Christopher Newport University

CNU graduates research communication topics for conference

 

News Release - January 31, 2006
contact:
Karen L. Gill
karen.gill@cnu.edu
(757) 594-8428

(NEWPORT NEWS, Va.) — Three Christopher Newport University graduates presented their senior research projects at the 91st National Communication Association Convention, Nov. 17-20, 2005, in Boston. This was the first time students from the Communication Studies department were competitively selected to attend the convention.

Allison Burr-Miller’s work, titled “Red Sox Fans are Feminists: Gender Parallels in the Media’s Representation of the Boston Red Sox,” explored the mythically constructed narrative of the Red Sox baseball franchise and its representation in popular media. Jessica Kotula’s paper, titled “Kickin’ Identity: Young Women, Soccer, and the Construction of Self,” provided a narrative reflection of Kotula’s participation in youth soccer and the experiences of the young girls she now coaches in the sport. Dan McCleese’s work, “Rescue Representation: Examining Firefighting in Contemporary Popular Film,” analyzed the depiction of men in firefighting roles in “Backdraft” and “Ladder 49.” Julie Brubach, a senior communication studies major, presented McCleese's research, because he was unable to attend the convention. The students were sponsored by Dr. Michaela D. E. Meyer and Dr. Linda Baughman, assistant professors in the Department of Communication Studies.   Students
From left to right: CNU students Sarah Zoric (class of 2006), Julie Brubach (class of 2006), Rosie Russo (class of 2004) and Jessica Kotula (class of 2005) are pictured with with Dr. Michaela D.E. Meyer, faculty sponsor, outside the conference site of the National Communication Association Convention held in Boston, Nov. 17-20, 2005.

According to www.natcomm.org, the National Communication Association was founded in 1914 and is a non-profit organization with academic interest in all forms of human communication. It is the oldest and largest national organization serving the academic discipline of communication.

Christopher Newport University is a four-year public university in Newport News, Virginia. CNU enrolls 4,800 students in programs through its College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Luter School of Business and offers great teaching, small classes and an emphasis on leadership, civic engagement and honor. Visit us at www.cnu.edu.