Professor, Department of Communication Arts, College of Arts and Humanities
I am a Communication and Africana Studies Scholar. My academic research interests include narrative, storytelling about the African Diaspora. I direct plays written by African American women playwrights and those which feature black women as protagonists/antagonists. I am a retired military United States Air Force Major. I served in Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia in 1991. I conduct research about African Americans in the military, past and present.
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About Elizabeth F. Desnoyers-Colas
I am a Communication and Africana Studies Scholar. My academic research interests include narrative, storytelling about the African Diaspora. I direct plays written by African American women playwrights and those which feature black women as protagonists/antagonists. I am a retired military United States Air Force Major. I served in Operation Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia in 1991. I conduct research about African Americans in the military, past and present.
| 2021 - Present | Professor, Georgia Southern University ‐ College of Arts and Humanities | |
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| Present | Professor, Georgia Southern University ‐ Department of Communication Arts | |
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| 2011 - 2021 | Associate Professor, Georgia Southern University | |
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| 2005 - 2011 | Assistant Professor Department of Communication Arts, Georgia Southern University | |
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Disciplines
Research Interests
Communication arts, Arts administration, Visual arts, Narrative, Storytelling, African Diaspora, African American women playwrights, African Americans in the military, Cultural studies, Gender, Performance studies, Language and gender, Racial and ethnic politics, Crisis communication, Gender communication, African American culture, Black feminism, Personal narrative, Narrative theory, and Womanism
Grants
| 2016 | National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Institute Scholar |
| Virginia Tech University; Blacksburg, Virginia | |
| Veterans in Society: Ambiguities and Representations | |
| 2011 | National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Institute Scholar |
| Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, Maryland | |
| Slaves, Soldiers, Rebels: Currents of Black Resistance in the Tropical Atlantic, 1760-1888 | |
| 2008 | Armstrong Atlantic State University Teaching and Learning Grant |
| Armstrong Atlantic State University; Savannah, Georgia | |
| Importance of Orality in the Black Community Workshops | |
| $1,950 | |
| 2007 - 2008 | Summer Publishing Grant |
| American Association of University Women (AAUW) Fellow | |
| Marching as to War: Personal Narratives of African American Women’s Gulf War Experiences | |
| $6,000 | |
| 2005 - 2006 | Armstrong Atlantic State University Scholarship and Research Grant recipient |
| Armstrong Atlantic State University | |
| Marching as to War: Personal Narratives of African American Women’s Gulf War Experiences | |
| $1,896 |
Professional Service and Affiliations
| 2018 - Present | Past Chair, University System of Georgia Faculty Council | 2017 - Present | Chair, University System of Georgia Faculty Council | 2012 - Present | Committee member, Professional Communication and Leadership Master of Arts Advisory Committee | 2011 - Present | Member, African American Heritage Program Committee | 2007 - Present | Member, University President’s Committee on Minority Affairs, (AASU) | 1998 - Present | Caucus member, National Communication Association African American Division | 2016 - 2017 | Member, College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Advisory Council | 2016 - 2017 | Chair Elect, University System of Georgia, Member of the Council Executive Board | 2014 - 2016 | Member, ASU Joint Leadership Team | 2014 - 2016 | President, Armstrong University (ASU) Faculty Senate | 2012 - 2015 | Member, IRB Committee | 2010 - 2013 | Member, National Communication Association Legislative Assembly | 2005 - 2012 | Member, AASU Gender Studies Advisory Council | 2011 | Chair, National Communication Association Feminist Women Studies Division | 2008 - 2010 | Member, Southern States Communication Association | Member, Council Executive Board, University System of Georgia Faculty Council | Co-chair, Liaison Committee, Feminist Division/Women’s Caucus National Communication Association | Member, Minerva Society for the Study of Women and War | Member, National Association of African American Studies | Member, National Association of Black Military Women |
Honors and Awards
- Recipient, Women of Distinction Legacy Award, Armstrong State University (2014)
- Recipient, Armstrong Collegiate 100 CHOICE Award Outstanding Faculty Member, Armstrong State University (2016)
- Recipient, Certificate of Nottable Service for Men of Vision and Excellence, MOVE Armstrong State University (2016-2017)
- Recipient, R. Rex Crowley Outstanding Service Award, National Communication Association African American Communication and Culture Division and Black Caucus (2017)
Courses
- Public Speaking (COMM 2280)
- Public Relations (COMM 3060)
- Introduction to African American History (AFAS 2000)
- Gender and Communications
| 2003 | Ph.D. in Communication, Regent University | |
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| 1987 | M.A. in Communication, Regent University | |
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| 1979 | B.A. in Mass Media/Journalism, Central Washington University | |
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Contact Information
Georgia Southern University - Armstrong Campus
Savannah, GA 31419
Phone: (912) 344-3190
Email: