Communication Studies Faculty

Richard West

Professor (2008)
B.A. Illinois State University, M.A. Illinois State University, Ph.D. Ohio University

At Emerson, Rich teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses and serves as the Department's Coordinator of the Internship Program and Director of the Washington, D.C. Program.  In the communication discipline, Rich's leadership spans several areas.

At the national level, Rich is the Immediate Past President of the National Communication Association (NCA), the largest national organization that promotes the teaching and scholarship of communication. NCA comprises over 8,000 teachers, scholars, and practitioners from around the globe. Rich is also the past Director of NCA's Educational Policies Board and has served on nearly 30 NCA (sub)committees. He is also the past President of the Eastern Communication Association, the oldest professional communication organization in the country.

Rich's scholarship intersects the area of family and culture and has co-authored research with his colleague/friend of nearly 3 decades, Lynn Turner (past NCA President).  Rich has also written in the area of classroom communication and was recognized as a "Leading Scholar" in classroom communication by the Communication Institute for Online Scholarship. Rich is the co-author of 5 books in multiple editions (IPC: Interpersonal Communication, Gender and Communication, Understanding Interpersonal Communication: Making Choices in Changing Times, Perspectives on Family Communication, and Introducing Communication Theory: Analysis and Applications). His theory book has been published in 6 languages. Rich is also co-editor of The Family Communication Sourcebook and has been appointed twice as Guest Co-Editor of the Journal of Family Communication. In addition, he has (co) authored dozens of articles and book chapters and is a current member of 8 journal editorial boards in communication studies.

In the Department, Rich teaches courses in communication theory, interpersonal communication, research methods, and family communication. In 2007-2008, he served as the Interim Director of the Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies at Emerson. From 2008-2012, Rich served as the College's Chair in the Department of Communication Studies and after four years of hard work (and a 65% increase in Majors during his leadership), he decided to step down to dedicate more time to his teaching and research. In Fall 2012, another book on family communication (written by the West-Turner team) will be released by McGraw Hill.  Rich also just signed a contract to co-edit another book examining family communication issues, including storytelling, religion, health care, conflict, diversity, among other topics.

Rich's research has been featured in a number of media outlets including USA Today, PBS, Christian Science Monitor, NPR, Toronto Globe & Mail www.cbsnews.com, Fox and Friends on Fox News, among others. When he has some free time, Rich also enjoys working on his 100 year-old (summer) home on the coast of Maine and is an avid gardener.