Ruth Hickerson
Teaching Associate Professor • Director, Josephine Jones Speaking Lab
Communication

Office: 

Office Hours: By appointment 

Ruth Hickerson’s research has focused on how language is used both as a sense-making technique and as a means to construct the identity of self and others. This has led her to further exploration of the relational consequences of interactions in which identity is being negotiated. This focus has allowed her to blend her areas of academic concentration—interpersonal communication, language and social interaction, and family communication—into a comprehensive research agenda.

Her courses include Interpersonal Communication, Human Communication Theory, Family Communication, and The Dark Side of Close Relationships.

In her former role as a college administrator, Hikerson focused on student retention and persistence. This informed her work on the creation, implementation and assessment of student success, faculty development, and universal design for learning programs.

Hickerson holds a PhD from the University of Denver.