Communication Studies News

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… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

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,… Read More

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… Read More

“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… Read More

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… Read More

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… Read More

Over winter break, The Vanderbilt Debate Team traveled to Panama City, Panama for the World Universities Debating Championship. This is an annual event where the top British Parliamentary Debate teams in the world compete for the title of world champion. At this competition, Vanderbilt debated schools from Africa, Asia, Europe,… Read More

Vanderbilt’s Department of Communication Studies recently inducted 15 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 Madelina Huffman, Annie Kraft, and Daniel Sak –… Read More

Conflict and communication breakdowns are often connected to poor listening. Perhaps this is unsurprising. Whether due to being distracted, jumping to conclusions, or thinking about how to respond to our interlocutor, many of us can struggle to be good listeners. Effective listening may prove especially challenging when we’re interacting with… Read More

Interior of Wightman Chapel. The Civil Rights Movement has been described as a religious phenomenon. Many of the Movement’s leaders were ministers, and many more people were inspired to participate in the Movement due to their religious beliefs. While religion motivated many individuals to join the struggle for civil rights,… Read More

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, the Department of Communication Studies hosted its annual Houston Communication Symposium. This event is named for Frank K. Houston, a Vanderbilt Student. in the 1930s, well before the University had a Communication Studies Department. However, Vanderbilt did have courses in public speaking, in which Houston… Read More

The People’s President or King Andrew? Andrew Jackson remains one of the most complex presidents in U.S. history. In his Jackson biography, American Lion, historian Jon Meacham writes, “[Jackson] was the most contradictory of men.” The same man who championed democracy for commoners and saved an Indian orphan from the… Read More

Dr. Isaac West was recently awarded the Jeffrey Nordhaus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. The Jeffrey Nordhaus Award was established in 1982 by a gift from Katherine Stumb Nordhaus and George Nordhaus in memory of their son, Jeffrey, who was a victim of an airplane crash in… Read More

Dr. Claire Sisco King recently discussed celebrity and meme culture in a news interview with Yahoo Entertainment. In this interview, Professor King focuses on the multitude of factors that contribute to the virality of popular ‘sad Affleck’ memes that center on paparazzi images of the Oscar-winning actor, Ben Affleck. Professor… Read More

Since Vanderbilt’s founding, public speaking and debate have played an instrumental role in campus life. Always at the helm of fostering campus dialogue, the Vanderbilt Debate Team exists to provide on-campus, national, and international educational opportunities that enable students to improve analytical, communication, critical thinking, listening, and research skills. Watch… Read More