Faculty Bios
Meet the Faculty - Dr. Shirley Maase
What drew you to the field of Communication studies?
I started out in Journalism, as a married mother of a two-year-old boy and I was twenty-two. One of the courses I was required to take was very similar to the COM101 we teach here at Chesapeake and I was fascinated with the study of communication as a science. I had not realized that since the early 1900’s, communication researchers were studying “scientifically” the ways, the whys, the how, and the effects of communication. I knew this was what I wanted to do. I was at Ohio State at the time, and some researchers there were well known in the field nationally. I obtained my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from that school, and then later obtained my Ph.D. in Communication from the University of Maryland. I was fortunate that when I worked on my doctorate that I also had professors who were well-established in communication research nationally and internationally, so I had some good influences.
How would you describe your teaching style?
My teaching style is interactive; even when I have a "mini-lecture," as I like to call them. I seek student input and responses to what I am saying so that I am not the only one talking.
What’s your favorite thing about teaching?
My favorite things are learning about the students -- the culture of youth --- which I am obviously no longer experiencing directly! I also really enjoy trying to be more effective each time, even though I have taught most of this material more than twenty-five years. The field is growing, the research is growing, and the changes in mass media (with all the new technology) keep my enthusiasm for the material at a high level. There is always something to learn...
Visit Dr. Maase's faculty web page to view her contact information, current office hours, and the courses she is teaching this semester.