Mass Communication Focus Area

The mass communication component of our program focuses on theory and research related to media content, the media's influence on individuals and society, and audiences' reception of mass media. At the graduate level, mass communication courses provide students with a strong foundation in mass communication theory and research. We focus on training our graduate students, one-on-one or in small teams, to produce publishable research. Topics of recent faculty-student collaborations include prosocial effects of anti-discrimination Internet content on attitudes and beliefs, the contribution of media exposure to college students' endorsement of the hookup culture, and the darkside of fandom on the Web.

The Faculty

Jennifer Aubrey
Research: the media's effects on emotional, mental, and physical health in young people; current research examines the effects of sexual objectification in the media on emerging adults' self-consciousness about their bodies.

Department Focus Areas

Focus Areas:
   Interpersonal Communication
   Organizational Communication
   Mass Communication
   Political Communication

Lissa Behm-Morawitz
Research: the media's effects on stereotyping, identity, and body image, in relation to gender, race, and sexuality; currently investigating the effects of gender and race portrayals in video games on college students' perceptions of self and others.

Melissa Click
Research: popular culture and the degree to which we are all submerged in it yet rarely take the time to examine its production, content and influence.

Michael Porter
Research: the realm of media literacy; current research looks at issues of representation - primarily representation of men in the media. This research focuses on use of self-disclosure of male sitcom characters.

Select Recent Publications

Aubrey, J. S., & Taylor, L. D. (in press). The role of lad magazines in priming men's chronic and temporary appearance-related schemata: An investigation of longitudinal and experimental findings. Human Communication Research.

Aubrey, J. S., Click, M. A., Dougherty, D. S., Fine, M. A., Kramer, M. W., Meisenbach, R. J., Olson, L. N., & Smythe, M-J. (2008). "We Do Babies!": The trials, tribulations, and triumphs of pregnancy and parenting in the academy. Women's Studies in Communication, 31, 186-195.

Aubrey, J. S. (2007). Does television exposure influence college women's sexual self-concept? Media Psychology, 10, 157-181.

Aubrey, J. S. (2007). The impact of sexually objectifying media on negative body emotions and sexual self-perceptions: Investigating the mediating role of body self-consciousness. Mass Communication & Society, 10, 1-23.

Behm-Morawitz, E., & Mastro, D. (2008). Mean girls?: The influence of gender portrayals in teen movies on emerging adults' gender-based attitudes and beliefs. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85, 31-46 .

Mastro, D., Behm-Morawtiz, E., & Kopacz, M. (2008). Exposure to television portrayals of Latinos: The implications of aversive racism and social identity theory. Human Communication Research, 34, 1-27.

Mastro, D., Behm-Morawitz, E., & Ortiz, M. (2007). The cultivation of social perceptions of Latinos: A mental models approach. Media Psychology, 9, 1-19.

Click, M. & Kramer, M. W. (2007, December). Reflections on a century of living: Gendered differences in popular songs. Popular Communication, 5, 241-262.

Click, M. (2007). Untidy: Fan response to the soiling of Martha Stewart's spotless image. In J. Gray, C. Sandvoss, & C. L. Harrington (Eds.), Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World, pp. 301-315. New York: New York University Press.

Porter, M. J. (2003). Teaching Television Criticism. In M. Murray & Roy L. Moore (Eds.), Mass Communication Education (pp. 323-334). Ames: Iowa State University Press.

Good, G. E., Porter, M. J., & Dillon, M. G. (2002). When men divulge: Portrayals of men's self-disclosure on prime-time situation comedies. Journal of Sex Roles, 46, 419-427.

Porter, M. J., Larson, D. L., Harthcock, A., & Berg Nellis, K. (2002). Re(de)fining narrative events: Examining television narrative structure. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 30, 23-30.

Mass Communication Focus Area The mass communication component of our program focuses on theory and research related to media content, the media's influence on individuals and society, and audiences' reception of mass media. At the graduate level, mass communication courses provide students with a strong foundation in mass communication theory and research. We focus on training our graduate students, one-on-one or in small teams, to produce publishable research. Topics of recent faculty-student collaborations include prosocial effects of anti-discrimination Internet content on attitudes and beliefs, the contribution of media exposure to college students' endorsement of the hookup culture, and the darkside of fandom on the Web. The Faculty Jennifer Aubrey Research: the media's effects on emotional, mental, and physical health in young people; current research examines the effects of sexual objectification in the media on emerging adults' self-consciousness about their bodies.	Department Focus Areas Focus Areas: Interpersonal Communication Organizational Communication Mass Communication Political Communication
Lissa Behm-Morawitz Research: the media's effects on stereotyping, identity, and body image, in relation to gender, race, and sexuality; currently investigating the effects of gender and race portrayals in video games on college students' perceptions of self and others.
Melissa Click Research: popular culture and the degree to which we are all submerged in it yet rarely take the time to examine its production, content and influence.
Michael Porter Research: the realm of media literacy; current research looks at issues of representation - primarily representation of men in the media. This research focuses on use of self-disclosure of male sitcom characters.
Select Recent Publications Aubrey, J. S., & Taylor, L. D. (in press). The role of lad magazines in priming men's chronic and temporary appearance-related schemata: An investigation of longitudinal and experimental findings. Human Communication Research. Aubrey, J. S., Click, M. A., Dougherty, D. S., Fine, M. A., Kramer, M. W., Meisenbach, R. J., Olson, L. N., & Smythe, M-J. (2008). "We Do Babies!": The trials, tribulations, and triumphs of pregnancy and parenting in the academy. Women's Studies in Communication, 31, 186-195. Aubrey, J. S. (2007). Does television exposure influence college women's sexual self-concept? Media Psychology, 10, 157-181. Aubrey, J. S. (2007). The impact of sexually objectifying media on negative body emotions and sexual self-perceptions: Investigating the mediating role of body self-consciousness. Mass Communication & Society, 10, 1-23. Behm-Morawitz, E., & Mastro, D. (2008). Mean girls?: The influence of gender portrayals in teen movies on emerging adults' gender-based attitudes and beliefs. Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, 85, 31-46 . Mastro, D., Behm-Morawtiz, E., & Kopacz, M. (2008). Exposure to television portrayals of Latinos: The implications of aversive racism and social identity theory. Human Communication Research, 34, 1-27. Mastro, D., Behm-Morawitz, E., & Ortiz, M. (2007). The cultivation of social perceptions of Latinos: A mental models approach. Media Psychology, 9, 1-19. Click, M. & Kramer, M. W. (2007, December). Reflections on a century of living: Gendered differences in popular songs. Popular Communication, 5, 241-262. Click, M. (2007). Untidy: Fan response to the soiling of Martha Stewart's spotless image. In J. Gray, C. Sandvoss, & C. L. Harrington (Eds.), Fandom: Identities and Communities in a Mediated World, pp. 301-315. New York: New York University Press. Porter, M. J. (2003). Teaching Television Criticism. In M. Murray & Roy L. Moore (Eds.), Mass Communication Education (pp. 323-334). Ames: Iowa State University Press. Good, G. E., Porter, M. J., & Dillon, M. G. (2002). When men divulge: Portrayals of men's self-disclosure on prime-time situation comedies. Journal of Sex Roles, 46, 419-427. Porter, M. J., Larson, D. L., Harthcock, A., & Berg Nellis, K. (2002). Re(de)fining narrative events: Examining television narrative structure. Journal of Popular Film and Television, 30, 23-30.