ESU Professors and Students Present Research at Conference

Topics varied from “Challenging the Public Face of Scientists as Geeky White Males,” to “It’s so Much More Than Wine: Women’s Changing Relationship with Alcohol” as faculty members and students from East Stroudsburg University’s communication studies and English departments presented at regional popular cultural conferences from October through November.

At the Northeast Popular Culture Association (NEPCA), Andi McClanahan, Ph.D., professor of communication studies, presented her research titled “Meeting at the Altar: Confronting Reality and Disrupting Romance in ‘Married at First Sight.’”

“We like to consume images that focus on the “happily ever after,” she said. “However, Married at First Sight, a reality show that has people meet at the altar for their wedding for the first time ever, breaks down these images of “happily ever after” and shows the struggles of relationships and merging lives in a way we have not seen in reality television programming before.”

Dr. McClanahan became interested in popular culture early on because it connected to her life. She became fascinated by the stories told through books, film and television. For that reason she brings the popular culture interests of her students to academic areas of research every day in the classroom.

“When I am able to speak about The Walking Dead or The Game of Thrones and how these narratives can be explained through rhetorical theory or communication theory, the students become excited and then they start to view the images they consume on a regular basis in a different way—a way that embraces analysis and critical thinking,” she said.

Like Dr. McClanahan, Jeffrey Hotz, Ph.D., associate professor of English, finds ‘great joy’ in conducting research and bringing it back to the students.

“Bringing research into the classroom is very enjoyable in terms of sharing the process and the thrills of discovery,” he said. “Research and experiences at conferences show how people create knowledge.”

Dr. Hotz presented his research “Poet Professor and the Arts of Erudition: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s Popularity and Unique Voice,” at the Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association (MAPACA). He was joined by Holly Wells, Ph.D., assistant professor of English, who gave her presentation titled “Bill Nye the Stereotype Guy: Challenging the Public Face of Scientists as Geeky White Males,” and Meghann Ryan, instructor of English and Densie Chaytor-Zugarek ’96, lecturer for Upward Bound, whose research is titled “It’s so Much More Than Wine: Women’s Changing Relationship with Alcohol.”

Student presentations included Bari Antell, a senior majoring in communication studies from Oakhurst, N.J. whose topic was “Gender and Weight Encrypted in Millennial Music,” and Alexis Serrano, a junior majoring in communication studies from Easton, Pa., who presented her research “Queering the Media: From ‘Will and Grace’ to ‘Orange is the New Black.’”

Students are selected to present at the conference in the same manner as faculty who submit. MAPACA does not have a special submission process for students. They submitted their 500-word research proposals, which were peer-reviewed and accepted on the merit of their proposals. The anonymous peer-review process allows student work to be held to the same standards as accomplished scholars in the field.

For more information on the conference or research topics contact Dr. McClanahan at 570-422-3697 or amclanahan@esu.edu.

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