Department of Communication

Contact and Overview

Email Address

cherninka@appstate.edu

Office Hours (Fall 2026)

Tuesday: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 2:00-3:00 p.m.
Thursday: 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., 2:00-3:00 p.m.

Schedule an Appointment

Education

M.A., Ph.D., Pennsylvania State University
B.A., American University

Teaching

Currently Teaching (Fall 2026)

COM 3117 Environmental Communication
COM 3312 Crisis Communication

Courses Taught

COM 2124 Intercultural Communication
COM 3117 Environmental Communication
COM 3220 Professional Ethics Public Relations
COM 3312 Crisis Communication
COM 3538 Public Interest Communication

Teaching and Research Specialties

Science/Environmental Communication
Public Interest Communication
Crisis Communication
International Communication

Recent Publications

• Chernin, K., & Brigitta, B. (expected publication 2027). Connecting the past to understand the future: How other voices can tell the intertwined Her-stories of public relations and public interest communications. In C. Myers (Ed.). Routledge Companion to Public Relations History. 
• Brunner, B., & Chernin, K. (Eds.). (2025). Public Interest Communications: Foundation, Influence, and Importance. Lexington Books. 
• Chernin, K., & Chernin, M. (2025). Bridging academic silos for better science communication: The importance of collaborative research in public interest communication. In Brunner, B., & Chernin, K. (Eds.) Public Interest Communications: Foundation, Influence, and Importance. Lexington Books. 
• Merck, A., Jenkins, C., Martin, A., Sajewicz, A., Wagner, W., Chernin, K., & Rickabaugh, J. (2025). Establishing the office of phosphorus: Introducing wicked problems in collaborative governance through an active learning exercise. Journal of Sustainability Education. 
• Chernin, K. (2024). Klaus the kindly cult leader: How watching the ‘Umbrella Academy’ helps to humanize cult followers. In A. Ferchaud (Ed.). The Psychgeist of Pop Culture: ‘The Umbrella Academy, Play Story Press. 
• Chernin, K. (2023). Reimagining western media portrayals of China. In Peng, A., & Zhang, S. (Eds.). China, Media and International Conflicts. Routledge. 
• Chernin, K., & Brunner, B. (2022) Public interest communication in the classroom: Bringing activism to public relations education. Journal of Public Relations Education, 8(2), 111-146. 
• Waddell, T. F., Chernin, K., Neimand, A., & Christiano, A. (2022). The effect of documentary and fictional narratives on dehumanization of refugees and stereotype reversal. Journal of Immigrant & Refugee Studies. doi: https://doi.org/10.1080/15562948.2022.2061096 
• Flood-Grady, E., Kellas, J. K., & Chernin, K. A. (2019). Communicated sense-making: A theoretical compass for exploring family communication and sense-making about mental health and illness. In Miller-Ott, A. E (Eds.)., Communicating Mental Health: History, Contexts, and Perspectives. Lexington Books.

Recent Awards

• College of Fine and Applied Arts Outstanding Teacher Award 2021