Sherry Devereaux Ferguson

Full Professor, Department of Communication

Member of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies and thereby authorized to supervise theses.

Office: 302, 554 King Edward Avenue
Telephone: 613-562-5800, ext. 3833
E-mail: sherry.ferguson@uOttawa.ca

University degrees

1976 - PhD, Speech/Political Science, Indiana University, U.S.
1971 - MA, Speech/English, University of Houston, U.S.
1966 - BA, Speech & Theatre/English, Louisiana State University, U.S.

Fields of interest

Political rhetoric and agenda setting (rhetorical, semiotic, and media analysis techniques)
Public affairs (public opinion research and analysis, information campaigns and diffusion of information, strategic planning, issues management, evaluation)
Theory and practice of organizational communication
Alternative dispute resolution (ADR)
Health communication (campaigns, coverage, patient-physician interactions)

Ongoing research

Revision of a book on strategic communication planning.

Selected publications

Books

FERGUSON, S.D. (2007 & 2006). Public Speaking: Building Competency in Stages. NY: Oxford University Press. 560 pp. in American edition and 448 pp. in Canadian edition.

FERGUSON, S.D. & Shade, L.R. (2002). Civic Discourse and Cultural Politics in Canada: A Cacophony of Voices. Westport, CT: Ablex, International Series on Civic Discourse in the Third Millennium. (2002). 312 pp.

a) A Cacophony of Voices: Competing for the Future (Chapter 1), pp. 3-12.

b) Standoff at Oka: Take Me to Your Leader (Chapter 9), pp. 109-127.

FERGUSON, S.D. (2000). Researching the Public Opinion Environment: Theories and Methods. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 296 pp.

FERGUSON, S.D. (1999) Communication Planning: An Integrated Approach. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. 262 pp.

FERGUSON, S.D. and Ferguson, S. (1988). Organizational Communication, 2nd ed. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers (Rutgers University). 548 pp.

Chapters in books

FERGUSON, S.D. (2008, in press). Public relations planning. In International Encyclopedia of Communications (10 volumes), sponsored by the International Communication Association (ICA) and published by Blackwell Publishers, Boston, Massachusetts. 3500 words.

Johansen, P. & FERGUSON, S.D. (2005). History of public relations in Canada. In R. Heath (ed.) Encyclopedia of Public Relations, ed. by R. Heath (pp. 111-116). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

FERGUSON, S. D., Horan, H., & Ferguson, A. (1999). How others see the U.S.: A view from Canada. In Y. Kamalipour (ed.) Images of the U.S. around the world: A multicultural perspective (pp. 157-178), Albany: State University of New York Press.

FERGUSON, S., Horan, H., & Ferguson, A. (1997). Indicators of permanence in workspace features: Perceived importance and relationship to workspace satisfaction. Canadian Journal of Communication, 22, 61-80.

FERGUSON, S. (1997). Constructing a theoretical framework for evaluating public relations programs and activities. In M. Roloff (ed.). Communication Yearbook, Vol. 21 (pp. 191-229). Newbury Park, CA: International Communication Association & Sage. 40 pp.

Communications

FERGUSON, S.D. (August 2006). Invited lectures at Faculty of Business (School of Advertising, Marketing, and Public Relations), Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.

FERGUSON, S.D. (May 2004). “Public Relations in an Age of Heightened Security: The Challenges of Staying Open in a Closed Environment.” Chair’s Panel. Moderator of experts from organizations with security mandates, including the FBI, Homeland Security, the Canadian Security Establishment, and Foreign Affairs. International Communication Association, New Orleans, Louisiana.

FERGUSON, S.D. (November 2001). “Converging and Competing Trends: New Societal Orders.” Chaired panel and presented paper on the Rise of Civil Society and Globalization. Commission for Communication in the Future, National Communication Association, Atlanta, Georgia.

FERGUSON, S.D. (November 2000). “Culture, Identity, and Civic Discourse in Canada.” Panel Presentation for National Communication Association, Seattle, Washington.

FERGUSON, S.D. (July 2000). “Thinking Strategically: The Development of an Anti-Torture Campaign by Amnesty International Canada.” Co-keynote presentation at the Social Justice and Human Rights Conference, Rochester, New York.

FERGUSON, S.D. (June 2000). “An Analytical Framework for Developing Crisis Communication Strategies: Face-off at Oka and Chateauguay.” Paper presented at the International Communication Association Conference, Acapulco, Mexico.