News
Dr. John Sloop Named Endowed Chair in the Humanities
Mar. 30, 2026—Dr. John Sloop was recently named the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at a ceremony led by Vanderbilt Chancellor Daniel Diermeier and Provost Cybele Raver. Dr. Sloop was just one of two recipients from the College of Arts and Science to receive this distinction. It is also the first time that a faculty...
CMST Event Focuses on Influencer Culture
Mar. 23, 2026—The Department of Communication Studies welcomed to Vanderbilt two renowned scholars to discuss the impact of influencers on contemporary American culture. Dr. Sarah Banet-Weiser, the Walter H. Annenberg Dean of the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr. Grant Bollmer, an Associate Research Professor of Communication at the University of Maryland,...
Professors Koch, Sandoz, and West Honored at NCA
Nov. 24, 2025—Professors Isaac West, John Koch, and ML Sandoz were honored with awards at the National Communication Association’s annual convention. Professor West was presented with the Randy Majors Award, which recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender scholarship in Communication Studies. The award is named for Randy Majors, who was one...
Dr. Max Dosser and Dr. Isaac West Facilitate Discussions about Fandom, True Crime
Nov. 24, 2025—Communication Studies faculty Max Dosser and Isaac West recently facilitated public discussions with two noteworthy artists. Professor Dosser interviewed actor Gavin Casalegno, who stars as Jeremiah Fisher in the television series The Summer I Turned Pretty. As reported by the Vanderbilt Hustler, Dosser asked Casalegno about everything from his career to his creative process. Professor...
Department of Communication Studies Welcomes 2025-2026 Lambda Pi Eta Members
Nov. 18, 2025—Vanderbilt’s Department of Communication Studies recently inducted 17 members into its Delta Psi Chapter of Lambda Pi Eta. Lambda Pi Eta Director Dustin Wood and the rest of the Communication Studies faculty congratulate the following students – along with returning members Tillie Claggett, Liv Sailors, Alysa Suleiman, Jacqueline Welsh, and Yiwei Zhao – for their...
Vanderbilt joins Global Urban Humanities Network of Scholars and Practitioners
Apr. 28, 2025—Vanderbilt University has joined the Urban Humanities Network (UHN) as a consortium campus, solidifying the university’s place among leading institutions at the forefront of urban humanities scholarship. Established in 2022, UHN unites universities, organizations, and researchers dedicated to interdisciplinary study within the urban humanities, which operates at the nexus of humanities, urbanism, and design. To...
Dr. Dustin Wood’s Class Tours The Hermitage
Apr. 9, 2025—“I hope to meet you all in heaven, both Black and White.” According to Hannah, one of the enslaved persons by Andrew Jackson’s bedside, these were the last words of the former president before he died in his bedroom at The Hermitage. This account ofJackson’s final moments is one of many stories that can be...
Cynthia Erivo speaks at sold out 2025 Impact Symposium, Dr. Claire Sisco King, Associate Professor of Communication Studies Moderate
Apr. 8, 2025—Erivo discussed mental health, dream roles and marathon training at Langford Auditorium on April 3. Vanderbilt Programming Board concluded the 2025 Impact Symposium with a conversation with actress Cynthia Erivo in Langford Auditorium on April 3. Known for both her stage and screen work, Erivo most recently portrayed Elphaba in the movie adaptation of “Wicked.”...
Dustin Wood Addresses SAIL Scholars
Feb. 24, 2025—Next Steps at Vanderbilt is an “inclusive higher education program committed to providing neurodiverse students an inclusive, transformational postsecondary education in academics, social and career development, and independent living, while honoring equality, compassion, and excellence in all endeavors.” Many of the Communication Studies faculty have worked with Next Steps students, including Dr. Wood, who has had...
Dr. Bohyeong Kim Publishes New Book
Feb. 7, 2025—The Department of Communication Studies celebrates the publication of Professor Bohyeong Kim’s new book Critically Capitalist: The Spirit of Asset Capitalism in South Korea. The work is an ethnographic study of South Korea’s lay investors and aspiring millionaires that demonstrates how the country’s capitalism thrives on its critiques. Critically Capitalist presents an ethnography of South Korea’s...