Academic Degrees:

• Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
• M.A., Illinois State University
• B.S., Augustana College

Dr. Erin Szabo has been teaching media courses in the Department of Communication at the College of Saint Benedict and Saint John’s University since 2001. Her teaching and research is in the area of media effects and strategic communication campaigns, with a specific focus on inoculation theory and the prevention of adolescent risk behaviors. Her past research has included developing an anti-smoking campaign for late elementary students, and most recently, a positive body image campaign aimed at third through fifth graders. She is currently working on research dealing with college students, reality TV, and sexual norms. She is grateful her career allows her to be an “eternal” student, and she appreciates all her students have taught her. She strives to help students recognize the capacity they have to guide and direct their own lives by frequently incorporating experiential learning into her classrooms. When she is not teaching, she can be found cheering her daughter at piano performances, reading, attempting to bake, or being walked by her dog.

Courses:

• COMM 103 Media and Society
• COMM 248 Media and Children (required Service Learning component)
• COMM 347 Media Effects Capstone
• COMM 336 Introduction to Strategic Communication Campaigns Theory
• COMM 346 Strategic Communication Campaigns Capstone