Catherine Kingsley Westerman, assistant professor of communication, recently published a research article, “Reducing negative affect about intercultural interactions through inoculation,” in the Journal of International Communication.

The article was co-written with Kyle B. Heuett, graduate teaching associate at the University Tennessee College of Communication and Information.

The study investigates the impact of intercultural interaction as an inoculation against state communication apprehension and negative attitudes and beliefs about intercultural interactions. The study identified differences between Western and Middle Eastern cultures.

The Journal of International Communication is a refereed scholarly journal that provides a forum for discussion for various approaches to the study of global communication.

The article abstract is available at www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13216597.2013.872161#.UuFJKRZ6hPs.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.