Research Initiatives

In the Department of Communication Studies different groups of faculty share similar research interests that we refer to as our research initiatives. These initiatives do not constitute separate units within the program or specialized degree programs. Instead they form part of the common vocabulary that we use to describe our teaching and research interests. Faculty and students often share a variety of interests that bridge two or more of the initiatives.

The initiative in Political Communication examines how a variety of media, from the news to public opinion polls to chat groups to radio broadcasts, help establish peoples' political identities and attitudes. This work includes the study of electoral politics, political campaigns and advertising, and polls, but also considers the relationship between ongoing political identity formation, public attitudes toward a range of public policies and voter behavior.

The initiative in Gender and the Media examines the persistence of sex-role stereotypes in the media and their influence on the self-esteem of girls and women, as well as the role the media play in shaping models of masculinity for boys and young men.

The initiative in Media Violence and Human Aggression assesses the mainstream media's role in providing people with violent scripts to draw from when dealing with conflict and frustration. It analyzes the consequences of increasingly violent media fare, including video games and on-line content.

The initiative in Race and the Media analyzes how people of color are represented in the news and in entertainment programming, as well as in the print media and the Web. This research studies the extent to which the media perpetuate or challenge existing racial stereotypes.

The initiative in New Communication Technologies studies emerging media and information technology and the effects of new media on behavior and attitudes. This work explores how new media are reshaping politics and social networks.

The initiative in Television Studies examines the history, institutional structure and impact of television. It considers how socio-historical context and institutional factors contribute to the production of texts that are shared by audiences who make meaning of them in deliberate and distinctive ways.

The initiative in Media Policy and Regulation analyzes the history and impact of government policy on communication systems including regulation and deregulation. This research looks at how regulation and policy affect the form and content of the media and their messages.

The initiative in Radio and American Culture examines the history, impact and uses of radio. This work emphasizes the interplay between the networks, commercial radio and more community-based, non-commercial and alternative radio.

The initiative in Children, Adolescents and the Media studies how children respond to gender stereotypes, racial stereotypes, and violent media fare. Several faculty are interested in analyzing children's conceptions of happiness, consumerism and success, and how those are shaped by the mainstream media.

The initiative in Media, Music and Identity considers music as a central feature of media systems -- from radio to television and now the Web. This research studies how music has been used in different historical eras to constitute social groups and defy the status quo.