Each semester, the UConn Department of Communication welcomes expert guest lecturers to share insights and research from across the field of communication.
Dr. Kristina Scharp – Tuesday, April 18th, 2024
Talk Description
This talk address the communicative processes of remaking, resistance, and resilience and the ways these processes can help people better disrupt and manage the inequities they experience and resulting marginalization with which they must cope. Based on her research about family estrangement, complicated health diagnoses, and disenfranchised college students, she also illustrates how communication scholarship can inform a new theory, inspire a new research method, and translate to the public.
Bio
Kristina M. Scharp (Ph.D, University of Iowa) is an Associate Professor in the School of Communication and Information at Rutgers University and a Director of the Family Communication and Relationships Lab. She researches the process of marginalization and the ways people cope with the major disruptions to their lives. She has over 90 publications in outlets such as the Journal of Communication, Human Communication Research, Communication Monographs, and Communication Research as well as three co-authored textbooks. In the last few years, she was awarded the International Communication Association’s Early Career Award, NCA Family Communication Division’s Distinguished Article Award, and the Leslie A. Baxter Early Career Award in Family Communication. Her work on family estrangement, in particular, has garnered attention from numerous media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and NPR.
Dr. Travis L. Dixon – Tuesday, April 2nd, 2024
Talk Description
Professor Dixon will discuss the influence of media stereotyping on psychological and social phenomena. His work will focus on the changing news environment that has accelerated many of the adverse effects of these stereotypes. The talk will help illuminate how digital media may blunt and accelerate these effects.
Bio
Professor Dixon received his PhD from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Professor Dixon is a media effects scholar specializing in investigating the prevalence of stereotypes in the mass media and the impact of stereotypical imagery on audience members. In addition to the dozens of articles Dr. Dixon has published in leading Communication journals, he has received multiple top paper awards from the National Communication Association and the International Communication Association. Dr. Dixon also serves on the editorial boards of some of the leading journals in his field, including Communication Monographs, Communication Research, Human Communication Research, Howard Journal of Communications, Media Psychology, and the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Much of Dr. Dixon’s work examines racial stereotyping in television news. His more recent investigations scrutinize the content and effects of stereotypes and counter-stereotypes in major news events, social media, and musical contexts. He is the David L. Swanson Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Communication, and he has partnered with community groups attempting to address racial inequity.
Dr. Jeffrey A. Hall – Thursday, March 21st, 2024
Talk Description
Social media is bad for you, right? Perhaps it is beneficial for some people at some times and detrimental for others at other times? This presentation will examine the research consensus and public opinion consensus regarding the harms of social media. It will advance two concepts – irony and context – to help explain contradictions and confusion in both research and popular opinion. A contemporary approach that embraces these contradictions will be advanced to explain when and why social media can contribute to digital thriving.
Bio
Jeffrey A. Hall (Ph.D, University of Southern California) is a Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas and is currently a Visiting Scholar at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society at Harvard Law School. He is the director of the relationships and technology lab at the University of Kansas: https://randtlab.ku.edu. In 2023, he was the recipient of the University Scholarly Achievement Award for social sciences and professional programs at the University of Kansas. His book, Relating Through Technology (Cambridge University Press), was featured in the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and CNN, and won two Top Book Awards from the National Communication Association (Gerald R. Miller, Human Communication & Technology). He is the former Chair of the Human Communication and Technology Division of the National Communication Association and the current Chair of the Interpersonal Communication Division at the International Communication Association. He has written on building friendships, navigating digital media, and forming meaningful connections for the Wall Street Journal. He is the author of over 80 articles and the recipient of several major research awards, including an early-career award from the National Communication Association. His forthcoming book with Dr. Andy Merolla, Moments to Connect, will be published by Yale University Press.
Dr. Matthew Worwood – Tuesday, February 20th, 2024
Talk Description
This interactive presentation will provide a brief introduction to generative AI before embarking on a journey to explore prevalent themes within the domain of generative artificial intelligence and its potential impact on creative industries in 2033 and beyond. Through the use of real-world examples and by applying our knowledge of co-creativity with generative AI, the presentation will highlight some of the essential thinking skills required for those interested in pursuing creative fields in the future.
Bio
Matthew Worwood is a professor at the University of Connecticut and Director of Digital Media CT (digitalmediact.com). He specializes in Design Thinking and the process of co-creativity, utilizing generative AI tools and Digital Media. Matthew is also the co-host of the Fueling Creativity in Education podcast, has published various writings on creativity, and is the producer of three low-budget documentary films that explore creativity topics in education. You can follow Matthew Worwood on LinkedIn, where he regularly posts on the topic of Design Thinking and Generative AI.