Philip J. Auter
Associate Professor of Communication

Curriculum Vitae:  (Acrobat PDF Document. Download a free copy of Acrobat Reader here.)     

I joined the faculty of the Department of Communication at the University of Louisiana in the Fall of 2002  where I teach  a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses including TV production, DVD authoring, web design, international communication, and communication theory.  I offer both traditional and distance learning courses including classes that are partnered with universities in the Middle East where students and faculty from both cultures interact directly.

My research interests include audience uses of -- and effects on -- television and the internet, international TV programming, and multicultural representations in media.  I have published 20 journal articles, 18 book chapter and encyclopedia entries; and presented 64 conference papers.

Some of my recent publications include a co-authored article examining Egyptian and American youth parasocial relationships with music video personae,  in the Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research; an historical content analysis of TV stories about the internet in the American Communication Journal; and survey of cell phone uses and gratifications published in the International Journal of Mobile Communications. 

My co-investigators --Prof. Ashraf Galal Hassan, Prof. Mohamed Arafa, and Prof. Saadia Malik -- and I were recipients of a grant from the US. Department of State's Middle East Partnership Initiative.  The MEPI grant has allowed the University of Louisiana at Lafayette Department of Communication to enter into a three-year partnership with the Department of Mass Communication and Information Science at Qatar University.

My service to the University and community includes membership on the UL Distance Learning Leadership Council as well as a number of department committees.  I am also the incoming president of the UL chapter of Phi Kappa Phi – the international honor society.  I am a member and officer of several boards of directors, including Acadiana Open Channel, and the American Communication Association, where I serve as Executive Director.  I’m also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Middle East Media.

In recent years, I have chaired the department's Diversity and Affirmative Action committee, and was advisor for the department's honor society, Sigma Gamma Mu, from 2003 - 2005.  I have also overseen a number of student-produced DVDs and documentaries on significant community and cultural issues, including a project promoting Louisiana's official portal for Economic Development, AccessLouisiana, which was developed and his hosted by the University of Louisiana Center for Business & Information Technology (CBiT).  We have also produced a program about the UL Center for Advanced Computing Studies' first entry into the Grand DARPA Challenge "robot race." The video about "Cajunbot I" has been broadcast statewide on Louisiana Public Broadcasting's (LPB) instructional video feed -- an overnight service on all LPB affiliates.  Other documentaries that I have executive produced include a project on storm water runoff pollution for the Bayou Vermilion District that was distributed in Lafayette Parish schools; and several short videos on the African-American experience in Pensacola, Florida.

I am a member of the Association for Educators in Journalism & Mass Communication (AEJMC), American Communication Association (ACA), Arab-U.S. Association for Communication Educators (AUSACE), Broadcast Education Association (BEA), and Phi Beta Delta international honor society (PBD).  I have held division officer positions in both AEJMC and BEA.  

 

Office Hours        [Return to Top]

I'm  available to help you with your course projects, degree plan, other UL issues, and your career goals.  Please feel free to call, or email me -- or send me an IM -- with your questions. To Make an Appointment Log into www.auter.tv/officehours to schedule an appointment. Fall 2010 (August 23 - December 3 -- excluding university holidays.  See UL Academic Calendar  for more information.) Tue/Thur 9:30am - 3:30; Wed 6:00pm - 7:00pm; and by appointment:  During regular office hours I'm available in person, via phone, and online -- including video calls via Skype or GoogleTalk when technology permits. While you're always free to walk in or contact me during office hours, appointments are encouraged.  To make an appointment for a meeting during office hours, go to www.auter.tv/officehours to schedule a meeting.  Please make appointments at least one day in advance.  If you would like to meet outside my regular office hours, email me at: auter@louisiana.edu and we'll try to schedule a mutually convenient time to meet in person, via phone, or online. Feel free to Skype me or send me an instant message anytime you see me online and available. I will answer a Skype call. Please IDENTIFY yourself if you see me online and send me an instant message. I do NOT respond IMs from unknown senders. Also, my Facebook and Twitter accounts are locked so you may have to submit a friend request in order for me to see you.  (If you contact me via Facebook or Twitter, remember that posts are seen by everyone. You may wish to consider a direct message instead.)