Dineh Davis Minimal Web Presence

Approaching Dineh's Minimalist Web Presence! Davis Headshot

Though I'm a great believer in the power of information and the value of information exchange, I also believe that not all technology is appropriate for every use or for every one. In my case at the moment, my virtual self exists in this space only to inform you - minimally - of the type of academic work I do (or have done in the past) and the knowledge areas I facilitate. If you are interested in receiving additional information on my courses or research areas, please feel free to contact me via phone, e-mail, or my mailing address. Though I may be expanding my Web presence as time goes by, I'm unlikely to ever be as informative here as I am rumored to be in real life! And though past performance is no indication of future behavior, this website has existed minimally since 1995 when it was produced.

Dineh Davis, Ph.D.

dineh@hawaii.edu
School of Communications. Crawford 307. University of Hawai`i at Manoa. 2560 Campus Road, Honolulu, HI 96822
VOICE: 808/956-3332, FAX: 808/956-5591
OFFICE HOURS – Fall 2009: T/R: 1:30 -3:30; & by appointment & after class for current students enrolled in face-to-face classes.

Presently, I'm an associate professor in the School of Communications at the University of Hawaii, Manoa campus. Since moving to Hawaii in 1988, I have held a variety of positions in the public sector. For example, I served as a consultant and research associate for the University of Hawaii, West Oahu to propose both instructional and infrastructure guidelines for its then-proposed four-year campus [and am delighted that the newest version of the plans are at last about to see the light of day!] I also served as trainer, producer, and director for Hawaii Public Broadcasting Authority's Interactive Television System (HITS) - now a part of the UH System. I have also served a five-year term as Commissioner for the City & County of Honolulu on the Committee on the Status of Women and served as the Chair for its Media Task Force and coordinated the production and distribution of several publications for the City and County. At the State level I conducted research for the Legislature on the use and safety of cellular telephones and their effect on O'ahu's traffic in the early 1990s.

At UHM I have served as both the Chair of the Graduate Program and the Undergraduate Program in Communication; as well, I have served a three-year term in the Graduate Council, and participated in various interdisciplinary academic committees in the College of Social Sciences.

My teaching, research, and writing for the past thirty years have focused on human-computer interaction and the social and personal impact of computers and new information and communication technologies (ICTs). During my early years at UH I focused more specifically on the gendered and personal use of communication technologies; especially cellular telephones and pagers in Hawaii. I continue my interest in gendered applications of communication technologies, though I am recognizing the innate human differences related to infatuation with things-technological and my focus is shifting to a track that may or may not parallel gender differences (given the complexities of those cultures).


My cognitive preferences have also shifted with time!

While I tend to think and act more holistically and intuitively, my HBDI profile shows no aversion to any particular type of thinking preference - I just happen to lean toward the right-brain-thinking-mode (has nothing to do with brain physiology; just a metaphoric handle!) If you are more likely to be familiar with the MBTI model, I used to be NJIT with a gradual shift and oscillation toward Feeling!

In harmony with natural shifts over time, I am now studying the non-user population and those I've classified as "perpetual novices" (based, obviously, on my own predispositions!) In this context I have been continuing to explore the illusions and ambiguities created or exacerbated by the new media and telemedia environments. As of 2004, I have also begun research on communicating creativity in various walks of life - with emphasis on research as a predominantly creative endeavor. I am currently studying the intersection of creativity and culture from a phenomenological perspective in Hawaii as well as the larger implications of the interaction of culture and creativity online and its global implications. This focus has taken me to:

Eastern & Western Europe - from Estonia to Scotland (for research and presentations);
Australia (presentations as well as time spent with the Aborigines in Arnhemland and Uluru, and a stint at trying my hand at dot painting and my feet at trekking the Bungle Bungles!);
North and South America (focus on The Galapagos); and
Southern Africa where I spent five months of 2006 (& a further 3 months in 2008) based in the Eastern Cape region of South Africa with focus on the Xhosa culture (and three months of beekeeping, training, consulting & photography as a participant-observer) with another month's foray into Namibian land and culture.

Syllabi: Recent & Archival ( limited to 21st Century!):

Please note that all my courses have their own dedicated web sites and/or listservs. The syllabi below represent only the more enduring information on each course, but not all the specific and ephemeral information that shifts in an active course. To save space, only one sample syllabus is being shown and it may not be from the most recent semester [What may also be missing are syllabi for upcoming courses with an online version].

Communicating Creativity - graduate seminar (Com691)

Telecommunication Services (Com 634)

Communication Theories (Com611)

Senior Thesis/Project (Online Fall'08 prelim pdf preview):(Com490)

Communicating Creativity(Com489)

Communicating Creativity - Online only: WI/non-WI (Com459)

Communication and Humor (Com459)

Ethnography of Communication (Com453) OR: (SSI Online: Com453)

Communication & Gender (Com444)

Communication in Interpersonal Relationships (Mediated) (Online: Fall 2008: Com350)

Communication in Interpersonal Relationships (Mediated) (Online: SSII: Com350)

Introduction to Communication(Com201)

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