Leah Seurer

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Leah Seurer

Leah Seurer

Faculty

Interim Assoc. Dean, A&S Student Affairs/Chair, Comm. Studies/Assoc. Professor

Interim Assoc. Dean, A&S Student Affairs/Chair, Comm. Studies/Assoc. Professor Department of Communication Studies

Bio Image for Faculty Member Leah Seurer

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Al Neuharth Media Center, UNM 151 E

6056586810

[email protected]

I earned my PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Denver with a primary focus on interpersonal and family communication and a secondary focus on qualitative methods.

My teaching focuses on interpersonal and relational communication, health communication, and qualitative research.

My research agenda focuses on two primary avenues of scholarship. First, I examine the intersection of family and health communication by studying the various ways in which individuals discursively construct meanings of family and health identities when these identities do not align with culturally privileged understandings. My second body of work focuses on relational dialectics theory and its use in developing the field of critical interpersonal and family communication.

Ph D, Family and Interpersonal Communication; Communication Studies, The University of Denver, 2015
MA, Communication Studies, The University of South Dakota, 2010
BS, Communication Studies, The University of South Dakota, 2008

CURCS Mini-Grant, Center for Academic & Global Engagement , (2017 - Present)

Citations listed below are presented in a standardized, modified format for display purposes only. They do not necessarily reflect the preferred style and conventions of the faculty member or discipline.

Seurer, Leah. Constructing Motherhood and Daughterhood Across the Lifespan. In Chapter Seven: Communicating about Mental Health in the Mother-Daughter Dyad, editors Allison Alford and Michelle Miller-day. New York, NY: Peter Lang , 2019.
Suter, Elizabeth A., and Seurer, Leah. Relational Dialectics Theory: Realizing the Dialogic Potential of Family Communication. In Engaging Theories in Family Communication: Multiple Perspectives (2nd ed.). Taylor & Francis, 2017.
Baxter, Leslie, Suter, Elizabeth A., Thomas, Lindsey, and Seurer, Leah. The dialogic construction of "adoption" in online foster adoption narratives, 193-213. Vol. 15, Iss. 3 Journal of Family Communication, 2015. (DOI: 10.1080/15267431.2015.1043431)
Suter, Elizabeth A., Seurer, Leah, Webb, Stephanie K., Grewe, Brian, and Koenig-Kellas, Jody. Motherhood as contested ideological terrain: Essentialist and queer discoruses of motherhood at play in female-female co-mothers' talk, 458-483. Vol. 82, Iss. 4 Communication Monographs, 2015. (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2015.1024702)
Suter, Elizabeth A., Baxter, Leslie , Seurer, Leah, Thomas, Lindsey, and . Discursive constructions of the meaning of "family" in online narratives of foster adoptive parents, 59-78. Vol. 81, Iss. 1 Communication Monographs, 2014. (DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03637751.2014.880791)
Suter, Elizabeth, Seurer, Leah, and Parcel , Erin . Relational Dialectics Theory: Critically Examining Talk Within and About Family . In Engaging Theories in Family Communication: Multiple Perspectives (3rd edition) . Iss. 3rd
Droser, Veronica, and Seurer, Leah. "God doesn't make mistakes": Memorable messages, adjustment, and grief following family death. Health Communication.
Suter , Elizabeth, and Seurer, Leah. Family Communication as . . . Dialogue. In Family Communication as . . . Metaphors for Thinking about Family Communication .
Krupinsky, Ally, Goettsch, Kristen, and Seurer, Leah. Impact analysis of loved one peer coaching on persons with the disease of addiction . Sioux Falls, SD: South Dakota Medicine.
Seurer, Leah. Family Communication in Health Contexts. In Communication in Family Contexts: Theories and Processes, editors Kristina Scharp & Elizabeth Dorrance Hall . New York, NY: John Wiley & Sones.

Presidential Citation for Dedication and Service to NCA, National Communication Association , 2021
Top Paper Award, Division of Family Communication, National Communication Association, 2013

Seurer, Leah, "Spotlight panel: Translating across boundaries: Intersectional approaches to health communication. Presented at the Central States Communication Association 95th Annual Convention, Minneapolis, MN. (April 16, 2026)
Seurer, Leah, and , "Can we emerge from this?": Emotional labor, administration, and the chair as first responder . Presented at the Eastern States Communication Association 117th Annual Convention, Pittsburgh, PA. (April 09, 2026)
Seurer, Leah, The struggle to balance academic ideals and administrative realities: Fostering greater regard through co-mentoring in a cohort of new chairs. . Presented at the National Communication Association 110th Annual Convention, New Orleans. (November 22, 2024)
Seurer, Leah, Wine moms and dad bods: Using communication theory to understand discursive connections of health and identity . Presented at the Eastern South Dakota Research Symposium, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. (June 12, 2024)
Seurer, Leah, Droser, Veronica , Guzman, Salvador, Johnson, Kylie , Nickell, Jacob , Stone, Chelsea, and Suter , Elizabeth , Transforming the Interpersonal Communication Classroom: G.I.F.T.S. for creating a critically-informed Interpersonal Communication curriculum. Presented at the National Communication Association 109th Annual Convention, National Harbor, MD. (November 18, 2023)
Filotas, Zoli, Seurer, Leah, Hagen, Ben, and Lampert, Sara, The Radical Politics of Care: A Special Session in Memory of bell hooks. Presented at the USD Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies Biennial Conference, Vermillion, SD. (March 25, 2022)
Seurer, Leah, Castaneda, Nivea, Strasser, Dan, and Droser, Veronica, On the continued silence surrounding racism in families: Crafting transformational communication research in times of critical renewal. Presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Seattle. (November 2021)
Seurer, Leah, Talking about survival, life, and death: Examining different family perspectives . Presented at the NCA Convention, Baltimore, MD. (November 16, 2019)
Seurer, Leah, “God doesn’t make mistakes”: Memorable messages, adjustment, and grief following family death. Presented at the NCA Convention, Baltimore, MD. (November 16, 2019)
Seurer, Leah, The Struggle is Real: Promoting Survival in the Academy through Sharing Stories of Struggle. Presented at the NCA Convention, Baltimore, MD. (November 14, 2019)
Seurer, Leah, Unpacking Power and Privilege: Critical Pedagogy in Family and Interpersonal Communication. Presented at the NCA Convention, Salt Lake City. (November 09, 2018)
Seurer, Leah, and Droser, Veronica, "Don't cry in public!"-Memorable messages and death in Family Communication. Presented at the International Association of Relationship Research Conference, Fort Collins. (July 12, 2018)
Seurer, Leah, Feminism in the classroom: Using pop-culture to help students understand difficult ideas. Presented at the Denver Comic Con, Denver, CO. (June 16, 2018)
Seurer, Leah, Creating Critically Engaged Citizens: Utilizing Diverse Pedagogical Strategies to Promote Civic Responsibility and Inclusive Behavior. Presented at the NCA Convention, Dallas, TX. (November 17, 2017)
Seurer, Leah, Advancing the Practical Legacy of Interpersonal: Envisioning the Methodological Realization of Critical Interpersonal Communication. Presented at the NCA Convention, Dallas, TX. (November 16, 2017)