First-year Communications Fellows share research

While their respective posters and subject matter largely focused on fictional television personalities, the Elon University School of Communications first-year Fellows used their recent research assignment to examine very plausible human relationships and interactions.  

The 27 first-year Fellows shared their findings at a poster session Dec. 4 on the second floor of the McEwen Communications Building. Working individually and in pairs, the Communications students investigated relationships and interactions in a variety of popular television shows and films. Among the highlighted shows were “Modern Family,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Dexter,” “The League” and even “SpongeBob SquarePants.” Additionally, multiple students investigated the personas of rapper Eminem with separate posters.

According to Naeemah Clark, associate professor and director of the Communications Fellows Program, the first-year Fellows were invited to research a subject of their choosing.

“It’s a fill-in-the-blank assignment,” she said. “We ask them to look at human relationships and/or interactions in the ‘blank,’ and they choose the topic. They can use Eminem music, they can use movies, and they can use books or ad campaigns. It’s whatever they are interested in. Most of the students this year focused on television shows.”

While similar topics and subjects have been researched year after year – TV shows like “Gilmore Girls” and “Modern Family” especially ­­– Clark was impressed with the depth of the students’ analysis this semester. “This year, the students have concentrated more closely on psychology research … and have gone deeper than I would have thought,” she said.  

This was the third year the Communications Fellows Program has hosted a first-year Fellows poster session, but the first installment promoted publicly. Clark said she was elated with the turnout from the School of Communications community.