Kristin Shamas

Education

• PhD in Communication (International/Intercultural) at the University of Oklahoma
• MA in History (Modern Middle East) at the University of Oklahoma
• BA in Humanistic Inquiry at Lake Forest College

Biography

Kristin Shamas, PhD, is a Visiting Assistant Professor of Strategic Communication. Her research and publications focus on communication for social change at the intersection of culture and technology. With an international/intercultural communication focus, Shamas’s regional specialization is Southwest Asia, where she held a Fulbright (US Department of State) to Syria(2000-2001), and a Fulbright Hayes (US Department of Education) to Lebanon (2006-2008). Dr.Shamas has evaluated or otherwise contributed to social development and communication initiatives for the US Department of State, Ford Foundation, the King Hussein Foundation(Jordan), and other grantors. For the University of Oklahoma Western History Collection, Dr.Shamas put together a research archive on Lebanese immigrants to Oklahoma and other states in the Midwest United States (US).

Dr. Shamas’s published work looks at global uses of media in war and armed conflict; international risk and crisis communications; intercultural dialogues related to religion and media; and diasporic cultural identities and communication technologies. Her authored and co-authored works have been published by Media, Culture and Society, Sage, Peter Lang, University of Minnesota Press, Lexington Books, Jessica Kingsley publishers, and the European University Institute. Forthcoming works consider cross-cultural media resistance to eugenicist and necropolitical discourses and policies; and international dialogues on ethical uses of artificial intelligence (AI) in conflict journalism and citizens’ media.

Dr. Shamas has taught a broad range of communication courses to traditional and non-traditional undergraduate and graduate students at English-language institutes, high schools, colleges and universities, and military bases. Courses taught include introduction to communication; intercultural communication; international communication; communication for social change; organizational communication; small group communication; interpersonal communication; public speaking; critical media and cultural studies; global media; and media, conflict, and war. Dr. Shamas completed a PhD in Communication (International/Intercultural) and an MA in History (Modern Middle East) at the University of Oklahoma, and a BA in Humanistic Inquiry at Lake Forest College. She has held research and teaching positions at American University of Beirut, Lebanese American University, Notre Dame University (Lebanon), Oklahoma City University, Rollins College, University of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Oklahoma State University.