Rate My Professor Courtney Wright

Courtney N. Wright, PhD, is an associate professor and director of the Communication Studies Honors Program in the School of Communication Studies within the College of Communication and Information at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She joined the UTK faculty in 2008 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor on January 1, 2014. Wright earned her PhD from Northwestern University between 2005 and 2008, along with an MA from the same institution, and a BS from Vanderbilt University with undergraduate studies in secondary education. Her multidisciplinary background spans the social sciences, humanities, and STEM disciplines, shaping her interests in communication effectiveness, conflict management, engagement, and access within educational settings. She also serves as director of undergraduate studies and co-director of the university's Intergroup Dialogue and Conflict Resolution (IGD+CR) Program.

Wright's engaged scholarship examines the implications of interpersonal communication, conflict, and related cognitive processes on individual and collective well-being. Her research focuses on how people manage conflict, engage in difficult dialogues, and communicate across differences in close relationships, organizations, educational environments, and communities. These pursuits extend to the creation of workshops, training, and development programs. Informed by her experiences in dialogue facilitation, ombuds practice, and civil and family mediation, Wright collaborates with students, graduate teaching assistants, faculty, and administrators across disciplines to foster capacities for facilitating dialogue, cultivating inclusive learning environments, addressing bullying and incivility, and advancing teaching effectiveness and innovation. Her contributions have earned her the 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award from the University of Tennessee Office of the Chancellor and Faculty Senate Teaching Council, as well as the 2017 Outstanding Scholar in Communication Theory Award from the Southern States Communication Association.