Rate My Professor Kari Wilson

Kari Wilson served as Associate Professor of Communication Studies and Department Chair in the Ernestine M. Raclin School of the Arts at Indiana University South Bend from Fall 2012 until Fall 2024. She earned her Ph.D. in Mass Communication, with concentrations in Interpersonal Communication and Research Methods, from Purdue University in 2012. Prior to that, she received an M.A. in Interpersonal Issues in Mass Communication from Purdue University in 2008 and a B.A. in Communication and Education from Wittenberg University in 2005.

Professor Wilson's research empirically examines the intersections of mass communication with interpersonal communication and health communication. Her scholarly interests encompass parasocial relationships, identification with media characters, perceived realism of media, portrayals of relationships in the media, effects of traditional and new media on relationships, and entertainment education. Her work has appeared in leading journals including Human Communication Research, Communication Research, Journal of Media Psychology, Psychology of Popular Media Culture, Body Image, and Substance Use and Misuse. Key publications include "Perceived Realism" (Communication Research, 2014), "What Makes a Message Real? The Effects of Perceived Realism of Alcohol- and Drug-Related Messages on Personal Probability Estimation" (Substance Use & Misuse, 2013), "The Delay Hypothesis: The Manifestation of Media Effects Over Time" (Human Communication Research, 2011), "Perceived Realism of Television Medical Dramas and Perceptions About Physicians" (Journal of Media Psychology, 2011), and "Magazine Exposure, Tanned Women Stereotypes, and Tanning Attitudes" (Body Image, 2010). In her teaching at IU South Bend, she delivered courses such as COMM-C501 Applied Quantitative Research Methods in Communication Studies, COMM-C525 Communication Pedagogy, SPCH-S405 Human Communication Theory, TEL-R287 Processes and Effects of Mass Communication, and Advanced Relational Communication, challenging students to critically analyze media influences on daily life. Wilson was honored with the Trustees' Teaching Award in 2018 for her instructional excellence. She provided leadership as Department Chair of Communication Studies.