Dr. Christine E. Kunkle (formerly known as Rittenour)

Areas of Study:

• Family Communication
• Intergroup Communication
• Communication and Aging

Research Interests:

• Communicated prejudice
• Social justice
• Family socialization
• In-law relationships
• Gender and feminism  

Because we have the power to change it, and it has the power to change us, communication is at the forefront of Dr. Kunkle’s work. She also teaches and studies in interdisciplinary realms. Family studies, gerontology, social psychology, behavioral psychology, and leadership are strewn through her consulting, teaching, and research. While family is her favorite focal group, she is interested in other systems, such as teams, work groups, and the interdependent parts within a person. Some of her work addresses within-family differences based in social (e.g., ethnicity, age), structural (e.g., in-law relationships), and value-based identities (e.g., feminism, generativity), as she reveals how these differences interplay with the unity and happiness that family members feel and express for each other. She also studies communication about difference, including that which socializes people toward inclusion and collaboration that employs differences’ benefits. Recently Dr. Kunkle proudly shared an NSF grant for her work – collaborating with scholars interested in recruiting and retaining STEM students, teachers, and reserchers – and then lost the grant. Like any loss, this fuels Dr. Kunkle to wield her “wand” elsewhere, with faith, hope, joy, and relentless support from her teammates at home!

Education: