David Ward

Experienced educator with Ph.D. in English. Strong background in workplace writing and speaking and cross-cultural strategies. Eighteen years of experience teaching professional communication at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Teaching Philosophy and Goals:

(1) Working at “Intersections”: Steve Jobs famously said that he worked at the “intersection of the humanities and technology”; I likewise aspire to demonstrate connections across disciplinary and professional boundaries. In my class on intercultural communication, for example, we often discuss how a current or historical event, such as the ongoing migrant crisis in Europe, sheds light on differing cultural values. These conversations lead to an outlining of practical strategies for effective communication in the present. I believe that the best teaching enacts the “connectedness” of knowledge. Doing this well can engage and energize a classroom. And when students begin to see their academic experience as an exploration not of disparate fields of study but of a coherent landscape, they are better able to function in a complex, evolving, and interconnected professional environment.

(2) Demonstrating Informed Flexibility: Deborah Tannen has asserted that the best communication style is a flexible one; this is also the hallmark of the best pedagogy. What makes sense when planning a specific class may not work well in practice; what “clicks” one semester may not be productive in the next. It is therefore vital to continuously adapt and adjust one’s approaches, both in “real time” in a specific class and across semesters, in order to better achieve course learning outcomes. (For example, having a variety of strategies at the ready allows me to shape class time effectively when a given activity is working especially well—or not so well.) By being adaptive rather than scripted in a specific class session, I model for students the importance of a fluid, informed communication strategy that is sensitive to feedback.

Presentations

Association for Business Communication, Annual Conference ( 2014 ) “Cross-Cultural America: Pedagogy and Diversity.”

Annual Meeting, Association for Business Communication, Europe ( 2010 ) "Effective Team Communication"

Undergraduate Courses

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 1), Summer 2008.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 2), Summer 2008.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 2), Fall 2008.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 5), Spring 2009.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 9), Spring 2009.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 1), Summer 2009.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2001.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2001.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2001.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2001.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2001.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Summer 2002.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Summer 2002.

v (BUS 300), Fall 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Summer 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Summer 2003.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2004.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2004.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2004.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2004.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2004.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2004.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Summer 2004.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Summer 2004.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2005.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2005.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2005.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2001.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2001.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Spring 2001.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 10), Fall 2005.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 11), Fall 2005.

Professional Communciation (BUS 300 Section 2), Fall 2005.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 4), Fall 2005.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Summer 2005.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Summer 2005.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 9), Spring 2006.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 5), Spring 2006.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 7), Spring 2006.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 2), Fall 2009.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 21), Spring 2010.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2006.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2006.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 11), Fall 2010.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 13), Fall 2010.

Professional Communication (BUS 300), Fall 2011.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 5), Spring 2007.

(BUS 300 Section 2), Fall 2007.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 4), Fall 2007.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 1), Summer 2007.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 2), Summer 2007.

Professional Communication (BUS 300 Section 5), Spring 2008.

Graduate Courses

PhD Communicatn-Dissertsators (BUS 975 Section 1), Spring 2009.

PhD Communicatn-Dissertsators (BUS 975 Section 1), Spring 2010.

Ph.D. Communication for Dissertators (BUS 975 Section 1), Spring 2007.

Managerial Communication (BUS 700 Section 3), Fall 2008.

Managerial Communication (BUS 700 Section 30), Fall 2008.

Managerial Communication (BUS 700 Section 1), Fall 2009.

Managerial Communication (BUS 700 Section 2), Fall 2007.