Biography

Associate Professor of Communication Studies

Ph.D., Kent State University
M.A., Kent State University
B.A., University of Bucharest, Romania

Dr. Popa has been teaching at Rowan since 2004. Although she was trained in small group/organizational communication and interpersonal communication, she became quite a generalist at Rowan, teaching a wide variety of courses. Her research interests are just as eclectic, including intercultural communication (communicative values of marginalized groups, experiences of intercultural exchanges of Peace Corps volunteers), and the communicative aspects of trust and its relationship with attachment styles and emotions. Dr. Popa defines herself as a mixed breed between a social scientist and a qualitative scholar/ethnographer, having used both quantitative and qualitative methods in her research.

Dr. Popa enjoys spending time with friends, family, and her two cats. Her favorite pastimes include reading, baking, walking in nature, and gardening. She never says no to a trip to the shore or to learning some new skill (most recent ones are playing piano, acrylic painting, book editing, and learning German).

Research Interests

Communicative aspects of trust in different cultures
Role of emotions in communication
Attachment styles and trust formation in small group relationships
Interview research methods

Courses

CMS 04250  Communication Theory
CMS 04255  Nonverbal Communication
CMS 04260  Organizational Communication Theory & Research
CMS 04318  Leadership Communication
CMS 04350  Communication Studies Research Methods
CMS 04360  Intercultural Communication
CMS 04550  Seminar in Communication Studies

Selected Presentations and Publications

Popa, C. (October 9-10, 2019). "Intercultural Bridges: A Case Study of a Peace Corps Volunteer in Moldova." Presented at the international conference Individual, Family, Society – Contemporary Challenges (3rd ed.), Bucharest, Romania.

Bistriceanu Pantelimon, C. & Popa, C. (2019). "One Health—A New Concept in Social Sciences?" Anthropological Researches and Studies, 9.

Popa, C. (2014). "Experiences of Trust and Distrust in Intercultural Encounters." Anthropological Researches and Studies, 4.

Popa, C. (October, 2007). "Culture Clash: Opportunities and Challenges in Western-Arab Communication." Paper presented at Multiculturalism, Pluralism and Globalization, an interdisciplinary conference sponsored by the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse.

Popa, C. (June, 2007). "Measuring and Explaining Trust." Paper presented at the European Survey Research Association Conference, Prague, Czech Republic.

Ongoing Projects

Intercultural construction of trust through communicative practices - the communicative aspects of being a stranger
This project examines the cultural influences on the communication of trust within and without ethnic groups. Pulling data from different sources (historical documents, media, and field interviews), I seek to understand the mechanisms through which people from collectivistic cultures (the Rroma of Eastern Europe, other Eastern European cultures, the Arabs) show trust or distrust in others.

Creating identity through stories of your tribe
This project focuses on how family stories help shape and/or change an individual identity. Through field interviews and autoethnography, I collect stories from four generations of an extended family. In addition, I focus on the emotional changes in communication styles and their impact on family dynamics.