Christen Buckley Ph.D.

Teaching

Integrating practice, ethics, and advocacy in public relations education

Teaching Philosophy

I approach teaching as a collaborative partnership built on curiosity, accountability, and mutual respect. My classroom is a place where students are encouraged to question assumptions, explore diverse perspectives, and develop their own voice as communicators and advocates.

Drawing on my background in both academic research and four years working on nonprofit digital marketing and fundraising campaigns, I bridge theory and practice in ways that are immediately applicable. Students leave my courses with not only conceptual frameworks but also tangible skills — from research and analytics to campaign planning and ethical decision-making.

I am committed to inclusive pedagogy, online course development, and mentoring students at all levels. I have taught undergraduate courses in online asynchronous formats at Penn State World Campus and the University of Florida, and my pedagogical training includes Penn State’s Ethical Pedagogy course, the Graduate Student Online Teaching Certificate, and Temple’s Accessibility Academy.

Courses Taught

Undergraduate Courses

  • Temple
    Advertising & Society

    Temple University: Spring 2026. This undergraduate course directs students to consider the merits and critiques of a variety of advertising practices and product categories from cultural, economic, and ethical perspectives.

  • Temple
    Communicating Organizational Change

    Temple University: Fall 2025, Spring 2026. This undergraduate course teaches students how to analyze the forces that drive individuals, teams, and organizations to change, examining a range of theoretical concepts and practices of leading change in organizational, community, political, and global contexts.

  • UF
    Internal Communications

    University of Florida: Spring 2025. This undergraduate course highlights the influential roles that communication managers play to address the issues, challenges, and opportunities facing internal stakeholders. It integrates theories, research insights, practices, as well as current issues and cases into a comprehensive guide for future internal communication managers and organizational leaders on how to communicate effectively with internal stakeholders, build beneficial relationships, and engage employees in the fast-changing business and media environment. This course was administered in an online asynchronous modality.

  • UF
    Public Interest Communications

    University of Florida: Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025. This undergraduate course teaches students how to use strategic, science-based communications to effect positive social change. Public interest communication is a form of strategic communication through which organizations, causes, or movements take on specific communication objectives that have some benefit to society.

  • PSU
    Research and Analytics (Comm 428D)

    Penn State, World Campus: Summer 2023. This online asynchronous undergraduate course explores methods and practices in the areas of research and analytics with a focus on understanding how customers perceive the organization, assessing communication materials, and tracking how website visitors experience an organization’s site. Research methods taught include surveys, interviews, and focus groups.

  • PSU
    Search Engine Marketing (Comm 450A)

    Penn State: Spring 2023, Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021. This undergraduate course provides hands-on experience with digital campaign management using the Stukent Mimic Pro search marketing simulator, the Unbounce landing page builder, the Google Ads platform, and the Google Ad Grants Online Marketing Challenge (OMC). Students acquire the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct a keyword and programmatic sponsored search campaign by completing simulated campaigns for real clients.

  • PSU
    Mass Media & Society (Comm 100)

    Penn State, World Campus: Summer 2021. Mass Media and Society is a required overview course for undergraduates focusing on the interaction between mass media and society. By drawing from selected topics, the course pays particular attention to the social influences (e.g., economics, politics, technology, law and culture) that shape media messages.

  • PSU
    Strategic Communications in a Global Environment (Comm 428)

    Penn State, World Campus: Fall 2020, Spring 2020. This undergraduate course provides students with a framework for applying public relations and advertising tools across media platforms, placing value on the nuances of intercultural communication.

  • PSU
    Research Methods in Advertising and Public Relations (Comm 420)

    Penn State: Fall 2019, Spring 2019, Fall 2018. This required undergraduate course provides students with the tools to outline, execute and evaluate mass media research in public relations and advertising. The primary focus is on using applied research for advertising and public relations program and campaign management—planning, monitoring and evaluating.

Graduate Courses

  • UF
    Mass Communication Teaching Seminar (MMC 6930)

    University of Florida: Spring 2025, Spring 2024. The purpose of this graduate course is to provide students within the PhD program with a solid teaching foundation. Students learn how to build a course from the syllabus to an individual lesson plan, using a hands-on format that allows them to apply what they are learning to tangible takeaways. This class also discusses broad themes of equity, culturally relevant teaching, student-focused pedagogy, and connecting with and elevating all students.

Online Course Development

  • PSU
    Digital Campaigns (Comm 450A)

    Penn State: Fall 2022. Worked in collaboration with an instructional designer to translate the in-person Search Engine Marketing curriculum to an online course.

Invited Guest Lectures

  • “Organizational Approaches for Social Media and Crisis and Social Media Ethics,” Comm 373: Crisis Communications in Public Relations (taught by Dr. LaShonda Eaddy), Penn State, October 2022
  • “Master’s Thesis Tips,” Comm 515: Proseminar (taught by Dr. Patrick Plaisance), Penn State, December 2020
  • “Master’s Thesis Tips,” Comm 515: Proseminar (taught by Dr. Matthew McAllister), Penn State, November 2019
  • “Public Relations in Practice,” Comm 420: Research Methods in Advertising and Public Relations (taught by Jason Freeman), Penn State, November 2018

Pedagogical Training

  • Accessibility Academy (Spring 2025): Half-semester course administered through the Center for the Advancement of Teaching at Temple University
  • First Year Faculty Teaching Academy (Spring 2024): University of Florida
  • Public Interest Communications Summer Institute (June 22–24, 2022): Summer institute for practitioners and scholars to collaboratively define the field of public interest communications for research and pedagogy, held at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and sponsored by the University of Florida
  • Ethical Pedagogy (Spring 2022): Month-long Ph.D.-level course on developing ethical pedagogical practices, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Penn State
  • Graduate Student Online Teaching Certificate (Spring 2021): Online Faculty Development, Penn State World Campus
  • Comm 502: Pedagogy (Fall 2020): Semester-long Ph.D.-level course on the philosophy of teaching undergraduate students and current challenges and trends in the undergraduate academic climate, Penn State
  • “Motivating and Engaging Students” (Spring 2020) and “Handling Challenging Situations in the Classroom” (Fall 2019) workshops, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Penn State
  • New Instructor Orientation Course (Fall 2018): Half-semester course, Schreyer Institute for Teaching Excellence, Penn State

Pedagogical Approach

Collaboration & Active Learning

I design courses around collaborative projects, case analyses, and applied assignments that mirror real professional contexts. In Search Engine Marketing, for example, students completed simulated sponsored search campaigns for real clients using the Stukent Mimic Pro simulator and the Google Ad Grants Online Marketing Challenge.

Ethics & Advocacy Integration

Ethical reasoning is woven throughout my curricula — not reserved for a single lesson but embedded in every decision students make about communication strategy, message design, and audience engagement. I challenge students to think about who is served by their communication choices.

Online Pedagogy & Accessibility

I have taught online asynchronous courses for Penn State World Campus and the University of Florida, and worked with an instructional designer to migrate Penn State’s Search Engine Marketing course online. I completed Penn State World Campus’s Graduate Student Online Teaching Certificate and Temple’s Accessibility Academy, and I am committed to creating equitable, accessible learning experiences regardless of format.

Mentorship & Student Support

I am committed to advising students on research opportunities, professional development, and career paths. I serve on the Media and Communication Doctoral Program faculty at Temple and taught the Mass Communication Teaching Seminar for Ph.D. students at the University of Florida. I welcome inquiries from prospective graduate students whose interests align with my research areas.