A Newsletter for UMW Faculty and Staff
Professor of English Antonio Barrenechea
Antonio Barrenechea, professor of English, recently published a review of Richard Cándida Smith’s “Improvised Continents: Pan-Americanism and Cultural Exchange” in the prestigious Journal of American Studies.
Assistant Professor Elizabeth Johnson-Young
Elizabeth Johnson-Young, Assistant Professor of Communication, recently had her co-authored manuscript “Understanding Pediatric Residents’ Communication Decisions Regarding Anticipatory Guidance About Firearms” published in Journal of Health Communication. It is now available on their website and will appear in the next print version. The study was co-authored with emergency pediatricians and investigates decisions of pediatricians to counsel on firearm safety during well-child visits, as recommended by organizations, such as the AAP. Using concepts from the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Health Belief Model, ordinary least squares regression testing and a path analysis demonstrated the impact of several variables on the prioritization of firearm counseling, including pediatrician sex, perceptions of parental viewpoints on, self-efficacy, perceptions of training, and comfort discussing firearms. Future plans include further study, as well as training material for residential programs. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10810730.2020.1745961.
Professor of English Antonio Barrenechea
Antonio Barrenechea, Professor of English, recently published a review essay in the journal American Literature. The review discusses recent developments in the literature of the Americas field, with attention to three recent books: The Poetry of the Americas: From Good Neighbors to Countercultures (Feinsod), Anxieties of Experience: The Literatures of the Americas from Whitman to Bolaño (Lawrence), and Whiteness on the Border: Mapping the U.S. Racial Imagination in Brown and White (Bebout). To read the review, please see: https://read.dukeupress.edu/american-literature/article/92/1/169/156859/Whiteness-on-the-Border-Mapping-the-U-S-Racial?searchresult=1
Professor of English Warren Rochelle
Warren Rochelle, Professor of English and current coordinator of the creative writing program, recently had his story “Mirrors” published in Once Upon a Green Rose, edited by Michon Neal and released from Cuil Press.
Professor of English Antonio Barrenechea
Antonio Barrenechea, Professor of English, recently published the award-winning essay “Hemispheric Studies beyond Suspicion/Estudos hemisféricos além da suspeita” in Revista Brasileira de Literatura Comparada, the premier journal of comparative literature in Latin America: http://revista.abralic.org.br/index.php/revista/article/view/552/753
Assistant Professor of Communication Adria Goldman
Adria Goldman, Assistant Professor of Communication, was recently quoted multiple times as an expert in African American women and popular culture in the opinion piece “Is Gabrielle Union’s truth really that different from Julianne Hough’s?” in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
https://www.ajc.com/lifestyles/gabrielle-union-truth-really-that-different-from-julianne-hough/apuKsK3NXBpXvrPqUKayVJ/
Assistant Professor of Communication Adria Goldman
Last Friday, November 15, Adria Goldman, Assistant Professor of Communication, presented at the National Communication Association’s 105th Annual Convention in Baltimore, MD as part of the session “Beyond the Journal: Discussions of Media Narratives about Youth and Race and a Call for Media Literacy.” Her presentation, titled “From Cartoons to Reality Television: Examining Images of Young Black Females in Reality Programming,” was a review of her analysis of two competition reality shows with child/adolescent casts–Bravo’s Top Chef Jr. and Lifetime’s The Rap Game. In her dissertation research, she found that representations of Black women in reality television were more flattering when the cast was predominately Black. The goal of the current study was to (1) identify how young Black females are presented in reality television programming and the implications of such, (2) identify similarities and differences between the two competition shows, noting the different racial background of each show, and (3) use the findings to recommend media literacy practices and activities or young audiences. It was a great session, and she reports that it was also exciting presenting alongside fellow UMW Assistant Professor of Communication Emily Deering Crosby and with Elizabeth Johnson-Young, also a UMW Assistant Professor of Communication, as their chair.
Assistant Professor of Communication Emily Deering Crosby
Emily Deering Crosby, Assistant Professor of Communication, presented her research last Thursday and Friday at the National Communication Association Conference in Baltimore, MD. The title of her research presentation in the Feminist and Women’s Studies Division was “‘She went too far’: Exploring Patriarchal Critiques of Feminist Comedians Michelle Wolf and Samantha Bee,” which discussed patriarchal themes of manufactured catfights, double standards, and protection in critiques of feminist comedy. Crosby’s second presentation was titled “Framing Racial Innocence: Media Literacy and the Cases of Brock Turner and Owen Labrie” in the African American Communication and Culture Division, which used visual rhetoric scholarship to analyze news media bias and call for media literacy in communication and digital studies curriculum. Her second presentation was alongside leading panelist and fellow UMW faculty member Adria Goldman, Assistant Professor of Communication. Their well-attended panel was expertly chaired by fellow UMW faculty member Elizabeth Johnson-Young, Assistant Professor of Communication.
Assistant Professor of English Rachel Levy
Rachel Levy, Assistant Professor of English, recently presented an excerpt from a novel in progress at The Bitter Laugh, a featured event at the 2019 Lambda Lit Fest in Los Angeles, CA. The Bitter Laugh showcased queer/trans writers of dark comedy, including Ryka Aoki, Charlie Jane Anders, and Megan Milks. In addition, Levy’s short story “Severin,” a satire of Venus in Furs scholarship, is published in the current issue of The Account. And today, alongside co-editor Lily Duffy, Levy launched Issue Eighteen of Dreginald Magazine.
Professor of Communication Anand Rao
Anand Rao, Professor of Communication, presented last Friday at the National Communication Association conference held in Baltimore, MD. The title of his presentation was “Helping Speech Anxious Students Survive and Thrive” and was part of a panel about speech apprehension and the basic course. In the presentation, he discussed what UMW has done to help address communication apprehension for first-year students at UMW through the FSEM, as well as the special sections of COMM 205: Public Speaking that he has offered for highly apprehensive students. Anand reports that the panel had a great turnout–approximately 35 in attendance–and a wonderful discussion after the panel.