Five Elon students presented research papers Sept. 25-26 at the Carolinas Communications Conference held in Wilmington, N.C. Their research was shared in a panel chaired by School of Communications associate professor Frances Ward-Johnson.
The panel, “Ethnic Notions: Racial Images in the Media and Their Impact on Community,” featured research by students in Ward-Johnson’s summer course “African Americans and the Mass Media.”
The panel examined racial stereotypes and portrayals of minorities in the media and discussed the impact of the images on college campuses and in local communities. In addition, students identified opportunities for dialogue regarding cultural communication.
Research papers presented by the Elon students included:
“Analyzing Racial Images in National Newspapers” by Alex Trice and Jessica Foust. Trice, a sophomore broadcast major, presented the paper. Foust is a junior exercise sports science major.
“The Current State of Minority Images on the Silver Screen” by Nneka L. Enurah, a junior media arts and entertainment and theater studies major.
“Television Sitcoms: Comparing and Contrasting Images of Minority Families and European American Families in Weekly Shows” by Lamar Lee, a sophomore leisure and sport management major.
“The Battle of Images in Film from African American Directors Tyler Perry, John Singleton and Spike Lee” by Keadrick Peters, a senior political science major.
Respondent for the session was David Bollinger, faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. More than 20 undergraduate, graduate and faculty panels were presented at the conference with representation from numerous colleges and universities in the South.
“African Americans and the Mass Media” (GST 221) will be offered again in Summer 2010.