Department of Communication, Media and Theatre
Email: cmt@neiu.edu
Phone: (773) 442-5950
Room FA 240

M.F.A. Northwestern University
Cyndi Moran teaches a variety of media production courses includingIntroduction to Video Production, Advanced Video Production, and Digital Video Editing, as well as cinema studies courses, such as Documentary Film and The Art of Film and Video. Her documentary work has been seen on the PBS series P.O.V., and in numerous national and international festivals. She has produced TV segments for WTTW and The Sundance Channel, and she has edited independent documentary productions, television shows, commercials, and programs for artists and not-for-profits.
Room FA 242
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
and by appointment

M.F.A., Governors State University – Independent Film and Digital Imaging
B.A., Columbia College Chicago – Television Production
B.A., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Cinema Studies
E 112
5500 North Saint Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

Ph.D. Ohio University, School of Interpersonal Communication (Rhetorical Studies & Media Studies)
M.A. Ohio University, School of Interpersonal Communication (Rhetorical Studies)
B.S.J. Ohio University, E. W. Scripps School of Journalism (News Editorial Journalism)
Bell-Jordan, K. E. (2011). Still subscribing to stereotypes: Constructions of black masculinity in popular magazines. In M. P. Hopson, & R. L. Jackson (Eds.), Masculinity in the Black imagination: Politics of communicating race and manhood. New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
Bell-Jordan, K. E. (2010). Forward. In J. Tischauser, Anti-Arab and anti-Muslim bias in American newspapers: How they reported the 2006 Israeli-Hezbollah and Israeli-Hamas wars (pp. i-iv). Lewiston, NY: The Edwin Mellen Press.
Bell-Jordan, K. E. (October, 2008). Black.White and a Survivor of The Real World: Constructions of race on reality TV. Critical Studies in Media Communication, 25(4), 353-372.
Bell-Jordan, K. E. (December, 2007). Speaking fluent “joke”: Pushing the racial envelope through comedic performance on Chappelle’s Show. Performance Research, 12(3),74-90.
Bell, K.E., Orbe, M.P., Drummond, D.K., & Camara, S.K. (Winter, 2000). Accepting the challenge of centralizing without essentializing: Black Feminist Thought and African American women’s communicative experiences. Women’s Studies in Communication, 23 (1), 41-62.
Bell, K. E. (1998). The more they change, the more they remain the Same: Representations of African American womanhood on Living Single. In T. McDonald, & T. Ford-Ahmed (Eds.), Nature of a sistuh: Black women’s lived experiences in contemporary culture (pp. 197-222). Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press.
BBH 158
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

M.F.A. The University of Iowa
"Time with Leo"
"Designer Babies"
"Art That Moves: Animation Around the World"
Directed "Becky Shaw" at NEIU.
Room FA 234
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Thursday: 3-4 p.m.
Also by appointment.

Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2018)
M.A. Illinois State University (2014)
B.A. St. Norbert College (2011)
Ruppel, E. K., Cherney, M. R., Quinn, S. F., & Richards, R. J. (2021). Effects of mediated communication on conflict behavior, resolution, and affect in romantic couples. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 38, 3633-3645. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211040806
Cherney, M. R., Fetherston, M., & Johnsen, L. J. (2018). Online course student collaboration literature: A review and critique. Small Group Research, 49, 98-128.
Fetherston, M., Cherney, M. R., & Bunton, T. E. (2018). Uncertainty, technology use, and career preparation self-efficacy. Western Journal of Communication, 82, 276-295.
Cherney, M. R., Davis, D. C., & Metts, S. (2017). Surf’s up: Communicative aspects of online trust-building among Couchsurfing hosts. In M. Folk & S. Apostel (Eds.), Establishing and Evaluating Digital Ethos and Online Credibility. Hershey, PA: IGI Global.
Room FA 233
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Wednesday: 10 a.m.-noon

M.F.A. in Stage Design - Scenic Design, Northwestern University
B.A. in Theatre with a Studio Art minor in Oil Painting, Hope College
Sarah earned her MFA in Stage Design – Scenic Design from Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., where she received a full-ride scholarship, and trained under award-winning scenic designers: Daniel Ostling, Todd Rosenthal and Walt Spangler.
Upcoming Work: The Cake (Nashville Repertory Theatre) in October 2022, and Once: The Musical (Writer's Theatre) in 2023
Select Credits: Lookingglass Alice (Assistant Scenic Designer for 2022 remount production in Chicago, and the 2015 Miami and Denver Tours, Lookingglass Theatre Company); South of Settling (Steppenwolf); In The Next Room (or The Vibrator Play) (TimeLine Theatre Company); The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and James and the Giant Peach (Filament Theatre); Fulfillment Center and 3C (A Red Orchid Theatre); Unseen and A Life Extra Ordinary (The Gift Theatre).
Her design work has been recognized regionally by the American College Theatre Festival, nationally by the JFK Center for the Performing Arts, and internationally at the Prague Quadrennial exhibition held in the Czech Republic. Her photography work has been exhibited in New York City.
Room FA 232
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Tuesday: 2-3 p.m. (Zoom)

M.F.A., Directing, Northwestern University
B.F.A., Acting, New York University's Tisch School of the Arts
Adam is an accomplished director with a long history developing critically and nationally acclaimed new work. He brings credits and assistant credits at Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, Court Theatre, CityLit, Redtwist, The Side Project, Bristol Riverside Theatre, South Bend Civic Theatre, and leading companies across Chicago and the east coast. One of Chicago’s leading voice and dialect coaches, Adam has vocally designed nearly sixty productions in Chicago with his work praised by Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune as “remarkable."
As an arts leader, Adam has helped to build, shape, and support major institutions such as Bristol Riverside Theatre, Hartford Stage Company, and William Morris Endeavor. Adam previously taught at Columbia College Chicago and Northwestern University before joining NEIU. In addition to his time on campus, Adam continues to serve young artists as the head of musical theatre at Actors Training Center in Wilmette. His other interests include his wife, young son, a dog and cat, baseball, golf, crossfit, and his amazing neighborhood in Evanston. MFA-Directing, Northwestern University, BFA-Acting from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts.
Room FA 229
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Tuesday and Thursday: 12:30-1:30 p.m.
Also available for virtual appointments throughout the week.

B.F.A. Theatre/Musical Theatre, University of Michigan-Flint
M.F.A. Acting, Michigan State University
Leslie has been working as an Artist/Educator in the Midwest Region for over a decade. In addition to working on stage and screen and off, she works as a voice over artist, audio book narrator, and amateur photographer. She is a proud member of Actors' Equity. Some regional theaters include Williamston Theatre, Tipping Point Theatre, Performance Network Theatre, The Henry Ford Museum, Metropolis Performing Arts, Idle Muse, Dandelion Theatre and Quest Theatre Ensemble.
Room F 110A
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Tuesday and Thursday: 2-3 p.m.
Please email to confirm or to make an appointment.

M.F.A. Michigan State University (Production Design)
B.A. Ashland University (Scene & Lighting Design)
G. "Max" Maxin IV works also a freelance theatrical designer in Chicago and is one of the co-founders of Another Door Theatre Project. Favorite design credits include: "Gypsy," "Little Women," "Cabaret," "Bare (Another Door)"; "Urinetown" (Jeff Nomination Lighting), "Three Days of Rain," "Next to Normal," (BoHo); "The Nance," "Priscilla: Queen of the Desert," "Angry Fags," "Design for Living," "The Submission," "Book of Merman" (Pride Films & Plays); "First Date" (Royal George); "Spamalot" (Nightblue); "From These Fatal Loins," "Home Before Dark" (The Ruckus), and "Story of a Story" (The Untold Story) (Underscore).
Room F 113
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

Ph.D. Screen Arts and Cultures, University of Michigan (2013)
M.A. Literature and Film, North Carolina State University (2008)
B.A. English and Art, Northern Illinois University (2003)
Fade to Gray: Aging in American Cinema. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2016 (co-authored with Timothy Shary)
“Sending Camp to Kids: When John Waters and Paul Rubens Brought Queer Politics to the Underage Set,” in Coming Out to the Mainstream: New Queer Cinema in the 21st Century. JoAnne C. Juett and David Jones, eds. Cambridge: Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2010.
Room FA 231
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Tuesday and Thursday: 1:45-2:45 p.m.

Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin
M.A. The University of Texas at Austin
B.A. Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea
Mun, S. (2013). Reality check: Rethinking the global software piracy problem. International Telecommunications Policy Review, 20, 1-26.
Mun, S. (2013). Printing press without copyright: A historical analysis of printing and publishing in Song, China. Chinese Journal of Communication, 6, 1-23.
Mun, S. (Aug. 2011). Current trends of U.S. television market part II, 2011 Biannual Report of International Television. Strategic Programming Dept. of Seoul Broadcasting System.
Mun, S. (Jan. 2011). Current trends of U.S. television market part I, 2011 Biannual Report of International Television. Strategic Programming Dept. of Seoul Broadcasting System.
Room FA 235
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
1-2:30 p.m. Wednesday (Room FA 235)
10-11:30 a.m. Thursday (Zoom)

M.F.A., North Carolina School of the Arts
Room F 109
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Also by appointment

M.A. Communication, Media and Theatre - Northeastern Illinois University
B.A. Communication, Media and Theatre - Northeastern Illinois University
FA 240
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

Ph.D. Communication, Rhetoric, & Digital Media - North Carolina State University (2011)
M.A. Film Studies - University of Iowa (2007)
B.A. Drama & Communication - University of New Orleans (2004)
"Cultural Programming and the Early History of HBO's Signature Style, 1978-1988." The Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 61.5 (2021-2022), 86-112.
“Subscribing to Governmental Rationality: HBO and the AIDS Epidemic.” Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies 11.2 (June, 2014), 120-138.
"HBO and the Story of AIDS." Communication Currents 9.3 (June, 2014)
“Public Service Entertainment: HBO’s Interventions in Politics and Culture” in Media Interventions. Kevin Howley (ed). (New York: Peter Lang, 2013), 127-142.
“Beyond Netflix and TiVo: Rethinking HBO Through the Archive.” FlowTV.org, May 21, 2010
“Joanna Newsom Covers in the Blogosphere” in Visions of Joanna Newsom. Bradley W. Buchanan (ed). (Sacramento, CA: Roan Press, 2010).
“Invisible Children and the Cyberactivist Spectator.” Nebula 6.4 (December, 2009), 40-55.
Before earning his Ph.D. in Communication, Rhetoric, & Digital Media at North Carolina State University, Dr. Pepper earned an M.A. in Film Studies from the University of Iowa and a B.A. in Drama & Communication from the University of New Orleans. His work has appeared in The Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, Nebula, FlowTV, and Culture Machine. He has also contributed book chapters to several edited collections and is working on a book project on HBO’s HIV/AIDS programming.
Room FA 239
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Also by appointment.

M.A. Boston University (1986)
Room FA 238
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
10:15-10:45 a.m. and 12:30-1:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday (Room FA 238 and Zoom)
3:45-4:15 p.m. Wednesday (Zoom)

A.L.M. Harvard (Dramatic Arts)
S.T.M. Boston University (Systematic Theology)
M.P.S. Loyola University Chicago (Pastoral Theology, focus in Religious Communication)
M.A. University of Illinois (Theater)
iSpeak! uSpeak! weSpeak!: An Introduction to Contemporary Public Speaking (2012)
Goat Troubles and Other Chicago Poems (2010)
Ode To Boston Neighborhoods: The Emerald Necklace, Bunker on the Hill, and other Tanka-Cantos (2011)
Where the Designer Came From (2011)
Tao-Te-Ching: The Way of Virtue in Leadership and Life (2012)
American Haiku (2012)
Cosmotrinity (2013)
John Ross Jr. has been a faculty member in the Department of Communication, Media and Theatre since 2000. He teaches courses in public speaking, voice and diction, and human communication, and he holds a graduate degree in dramatic arts from Harvard University.
Room FA 241
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Also by appointment

M.P.A. Harvard University
Professor Edie Rubinowitz teaches a variety of media and journalism courses, including Multimedia Storytelling, Mass Media and Society and News Writing. She is a freelance journalist and worked as news reporter for several years with NPR-affiliate Chicago Public Radio where she covered urban issues such as poverty, immigration, and housing. Her work has appeared on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, Marketplace, and Latino USA, and she has contributed to This American Life. On the academic side, she has presented at the National Communication Association and has written for the online Journal of Media Education.
Room FA 244
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Wednesday: Noon-2 p.m. and 7:30-8:30 p.m. (Zoom/Google Meet)
M.F.A. Writing, School of the Art Institute of Chicago
B.A. Creative Writing (Poetry), Colorado State University
Matthew Sage has been active in counter-culture and subculture as a musician, artist, writer, publisher, and distributor for nearly 15 years. His autoethnographic research and experience in these fields has tied into his academic research interests involving intermedia arts, physical and digital media, and mediated narrative.
He operated Patient Sounds, an internationally acclaimed record label that published more than 140 cassettes, vinyl records, and books produced by artists from around the world in its 10 years of operation. He now operates Cached.Media, a platform sharing music, art objects, and web broadcasts exploring collaborative works made through digital mediation. He has published/shown music, writing, poetry, and visual art with many record labels, small press publishers and independent galleries. He has also performed, produced, recorded, and collaborated on works shown at The Art Institute of Chicago, The MOMA, MOMA PS1, the Whitney Museum.
Room FA 234
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

Ph.D., Communication, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2021)
M.A., Communication, Media and Theater, Northeastern Illinois University (2017)
B.A., Communication, Media and Theater, Northeastern Illinois University (2015)
Sepúlveda, S., & Plec, E. (2021). Of rats and women: A cross-species read of space and place. In A. E. George (Ed.) Feminism and Gender in Critical Animal Studies. Lexington Publishers.
Riforgiate, S. E., & Sepúlveda, S. (2021). Managing and being managed by emotions. In F. Cooren & P. Stücheli-Herlach (Eds.) Handbook of Management Communication. De Gruyer Mouton
Sepúlveda, S. (2019). Review of abstinence cinema: Virginity and the rhetoric of sexual purity in contemporary film. [Review of the book Abstinence cinema, by C. R. Kelly]. Women & Language, 42(1), 125-128.
Room FA 231
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States

Duncan, K. L., Sias, P. M., & Shin, Y. (2021). “But That’s Not My Job”: Employee Resistance to Extra-Role Tasks. Communication Studies, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/
Sias, P.M., & Shin, Y. (2020). Workplace Relationships. in A. Nicotera (Ed.) Organizational communication: A comprehensive introduction to the field (pp. 187-206). Routledge Press.
Sias, P.M., & Shin, Y. (2020). Organizational Socialization. in A. Nicotera (Ed.) Organizational communication: A comprehensive introduction to the field (pp. 149-167). Routledge Press.
Room FA 236
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Wednesday: 3:40-5:40 p.m.
Also available by appointment.

M.F.A. University of California, San Diego
B.S. Central Michigan University
Most recently directed "Episode 26" (Spring '18) and "End Days" (Spring '17) at NEIU and reprised the role of Dave in "Lounging" at the Filament Theatre in Chicago (Summer '16).
Dan Wirth toured throughout the United States with The Acting Company. In New York City, he performed at the Public Theatre, the Harold Clurman Theatre, the 18th Street Playhouse, the Lamb’s Theatre, Playwright’s Horizons, The American Place Theatre, and the Actor’s and Director’s Lab (AKA the Samuel Beckett Theatre.) In Europe, he performed at the Edinburgh International Theatre Festival and at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Regionally, he appeared at the Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and the Utah and Oregon Shakespeare Festivals. He performed in plays directed by Alan Schneider, Joseph Papp, Michael Langham, Liviu Ciulei, Garland Wright, Jerry Turner, and Sharon Ott, and appeared on-stage with James Cromwell, J. T. Walsh, Jimmy Smits, Jamey Sheridan, Bob Gunton, Diane Venora, Kathleen Widdoes, David Warrilow, Alvin Epstein, Leigh Taylor-Young, Margaret Reed, Howard Korder, Wayne Knight, and Jeff Daniels. In Chicago, Dan most recently appeared in "Lounging" at both the Raven Theatre and the Filament Theatre. He was a Chicago Cub in the film "Rookie of the Year." Dan has directed for seven Chicago area theatre companies, most recently directing "The Merry Wives of Windsor" for Fury Theatre.
An award winning playwright, Dan’s play "Used Carlotta" won new play contests at the Source Theatre in Washington, D.C. and the New American Comedy Festival in Ukiah, California, and was produced each time. It was also a finalist in the National Playwrights Conference at the O'Neill Theater Center. His play "Urban Renovator Blues" was chosen by The Cleveland Public Theatre as part of their Eighth Festival of New Plays. In Chicago, his production of the play was featured at Cabaret Voltaire. His 10-minute play "Smell the Coffee" was featured at Chicago Dramatists and "Shed" was featured in NEIU’s recent Nuevas Voces Play Festival. Dan is also a published poet and a filmmaker.
At NEIU he has directed 15 main stage plays, four Children’s Theatre productions, and eight Summer Transition Program Drama Workshops. He appeared on stage here as a very large Lady Bracknell in "The Importance of Being Earnest." He has also taught theatre and communication courses at Dominican University, Harper College, Daley College, Barat College, Lake Forest College, Wright College and Oakton Community College. He has an M.F.A. from The University of California, San Diego, and a B.S. from Central Michigan University.
Room FA 230
Northeastern Illinois University
5500 North St. Louis Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
United States
Friday: 2:30-3:30 p.m. (Zoom)