Christopher Newport University Assistant Professor of Communication Studies Receives Prestigious Communication Award
News Release - December 16, 2004
contact:
Denise Waters
dwaters@cnu.edu
757-594-7331
Michaela D.E. Meyer, (Ph.D.) assistant professor of Communication Studies at Christopher Newport University, won the 2004 Outstanding Published Article Award from the Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender (OSCLG) for her article "It's Me. I'm It: Defining Adolescent Sexual Identity through Relational Dialectics in 'Dawson's Creek.'" Meyer's article, published in Communication Quarterly in 2003, examines the representation of gay adolescence on the now syndicated television series "Dawson's Creek."
Meyer was excited to receive the award, but notes that her students helped inspire the project. "'Dawson's Creek' was a really progressive show, but no one on an adult level was paying attention to it. Several of my students made comments to me about how they felt Jack accurately captured the tensions they felt trying to come out in high school and college - constantly questioning his decisions and his identity formation," Meyer said.
Meyer joined the CNU faculty in 2004. Her scholarly work analyzes television for its representations of relationships, gender, and sexuality.
OSCLG is the premiere national academic organization committed to interdisciplinary research on communication, language, and gender. "To receive an award from this organization is truly an honor. A vast majority of the members have been my academic role models for scholarship and mentoring," Meyer said. The award is currently displayed on the OSCLG website http://www.osclg.org/ .