Course Description

Jeanette Ruiz is an Assistant Professor of Teaching for the Department of Communication at UC Davis and a CAMPOS Faculty Scholar. She specializes in strategic communication with a specific interest in emerging practices and concepts in digital and social media. In addition to her appointment in the Department of Communication, she has served as a human resources and public relations consultant for various nonprofit, managed health care, and finance organizations. Dr. Ruiz’s research focuses on public health communication and the Internet. She examines media advocacy campaigns in public health and has used network analysis and other methods to examine parental opposition to childhood vaccination. She has also focused on the globalization, structure and ownership concentration and regulation of the international Internet. Currently, she is interested in assessing issues of assessment and student accessibility and inclusivity in higher education. Her work has appeared in such journals as Vaccine, Social Network Analysis and Mining, System Sciences, and the Journal of International Communication. 

Dr. Hether is an Associate Professor of Teaching Communication at UC, Davis where she teaches courses that focus on applied communication contexts, such as public relations and business communication. As a former practitioner, Dr. Hether draws upon her professional experience to inform her teaching. She is especially dedicated to helping students connect theory with practice through case study analysis and experiential learning. Dr. Hether’s research interests focus on innovative practices in higher education, such as collaborative learning and creative problem solving. Previously, Dr. Hether held academic and research positions at the University of the Pacific in Stockton and UC Davis' Center for Healthcare Policy and Research in Sacramento. Prior to her academic career, she worked for more than a decade in marketing and public relations for a variety of private organizations in the US and Canada.