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Tahira Benjamin BC'17 Launches Inclusive Paper Goods Brand
Comm Eagle Tahira Benjamin (BC'17) has recently launched "The Unwritten," an inclusive paper goods brand designed by creators of color to celebrate people of color. Working with Christi Erning, an Indonesian illustrator based in Paris, France, Tahira has produced collections in collaboration with designers of color to support communities of color historically facing underemployment. The Unwritten, which offers journals, greeting cards, and wrapping paper, promises to highlight people of all backgrounds and allow consumers to acknowledge and value the beauty of all backgrounds.
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Alexander Alvarado BC'17 Wins 2023-2024 Sports Emmy
Comm Eagle, Alexander Alvarado (BC '17), now a drone camera operator and technician at Beverly Hills Aerials in Los Angeles, California, won a 2023-2024 Sports Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Technical Team Event with CBS on his live coverage of Super Bowl LVIII.
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Gabrielle Bucci and Alexandra O'Neil awarded Top Paper distinctions at the Eastern States Communication Conference in March 2024 in Cambridge, Massachusetts
The Boston College Communication Department is honored to report that Senior Gabrielle Bucci and Junior Alexandra O'Neil were awarded the Top Paper distinctions at the Eastern States Communication James C. McCroskey & Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference in March 2024 for their respective research in crisis communication and qualitative research methods. This conference is a competitively judged event where communication students across the eastern states submit their research for review and potential acceptance for presentation. The Boston College Communication Department is proud to have had nine students accepted into the conference, with two students, Gabrielle Bucci & Alexandra O'Neil, taking home two of the four top honors presented at the conference.
Boston College Communication students present their competitive research at the Eastern States Communication Conference
Boston College Communication students (pictured top left to right: Charlotte Fleckenstein ‘24, Chloe Wu ‘25, Ryan Eysie ‘24, Riley Davis ‘25, Mary Collier ‘24, Alexandra O’Neil ‘25, Gabrielle Bucci ‘24, and Johhny Buck, ‘25 - not pictured is currently abroad student Isabel Mees Ransanz, ‘25) presented their research at the Eastern States Communication James C. McCroskey & Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference in March 2024 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This conference is a competitively judged event where communication students across the eastern states submit their research for review and potential acceptance for presentation. The Boston College Communication Department was honored to have nine students accepted into the conference, with two students, Gabrielle Bucci & Alexandra O'Neil, taking home two of the four top honors presented at the conference.
Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio weighs in on Elon Musk rebranding Twitter
Elon Musk is rebranding Twitter—but a new name doesn't change anything if the product is a problem, Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio tells the Washington Post.
Full ArticleNew Creative Communications Lab will launch in Fall 2023
The Communication Department is preparing to unveil its Creative Communications Lab in the 2023-2024 academic year, providing Boston College students interested in audio and video production with a new, state-of-the-art facility to help them develop skills and showcase their creativity.
BC Comm Alum, Alex Trautwig First Ever President of the PBPA
Comm Eagle, Alex Trautwig (BC ’12) will be serving as the first-ever President of the Professional Baseball Photographers' Association (PBPA).
The PBPA, established in January 2023, is focused on creating a community for those photographers whose work focuses mainly on baseball by providing them with the tools and resources they need to complete their jobs at the highest level. Furthermore, the PBPA will serve to recognize and honor the top stewards of the game of baseball via the medium of photography and assist in educating photographers on new technology, policy or procedures, and best practices.
Devianna Smith was awarded the Top Paper distinction in the Eastern States Communication Conference in April 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Devianna Smith was awarded the Top Paper distinction in the Eastern States Communication James C. McCroskey & Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference in April 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. She also received the Lambda Pi Eta Top Paper Award, both significant achievements in the field.
Kesha Joseph BC'16 wins Sports Emmy
BC Communication Eagle, Kesha Joseph (BC '16), now Talent Assistant Manager at NBC Sports, won a 2021-2022 Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Interactive Experience as an Associate Producer for Tokyo Live during the Game of the XXXII Olympiad on NBC.
Communication students present their research at annual ESC Conference
Olivia Stump, Chloe Fitzgibbons, Mackenzie Harrigan, Devianna Smith & Emily Hyder (not pictured) presented their research at the Eastern States Communication James C. McCroskey & Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference in April 2023 in Baltimore, Maryland. This conference is a competitively judged event where communication students across the eastern states submit their research for review and potential acceptance for presentation.
Catrin Assaf (BC'18), won a 2021-2022 Mid-America Regional Emmy Award
Comm Eagle, Catrin Assaf (BC'18), now afternoon anchor at KARK 4 News in Little Rock, Arkansas, won a 2021-2022 Mid-America Regional Emmy Award for Weekend Newscast Reporting with Fox16 on her live coverage of a tornado outbreak in the area.
Communication students present their research at the Eastern States Communication Conference in Philadelphia, PA, in April 2022.
Riley Davis (Comm 2024) presented her research, "Religious ideology in connection with volunteerism," and Jingmi Wang (Comm 2023) presented her research, "Perceptions towards multicultural teamwork," at the Eastern States Communication James C. McCroskey & Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference in April 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This conference is a competitively judged event where communication students across the eastern states submit their research for review and potential acceptance for presentation.
Assistant Professor Kristin Peterson releases a new book, Unruly Souls: The Digital Activism of Muslim and Christian Feminists.
In Unruly Souls: The Digital Activism of Muslim and Christian Feminists, Assistant Professor of Communication Kristin Peterson explores how those marginalized from traditional religious spaces use creative digital media to seek justice.
Read on BC Bookmarks
Professor Ashley Duggan receives multiple awards
The National Communication Association Interpersonal Communication Division has chosen Professor of Communication Ashley Duggan to receive the Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Book Award for her book Health and Illness in Close Relationships (Cambridge University Press, 2019). Synthesizing empirical evidence and associated theoretical constructs from the literature on health/illness in close relationships, Duggan compares foundational assumptions of research on relational processes and research on health and illness. Using this approach, she provides a cohesive, cross-disciplinary understanding of relevant theoretical and empirical issues and why health/illness provides a unique context for understanding close relationships.
Additionally, Professor Duggan was chosen for the Berscheid-Hatfield Award for Distinguished mid-career Achievement by the International Association for Relationship Research.
Read about the Miller Book Award on BC News
That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them, co-authored by Communication Associate Professor Matt Sienkiewicz
That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them, co-authored by Communication Associate Professor Matt Sienkiewicz and cited by media outlets from New York Magazine to Politico, argues that it is a mistake to assume that comedy has a liberal bias.
Professor Celeste Wells receives Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award
Communication Associate Professor of the Practice Celeste Wells is this year's co-recipient of Boston College's Phi Beta Kappa Teaching Award.
Professor Ashley Duggan receives Fulbright Fellowship in Medicine
Professor of Communication Ashley Duggan will serve as a senior scholar with Ireland's Royal College of Surgeons, connecting relationship science to lifestyle medicine.
2021 Reverend John R. Trzaska, S.J. Award
Congratulations to Dr. Lindsay Hogan, the 2021 recipient of the Reverend John R. Trzaska, S.J. Award as part of the Ever to Excel awards, which is awarded to "the faculty member who expanded the horizons, skills, and value systems of Boston College students by providing support and guidance outside of the classroom."
Keara Hanlon named O'Hare Fellow
Keara Hanlon will spend part of the coming year getting an in-depth introduction to professional journalism as recipient of Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., Postgraduate Media Fellowships for 2021-2022.
Learn more from BC News
2021 Alpha Sigma Nu Teacher of the Year
Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio has been recognized by students of the Boston College chapter of Alpha Sigma Nu, the honor society of Jesuit institutions of higher education.
The role of politics in vaccine risk assessment
A study of the politicization of health and science, co-authored by Assistant Professor of Communication S Mo Jones-Jang and published in the journal Health Communication, finds that political leaders can have a notable impact on vaccine risk assessment.
Read the article
BC Alum listed on New York's Political PR Power 50 List
Daniele de Groot was listed 17th on the City & State New York's Political PR Power 50 List, a ranking of political communications professionals in New York. Daniele credits much of her success in her position over the last four years to her time at BC and to professors who encouraged her and helped her grow, especially as a writer.
View the list
Passing of Andrew Annobil, Class of 2014
It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Andrew Annobil, BC 2014 Comm Eagle. Andrew was a wonderful man who enriched the lives of those around him. We invite our Comm Eagles past and present to honor Andrew's memory and his family's wishes by donating in his name to The Bowery Mission, where Andrew volunteered. Rest In Peace Andrew, we will miss you.
The politicization of health and science: Role of political cues in shaping the Beliefs of the vaccine-autism link
In the article, "The politicization of health and science: Role of political cues in shaping the Beliefs of the vaccine-autism link," published in Health Communication, the assistant professor of communication Mo Jones-Jang examines how political leaders can affect vaccine concern and attitudes. The findings suggest that political leaders can have an undue influence over partisans' vaccine misperceptions and hesitancy. For example, Republicans tend to follow President Trump compared to the experts in the subject matter (scientists). The article discusses the implications of political encroachment into health and science areas. https://doi-org.proxy.bc.edu/10.1080/10410236.2020.1859723
Professor Pastel highlighted in feature Heights article
Professor Pastel shares her experiences facing the challenges of a new job in a different city, which are also exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Associate Professor of Communication Matt Sienkiewicz receives 2019 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award from the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities.
Associate Professor of Communication Matt Sienkiewicz received the 2019 Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award from the honor society of Jesuit colleges and universities. Books are judged on the basis of scholarship, significance of the topic and its continuing importance to scholars in several disciplines, mastery of extensive literature, research findings, authority in interpretation, objectivity, and readability. Sienkiewicz was honored for his book, The Other Air Force: U.S. Efforts to Reshape Middle Eastern Media Since 9/11. The Alpha Sigma Nu Book Awards recognize books in three different areas (Humanities, Sciences, and Professional Studies) over a three-year cycle. This year's award winners were in the Professional Studies category.
"Does media literacy help identification of fake news? Information literacy helps, but other literacies don’t."
In his recently published article Assistant Professor of Communication Mo Jang investigated whether media literacy is helpful in combatting fake news. This piece is featured in the special issue "fake news" of the journal, American Behavioral Scientist. The findings suggest that among various literacies (media literacy, information literacy, digital literacy, and news literacy), information literacy is significantly useful in recognizing fake news. https://doi.org/10.1177/0002764219869406
"Diversifying or reinforcing science communication? Examining the flow of frame contagion across media platforms,"
In "Diversifying or reinforcing science communication? Assistant Professor of Communication Mo Jang examines the flow of frame contagion across media platforms," focused on the information flow of hoax frames about climate change between news media and social media. The study found that partisan news media play a critical role in spreading climate change hoax frames and social media reflect such polarized views. This piece is published in the Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly, a flagship journal in the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC).
https://doi.org/10.1177/1077699019874731
Facebook vs. "Deepfakes"
Facebook's policy to ban "deepfake" videos on its platform, announced this week, will stop short of removing videos that are doctored in less extreme ways, sometimes called "shallowfakes." Will the change be enough? Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio joined a discussion on WGBH "Greater Boston."
Sports Leagues and Social Justice
Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio writes on the NBA's handling of its relationship with China in the aftermath of a team GM's tweet in support of protesters in Hong Kong: Washington Post.
BC Alum, actor and creator of podcast "10,000 No's", Matthew Del Negro visted campus on September 16th to talk with students about ambition, resiliency and making it work in the media business.
Actor Matthew Del Negro (The Sopranos, The West Wing, Scandal) describes his career as being told "No" for a living. In his new podcast, he gets up close and personal with top-shelf folks from all walks of life about the 10,000 "No"s they've had to endure and struggles they've had to overcome on their journey to where they are today. Inspiring, raw, honest and funny, Matthew shared his story to help BC students see that the people you think have "got it made" put their pants on one leg at a time too.
Sexism in Sports Media | "Deepfakes" Tech and Disinformation Wars
In his new book, The Power of Sports, Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio looks at the barriers facing female athletes and journalists. His related essay on the subject for The Conversation is now appearing on news sites across the country, including the San Francisco Chronicle and Houston Chronicle. | He also discussed "deepfakes" technology and its impact on the disinformation war: NECN "The Take."
Sports Patriotism and the Troops
From fighter jet flyovers to remote feeds of soldiers at overseas bases, sporting events have become America's great sanitized way of remembering--and then forgetting about--the troops, writes Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio in an op-ed drawn from his new book, The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture. Washington Post.
Professor Duggan's Health and Illness In Close Relationships" book is out with Cambridge University Press.
Duggan’s book provides a cohesive understanding of the current empirical and theoretical literature on health and illness in close relationships. To that end, she synthesizes empirical evidence and associated theoretical constructs from the literature on health/illness in close relationships. By outlining and comparing foundational assumptions of research on relational processes and research on health and illness, she provides a cohesive, cross-disciplinary understanding of relevant theoretical and empirical issues and why health/illness provides a unique context for understanding close relationships.
In the book she also proposes and maps out an integrated theory of health/illness trajectories and relational processes. The integrated theory includes interconnections of individual factors, dyadic factors, turning points in diagnosis, management and treatment of illness, turning points in relationships, and the societal, economic, and cultural factors within which the relationships are embedded. She describes communicative processes through which health/illness trajectories and relational processes are co-produced, co-generative, and inherently systematic. Duggan outlines how the integrated theoretical processes pose considerations for the vulnerability of illness as a relational virtue and resilience or as a catalyst for relational decline.
Advances in Personal Relationships: Sponsored by the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR), the Cambridge University Press Advances in Personal Relationships series offers cutting edge research and theory. Contributing authors are internationally known scholars from a variety of disciplines including social psychology, clinical psychology, communication, history, sociology, gerontology, and family studies. Volumes integrate large-scale conceptual understanding and develop major theoretical works.
Communication department honors Chair Lisa Cuklanz 12 years of leadership
Communication department celebrates student honors and awards on May 3rd 2019.
Students in a Globalization and the Media writing intensive course collaborated with the Civic Media Group at MIT's Media Lab on "Civic Entertainment."
The students explored ways a film studio develops entertainment content for public benefit in India. Members of the class on a visit to the Media Lab from left: Professor Marcus Breen, Antara Bate, Luis Enrique Velasco Cevallos, Fernando Lujan, Kathleen Flaherty, Carly Burkhartsmeyer.
Jingyi Brittany Zhuang presents research at the 6th Annual MCAS Senior Poster Session
Jingyi Brittany Zhuang (Comm 2019) presented her research, “Living and studying 'in-between': The classroom participation and experience of Chinese international students in an American classroom at the 6th Annual MCAS Senior Thesis Poster Session. This event brings together top student research from across MCAS for presentation and display.
Communication students present their research at the Eastern States Communication Conference in Providence, RI. in April 2019.
Julia Barron (Comm 2018) presented her research, “Branding theory applied to Boston's five professional sports teams"; Zijia Eleanor Song (Comm 2019) presented her research, "Speaking the unspeakable: What millennial Chinese students believe about sex, sexuality, and sex education"; and, Vaughn Feighan's(Comm 2019) research, "Lana Del Rey's use of religious delinquency" was also accepted at the the Eastern States Communication James C. McCroskey & Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference in April 2019 in Providence Rhode Island. This conference is a competitively judged event in which communication students across the eastern states submit their research for review and potential acceptance for presentation.
Trump's Take on Worldwide Threats, Immigration Plan
The national intelligence director this week published the annual "Worldwide Threat Assessment," which contradicts President Trump's stances on a range of matters. Assistant Professor of Communication Michael Serazio discussed the topic last night on WGBH "Greater Boston."
Professor Serazio's new book: The Power of Sports
Associate Professor of Communication Michael Serazio, a former reporter, turns his journalistic eye to American sports in his new book, The Power of Sports: Media and Spectacle in American Culture.
Nike isn't trying to be 'woke.' It's trying to sell shoes.
Putting controversial football player Colin Kaepermick in ads is branding, not social action, explained Asst. Professor Michael Serzaio in an op-ed for the Washington Post.
QAnon and Conspiracy Theories
Fringe conspiracies are going mainstream with followers of the mysterious internet persona QAnon now showing up at Trump rallies. Is the group a curiosity or a threat? Assistant Professor of Communication Michael Serazio joined the discussion on WGBH "Greater Boston."
Bailey Flynn (Communication 2018) presented her research in the competetitive Feminist Division at the National Communication Conference in Dallas, TX on November 18th, 2017.
Bailey Flynn (Comm 2018) presented her research, “The wife in the waiting room: Trauma narratives and romance in Grey’s Anatomy", in the competetitive Feminist Division at the National Communication Conference in Dallas, TX on November 18th, 2017. Bailey was the only undergraduate presenting her research on this panel among graduate students and faculty.
October is NCSAM
National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM) – observed every October - was created as a collaborative effort between government and industry to ensure every American has the resources they need to stay safer and more secure online.
Since its inception under leadership from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance, NCSAM has grown exponentially, reaching consumers, small and medium-sized businesses, corporations, educational institutions and young people across the nation. 2017 marks the 14th year of National Cyber Security Awareness Month.
Sarah Sletzinger is a Communications and Training Specialist at Boston College, with a background in IT Support and Quality Assurance. In the 2012/2013 academic year, Sarah led the efforts related to a year-long Security Awareness Campaign. Sarah received her B.A. in Political Science from Boston College and is currently an MBA Candidate at the Carroll School of Management within BC. Sarah’s recent presentation experience includes being the instructor for hands-on training for over 1000 faculty and staff in Google Apps for Edu.
Communication Honor Students, class of 2017 wearing their Communication Department baseball hats at the annual Awards event held in May 2017.
The Communication Honors students were all smiles as they proudly displayed their Boston College Communication Department baseball hats at the annual Honors and Awards event held in May 2017.
Top Row: Ambrey Rice, Katelyn DeFusco, Cailin Cowley, Carlie Ladda, Anthony Iati
Bottom Row: Miranda Richard, Alexandra Rae Hunt, Isabella Valentini, Hailey Jisoo Tahk, Andreina Baquero-Degwitz
missing: Lillie Karch
Assistant Professor Mike Serazio wins NCA top article award
Assistant Professor Mike Serazio's Journal of Communication article on the campaign strategies on political consultants received the Michael Pfau Outstanding Article Award in the National Communication Association's Political Communication Division.
Sarah Swallow '18 receives Etienne Gros Prize for Academic Excellence in Literature from the Institut Américain Universitaire.
Sarah Swallow, ’18 was awarded the Etienne Gros Prize for Academic Excellence in Literature, from the Institut Américain Universitaire. The award recognizes Sarah's effectiveness at analyzing children’s literature, in both French and English, from the 1700s to present times to understand how this genre reflected and currently reflects society's ideals.
Prof. Lisa Cuklanz's book was published.
Prof. Lisa Cuklanz's book, All-American TV Crime Drama: Feminism and Identity Politics in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit was published in February of 2017.
Associate Professor Matt Sienkiewicz has been nominated for an Emmy Award
Associate Professor of Communication and International Studies Matt Sienkiewicz has been nominated for an Emmy Award for his part in producing a public service announcement entitled "Said No Drug Dealer Ever."
The spot, which takes a comedic, magical realist approach to highlight the consequences of opioid abuse, was nominated for Best Community/Public Service Single Spot in New England (public service video). Professor Sienkiewicz worked with director and co-producer Joseph Sousa on the project, which was supported by the Middlesex District Attorney's office. The winner will be announced on June 24th at Marriott Boston Copley Place.
Dr. Celeste Wells named Boston College's ASN Teacher of the Year.
Faculty member Dr. Celeste Wells was named Boston College's ASN Teacher of the Year.
Lisa Cuklanz is co-editor of a new book
Communication Prof. Lisa Cuklanzis co-editor of Documenting Gendered Violence: Representations, Collaborations, and Movements (Bloomsbury, 2015), which explores the intersections of documentary and gendered violence.
Professor Matt Sienkiewicz Publishes two new Articles
Prof. Matt Sienkiewicz examines messaging in Michael Moore's new film and Bernie Sanders' campaign in Tikkun Daily and the success of "American Idol" and its impact on the television industry in Christian Science Monitor.