About

Carel Neffenger, Jr.

First things first… How do you say my name? “Carel” is just like “Carol”. “Neffenger” is with an emphasis on the first syllable (“Neff”) and the “g” is soft as in “giraffe” – and sounds similar to “messenger.” You are welcome to call me “Carel” in the class. (“Professor Neffenger” sounds very stodgy; “Mr. Neffenger” works if you need to; some students even call me “Mr. Carel” or “Teacher” – all of those are fine, too.)

I’m excited to be your instructor at Green River College in communication studies. 

So why am I teaching a communication class? My undergraduate and graduate degrees were in communication studies because I’ve always enjoyed the process of humans communicating with one another. I’m fascinated by language (a dual undergraduate major in linguistics), and found that communication studies was a social science and analytical approach to understanding how humans use body, voice, and language to elicit meanings. Most of my education focused on organizational communication and organizational development while conducting research by creating sociograms and developing ethnographic interpretations. 

Green River

I look forward to working with you this quarter in this class. I’ve been teaching communication studies classes at Green River College since 2005 including:

• CMST 100 Fundamentals of Oral Communication (now CMST 105/106)
• CMST &210 Interpersonal Communication
• CMST 213 Communication in Social Media
• CMST &220 Public Speaking
• CMST &230 Small Group Communication
• CMST 221 Public Speaking Module
• CMST 238 Intercultural Communication
• CMST 330 Organizational Communication

Background

I’m originally from Elyria, Ohio, which is a rust-belt town outside of Cleveland. I come from a family of eight children. My twin brother and I are the youngest (but he is 22 minutes older than me). I attended Keystone high school in the rural farmlands of Ohio, and my brother and I were co-valedictorians of our graduating class.

I attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, receiving my Bachelor of Science in Speech with dual majors in Communication Studies and Linguistics. While an undergraduate, I was involved in my fraternity, Kappa Sigma, in which I was also president of the chapter my senior year. I was the Treasurer of the Interfraternity Council. I also worked as a business manager for three years on the student-run magazine, Byline, sponsored by Crane Communications through the Medill School of Journalism.

At the University of Southern California, I enrolled in the Annenberg School for Communication to do my graduate work, receiving a Master of Arts in Communication Management. My research interests included organizational communication, with a specific focus on ethnographic analysis and sociogram consulting. I had the opportunity to work with Dr. Everett Rogers as his assistant for the Annenberg Colloquium on Science and Communications. I also worked with Peter Monge as the assistant to the Editor for Communication Research, a research journal for the communication sciences.

Lastly, at Seattle University, I returned to school and earned a Master of Arts in Organization Systems Renewal, pursuing my interests in both organizational development and communication management. My research thesis developed my teaching philosophy and established a new model for Whole Person Learning in the Community College Classroom.

Most of my work experience has been in the private sector, and I like to think that I bring a practical, “real-world” approach to the classes that I teach at Green River.

Here are some other interests that I have that you might want to know about me.

Ukulele

I’ve been a founding board member of the Seattle Ukulele Players Association since its inception in 2003. I’ve also played ukulele professionally with several groups, numerous hula hulaus in the Seattle area, Northwest Folklife performances, and many volunteer performances.

Rock & Roll Half Marathons

A colleague challenged me to run a half marathon with her in 2009, as a celebration for finishing graduate school. Ten years and 26 half marathons later, I think I’m done. My favorite year was 2012 when I participated in 5 half marathons throughout the USA.

Atomic Tourism

My passion is historical travel, specifically sites and information related to the Manhattan Project and the Cold War eras. A little over 10 years ago, I visited Hanford, Washington, to take a tour of the B-Reactor, where plutonium was manufactured for the Manhattan Project during World War II. Since then, it’s become a historical fascination for me, and I’ve visited over 100 sites around the USA related to the legacy of our atomic heritage, meeting tons of historians and government agents, alike. I maintain a web site documenting my travels at AtomicTourism.us.

Classroom teaching and learning philosophy

My goal is to facilitate your learning about communication through activities, collaborative group work, think-pair-share, guided group discussion, facilitated dialogue, pair-sharing, and other methods.

All progressive research indicates that lecturing is not an effective nor appropriate method for aiding student learning (that is, the “sage on the stage”). Rather, research indicates that students learn best by interacting with other students, who bring their own knowledge, experience, opinions, and expertise (“knower”), in a facilitated manner with a knowledgeable subject matter expert in the room.

I use a “whole person learning” model for engaging in the subject matter which encompasses body (physical activities), mind (intellectual pursuits), heart (community and social interaction), and spirit (creating purpose). The practical learning environment treats the content of the course as both an object of knowledge and a subject with relationships, understanding that the instructor can move among being an expert, a facilitator, or fellow learner. To maximize learning for the whole person, three modes of instruction are employed – teaching (doing to), teaching and learning (doing with), and learning (being with).

Therefore, my classes are not lecture courses. If you are expecting a “lecture” course where you can “hide among the crowd,” you have chosen the wrong instructor. Active participation is expected and encouraged throughout classes.

My CV & Teaching Philosophy

Carel Neffenger Resume & Curriculum Vitae (opens as PDF)

Meeting the Whole Person in the Community College Classroom (Neffenger Teaching Philosophy)