Skip to main content

Minkyung Kim

Profile picture for Minkyung Kim

Contact Information

Lincoln Hall, 4002

Office Hours

SP2024- Tuesday 2-3:30 or by appointment
Assistant Professor

Biography

Minkyung Kim conducts research in the field of organizational communication, with a focus on its implications for community resilience and sustainability. Her primary interest lies in examining how organizations that cater to vulnerable populations utilize and navigate communication processes, such as inter-organizational networks, to optimize their capacity for community impact. Additionally, Kim explores the role of symbolic, material, and mediated artifacts as organizational tools, investigating how they empower culturally and politically marginalized communities. Kim's scholarly contributions include publications in reputable journals such as the Journal of Communication, Nonprofit Voluntary Sector Quarterly, and the Quarterly Journal of Speech. Her work has also been featured in mainstream and ethnic news media in South Korea and Europe.

Before her academic pursuits, Kim served as a Public Relations (PR) specialist in both the private and nonprofit sectors. Beyond her research endeavors, she has actively contributed to English as a Second Language (ESL) education in Korea, where she authored a series of textbooks catering to English learners of various proficiency levels. Notably, Kim played a pivotal role in the launch of a new 1:1 English education platform tailored for professionals in the finance and engineering sectors.

Research Interests

Organizational communication, community resilience, global/ intercultural communication, inter-organizational networks, digital inequality, ethnic media, intercultural rhetoric

Education

Ph.D. Communication, Rutgers University

B.A. & M.A., Communication Studies, Colorado State University

TESOL, Ewha Womans University

Grants

Global Partnership Grant

Provost Research Grant

 

Awards and Honors

Outstanding Teaching and Mentoring Award, National Communication Association

Outstanding Doctoral Student Award

Top Paper Award in Intercultural Division, International Communication Association

Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award

Outstanding Master's Thesis Award

Courses Taught

Organizational Communication

Organizations and Community Impact

Additional Campus Affiliations

Assistant Professor, Communication

Highlighted Publications

Kim, M., & Williams, E.A. (2022). Emotional sustainability in human services organizations: Cultural and communicative paths to dealing with emotional work. Sustainability, 14 (15470), 1-17, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215470.

Doerfel, M.L., Kim, M., Kwestel, M., Youn, H., & Quow, J. (2022). Resilience organizing: A multi-level communication framework. Journal of Communication, 00, 1-14. doi: http://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqac027.

Kim, M., Kwestel, M., Youn, H., Quow, J., & Doerfel, M.L. (2021). Serving the vulnerable while being vulnerable: Organizing resilience in a social service sector. Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, 00 (0), 1-22, Doi:10.1177/08997640211013912

Khrebtan-Hörhager, J., & Kim, M. (2020). Re-Membering Comfort Women: From on-screen storytelling and rhetoric of materiality to re-thinking history and belonging. Quarterly Journal of Speech, 106(4), 427-452, Doi:10.1080/00335630.2020.1828606.

Recent Publications

Kim, M., & Doerfel, M.L. (In press/ 2024). Engaged interorganizational networks and resilience in the humanitarian sector. Journal of Communication

Kim, M., & Kwestel, M. (2023). Unengaged Presence: The Paradox of Refugee Voices on Humanitarian Organizations’ Websites. In J. Sergio, J. Khrebtan-Hörhager, A. Soto-Vásquiz, & M. Lechuga (Eds.). Migrant World Making, East Lansing, MI: Michigan State University Press.