Future of Media Entertainment Represented at NCA DHS
By Nick Bowman
(click here for images from the conference)

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama, July 1 -- The Department of Communication Studies at the University of Alabama played host to a group of visiting media entertainment students and faculty as part of the National Communication Association’s 2008 Doctoral Honors Seminar. For the students and faculty involved, the experience proved to be a fruitful and invigorating endeavor.

“Meeting and presenting in a close, personal environment was a rewarding experience,” Andy Boyan said. “Not only did we get to see what topics others in the field are interested in and working on, but a sense of community as scholars emerged in the sessions.” Boyan is a doctoral student studying media entertainment at Michigan State University.

The seminar, which took place June 5th through June 8th, was designed to give a selected group of media entertainment doctoral students a chance to interact with top scholars in the field regarding the future of entertainment research. Students were asked to submit research papers and proposals to a panel of scholars, and those students selected to attend the panel were given time to present their research and receive feedback from those in attendance. According to Dr. Jennings Bryant, Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research at the University of Alabama and member of this year’s faculty panel, those papers that were accepted specifically focused on media entertainment theory. Dr. Bryant commented that, while all of the papers we reviewed were solid overall, “those that made the cut were more theoretically sound and written with a greater sophistication.” He specifically noted that the most important factor for accepted papers was their specific focus on entertainment theory.

Along with Dr. Bryant, Dr. Mary Beth Oliver of Pennsylvania State University, and Dr. Andrew Billings of Clemson University served as reviewers and faculty respondents for this year’s sessions. Each was equally impressed with the quality of the student submissions.

“The student papers were very well written,” Dr . Oliver said. “They were each addressing some important changes in the media landscape that have crucial implications for research and theorizing.” Dr. Billings commented particularly on the varied perspectives that each student applied to media entertainment theory, noting that the papers appeared to be “synthesizing different types of scholarship to ask nuanced and timely questions, while bridging disciplinary gaps”. Moira O’Keeffe, a student participant from the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, made a similar comment, mentioning that “while the papers were all quite different, the focus on entertainment media provided a clear area of common ground from which we could share new ideas.”

The student participants for this year’s event were (in alphabetical order and grouped by school): Nick Bowman, Andy Boyan, Allison Eden of Michigan State University, Xiaoxia Cao and Moira O’Keeffe of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, Veronica Hefner and Jesse Quintero-Johnson of the University of Illinois, Guosong Shao of the University of Alabama, and Julia Woolley of Pennsylvania State University.

Drs. Jason Black and Carol Mills, both from the University of Alabama, coordinated this year’s DHS, and their hard work was not unnoticed by seminar participants. Additionally, students and staff in the College of Communication & Information Sciences Alabama were gracious and accommodating hosts for the duration of the event. Funding for the event was provided by UACIS Office of Graduate Studies, The Reagan Chair of Broadcasting, the UACIS Dean’s Office, the UA Graduate School, and the NCA.

Student profiles (in alphabetical order):

Nicholas David Bowman
Michigan State University
Presentation Title: In the mood to game: The extension of mood management theory to video games
Major Advisor(s): Dr. Ron Tamborini, Dr. John Sherry

Andy Boyan
Michigan State University
Presentation Title: Challenge and video game play: Aligning mental models with game models
Major Advisor: Dr. John Sherry

Xiaoxia Cao
Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Presentation Title: Pathways to connect people: Effects of mediated communication on empathy
Major Advisor: Dr. Diana Mutz

Allison Eden
Michigan State University
Presentation Title: Moral Modules as Indicators of Morality Subcultures
Major Advisor: Dr. Ron Tamborini

Veronica Hefner
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Presentation Title: Content and Entertainment: Romantic Ideal Courtship Narratives in Screen Media and their Subsequent Effects on Viewers
Major Advisor: Dr. Kristen Harrison

Jesse Quintero Johnson
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Presentation Title: Entertaining and Educating: Inspiring Audience Involvement with Health Information through Media Character Identification

Moira O’Keeffe
Annenberg School of Communication, University of Pennsylvania
Presentation Title: How Scientists Respond to Fictional Portrayals of Science
Major Advisor: Dr. Paul Messaris

Guosong Shao
University of Alabama
Presentation Title: Understanding the Appeal of User-Generated Media: A Uses-and-Gratifications Perspective
Major Advisor: Dr. Shuhua Zhou

Julia K. Woolley
Pennsylvania State University
Presentation Title: Affect, Content Valence, and Enjoyment of Media: Comparing Mood Management and Transportation Perspectives
Major Advisor: Dr. Mary Beth Oliver