Department of Communication

What we have achieved and the road ahead...

Can we undertake communication and media scholarship in as broad a range of forms as the field studies? In films, on the internet, in photography, music, or computer games? This talk draws from in-depth interviews with distinguished practitioners of multi-modal research scholars, especially in studies of cultural production, who produce works other than articles and books. In the spirit of encouraging more multi-modal scholarship in our field, the talk will offer an illustrated inventory of current practices, along with a conversation about research and cultural value, expressive training and accountability to students, and the institutional investments that can support or hinder multi-modal work.

The proliferation of social media has given rise to widespread study and speculation about the impact of digital technologies on politics, activism, and social change. Key among these debates is the role social media play in shaping the contemporary public sphere, and by proxy, our democracy. Maligned by some as “slacktivism,” I will argue social computing platforms such as Twitter create unique opportunities for traditionally excluded voices to challenge the terms of public debate.

The Department of Communication will host the Seventh Annual Communication Student Showcase and Awards to celebrate the many forms of achievement and expression in the major. All are welcome to attend.

Join Communication alum and Vibrator Nation author Lynn Comella, Ph.D., ’04, as she draws from her recently published book about the history of feminist sex-toy stores to discuss the challenges that progressive retailers face as they attempt to balance profitability and social change in a rapidly expanding and increasingly competitive sexual marketplace.

Lisa Henderson, associate professor of Communication, will present.

Take a break from the cold, and attend the next Breadhouse.

Dr. Dorothy Roberts to present. The mapping of the human genome in 2003 confirmed that race is not written in our genes. As Dorothy Roberts explains, race is a social category that was invented to support an unjust political hierarchy. Yet we are witnessing the re-creation of race in biological terms using cutting-edge genomic science and biotechnologies, such as race-specific medicines and ancestry tests, that incorporate false assumptions of racial difference at the genetic level.

Dr. Ford presents: Color Talk in LouWEEZYana: Lil Wayne, Colorism, and Black Men’s Perspectives in New Orleans

Film Screening Flirting with Danger: Power and Choice in Heterosexual Relationships (featuring Comm Department's Lynn Phillips)

Richard R. John is a professor of history and communications at Columbia University, where he teaches courses in the history of communications, networks, and the history of capitalism.