in weekly writing labs. Writing intensive course that surveys four main areas of the field of communication: interpersonal, organizational, political, and mass communication. Final project utilized new digital technology to produce persuasive video applying communication theory. COMM 1200: Introduction to Speech Fall 2012, Spring 2011, Fall 2010, Spring 2010, Fall 2009, Summer 2009, Spring 2009, Fall 2008. Instructor of record; graded all assignments. An introductory course covering the basic principles and processes of speech communication in small group and individual public speaking situations. COMM 2100: Media Communication in Society Fall 2013, Spring 2012, Summer 2010. Instructor of record; designed syllabus and exams, graded all assignments. Fall 2010, Spring 2010. Teaching assistant; graded writing assignments, led discussion in weekly labs. Introduction course to the development and impact of media communication and its technologies on American society. Emphasis on contemporary industry developments, their historical antecedents, as well as contemporary issues related to the influence and impact of media communication on society. COMM 2315: Basic Audio Production Fall 2008. Teaching assistant; graded weekly audio projects, instructed using Cool Edit Pro. An introductory course on radio speaking in varied programs, covering the basics of console operations, tape editing, and microphone techniques.
Guest Lecture University of Missouri Columbia, MO Communication Department Fall 2012 COMM 4703 Topics in Communication Behavioral Science Lectured on Media Effects on Health Outcomes HONORS, AWARDS, SCHOLARSHIPS AND GRANTS 2012 Graduate Research Award $50 Bookstore Gift Card 2011 Rebecca Verser & Alumni Graduate Student Support Fund $400 2011 Travel Grant for NCA Convention in New Orleans, LA $100 Graduate Student Association (GSA), University of Missouri 2008 2013 Letter of Commendation for Teaching Effectiveness in COMM 1200 Outstanding Teaching Evaluations Scores above department average 2007,2011 Golden Key International Honour Society Member University of Missouri 2009 Travel Grant for ICA Convention in Chicago, IL $150 Association of Communication Graduate Students, University of Missouri 2009 Travel Grant for NCA Convention in Chicago, IL $400 Graduate Professional Council (GPC), University of Missouri 2008 Travel Grant for ICA Convention in Montreal, Canada $750 School of Journalism, University of Missouri 2008 Center for Excellence in Cancer Communication Research (CECCR) Grant $300 Graduate Student Research Grant, National Cancer Institute 2002 2006 Dean s List Linfield College 2002 2006 Linfield Faculty Scholarship $9,000/year Linfield College 2002 Alpha Lambda Delta Honor Society Inductee Linfield College 2002 Service Scholarship to fund Undergraduate Education $500 St. Mary s Catholic Church
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Journalism Work Experience 2006 Columbia Missourian Columbia, MO News Reporter 2002 The Linfield Review McMinnville, OR News and Features Editor Service Disciplinary Service 2011 2012 Paper Reviewer, Student Section National Communication Association, Orlando, FL National Communication Association, New Orleans, LA 2009 2010 Volunteer at Graduate School Open House University of Missouri Information Booth National Communication Association, San Francisco, CA National Communication Association, Chicago, IL University Service 2010 2011 Graduate Professional Council (GPC) Communication Department Representative University of Missouri Departmental Service 2008 2012 Association of Communication Graduate Students Member 2009 2010 Exam Reform Committee for COMM 1200 2008 2009 Textbook Selection Committee for COMM 1200 Academic Affiliations 2008 Present National Communication Association (NCA), Member; Paper Reviewer 2006 2009 International Communication Association (ICA), Member