Lindsey Thomas
Associate Professor
School of Communication
Office
FEL Fell Hall 457
Office Hours
by appointment
Office Phone
Email
- About
- Education
- Awards & Honors
- Research
Biography
Dr. Thomas teaches and conducts research in the areas of interpersonal communication and communication research methods.
Current Courses
499.001Independent Research For The Master's Thesis
400.005Independent Study
450.001Master's Project
498.001Professional Practice In Communication
474.001Seminar In Interpersonal Communication
499.001Independent Research For The Master's Thesis
450.001Master's Project
498.001Professional Practice In Communication
410.001Seminar In Family Communication
325.001Theory And Research In Interpersonal Communication
Ph D Interpersonal Communication
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
MA Interpersonal Communication
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA
BA Communication: Public Relations
University of Northern Iowa
Cedar Falls, IA
JSPR Top 50 Reviewer
Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
2023
Outstanding Tenure-track Teaching Award
School of Communication
2023
Outstanding University Teaching Award
Illinois State University
2023
Trifecta Award
School of Communication
2023
Leslie A. Baxter Early Career Award
Family Division of NCA
2022
Outstanding Tenure-track Scholarship Award
School of Communication (ISU)
2022
Outstanding Scholarly Achievement of the Year (Pre-tenure)
College of Arts and Sciences (ISU)
2021
Trifecta Award
School of Communciation
2021
Distinguished Article Award
Family Communication Division of NCA
2021
Outstanding Teaching Achievement of the Year (Pre-tenure)
College of Arts and Sciences (ISU)
2020
Book, Chapter
Scharp, K. M., & Thomas, L. J. (2021) Relational dialectics theory. In D. O. Braithwaite & P. Schrodt (Eds.), Engaging theories in interpersonal communication (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.
Nelson, L. R. & Thomas, L. J. (2020). Communication and formative processes in foster families. In J. Soliz & C. W. Colaner (Eds.), Navigating relationships in the modern family: Communication, identity, and difference (pp. 173-189). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Thomas, L. J., & Scharp, K. M. (2020). Chapter 18: Communication about adoption in families. In G. M. Wrobel, E. Helder, & E. Marr (Eds.), The Routledge handbook of adoption (pp. 253-265). New York, NY: Routledge. ISBN: 9781138362505
Encyclopedia
Thomas, L. Contrapuntal Analysis. Matthes, J. P., Davis, C. S., & Potter, R. F. (EDs), The International Encyclopedia of Communication Research Methods. Wiley-Blackwell (2018)
Journal Article
Malhotra, P., Scharp, K. M., & Thomas, L. J. (2022). The meaning of misinformation and those who correct it: An extension of relational dialectics theory. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39(5), 1256-1276. https://doi.org/10.1177/02654075211050429
Nelson, L. R., & Thomas, L. J. (2022). “I am my home”: Discursive constructions of “home” in interviews with aged out foster youth. Western Journal of Communication, 86(2), 174-193. https://doi.org/10.1080/10570314.2022.2048415
Baxter, L. A., Scharp, K. M., & Thomas, L. J. (2021). Relational dialectics theory. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 13(1), 7-20. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12405
Thomas, L. J., Zompetti, J. P., & Jannusch, A. (2020). Policy fosters family: Examining discourses of biology and care in foster care-related government texts. Communication Law Review, 20(1). https://commlawreview.org/Archives/CLRv20/Policy_Fosters_Family.PDF
Scharp, K. M., & Thomas, L. J. (2020). A child for every family? Characterizations of “adoptable” children in online permanency advocacy publications. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 37(7), 2098-2117. doi:10.1177/0265407520918668
Written Case with Instructional Material
Thomas, L. J., & Scharp, K. M. (2022). Healthy happy homes: Fostering youth, fostering relationships (case study & discussion prompts). In S. L. Faulkner (Ed.), Inside relationships: Critical case studies in interpersonal communication (2nd ed.) (pp. 112-116). Abingdon, UK: Routledge.
Thomas, L. J. (2020). “What’s the worst that could happen?”: Voicing discourses of unintended pregnancy (case study & discussion questions). In E. Dorrance Hall and K. M. Scharp (Eds.), Communication in family contexts: Theories and processes (pp. 71-72). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. ISBN: 9781119477341
Presentations
Thomas, L., Carpenter, N. J., Craig, B., Craven, K., & Hunt, S. K. (2022, April). State of Illinois spotlight: Well-Being: Taking care of community. Panel presented at the annual meeting of the Central States Communication Association, Madison, WI.
Abetz, J., Alvarez, C., Romo, L. K., Scharp, K. M., & Thomas, L. J. (2022, November 17-20). Honoring rejection [Panel presentation]. National Communication Association 108th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA.
Hallsten Lyczak, J. L. & Thomas, L. J. (2022, November 17-20). Informing the Twittersphere: A social media approach to original research presentations [GIFTS activity panel presentation]. National Communication Association 108th Annual Convention, New Orleans, LA.
Wright, A. M., & Thomas, L. J. (2022, March 30-April 3). It’s a (Charty) Party in research methods!: Gamifying variables in quantitative research [GIFT activity panel presentation]. Central States Communication Association 91st Annual Meeting, Madison, WI.
Thomas, L., Carpenter, N., Craig, B., Craven, K., Hale, L. A., & Hunt, S. K. (2021, September). Well-being: Taking care of the community in-person. Panel Presented at the annual meeting of the Illinois Communication and Theatre Association, East Peoria, IL.
Adams, T., Sahlstein Parcell, E., Petronio, S., & Thomas, L. J. (April, 2019). When theories change, what do we do with their past?. Roundtable panel presented at the annual meeting of the Central States Communication Association, Omaha, NE.
Craig, B., Hall, A., Thomas, L., Zompetti, J., & Hopper, K. M. (November, 2019). Embodied realities: Strategies to improve a climate of diversity and respect. Panel presented at the annual Illinois State University Culturally Responsive Campus Community conference, Normal, IL.
Crowley, J. L., & Thomas, L. J. (May, 2019). More isn’t always better: Examining the relationships among received support, message evaluations, and perceived stress on relational quality in the context of unintended pregnancy. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association, Washington, DC.
Thomas, L. J. (November, 2018). Using PostSecret to teach content analysis and thematic analysis. G.I.F.T.S. presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Salt Lake City, UT.
Thomas, L. J., & Beier, I. P. (November, 2018). When foster care fosters conspiracy theory: A textual analysis of the FightCPS website. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Salt Lake City, UT.
Grants & Contracts
Instructional Innovation Grant: SOC Book Club. Illinois State University, Center for Teaching, Learning, & Technology. Illinois State University. (2022)
University Teaching Grant: SOC EDI Learning Community Pilot. Illinois State University, Center for Teaching, Learning, & Technology. Illinois State University. (2022)
New Faculty Initiative Grant. CAS. Illinois State University. (2019)