Speaker Series

Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center podium with view of audience

Communication Studies Speaker Series

2023-2024 Speaker Series


Dr. Jeremiah Favara Book Launch: Tactical Inclusion

GU Students dressed up in school colors cheering at an athletic event.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024
5:00-6:15 pm
College Commons, HUB 153

Dr. Favara will discuss the crucial role that military recruitment advertising played in making the U.S. military of the most diverse institutions in the United States. Informed by Black feminism, critical race theory, and queer of color critique, the talk will discuss how the military and advertisers deployed a set of strategies called tactical inclusion to connect with new audiences and render them vulnerable to, valuable to, and subject to state violence.

 

Election '24 Crash Course: What to Know and What to Ask

GU Students dressed up in school colors cheering at an athletic event.

Tuesday, April 9, 2024
4:00-5:30 pm, Hemmingson Auditorium

On April 9, 2024, a panel of experts in the fields of Communications and Political Science explored the historical context of political parties and ideologies, key elections and events to watch out for, and strategies for critically evaluating political communication this election season.

 

COMM 480 Final Project Presentations

GU Students dressed up in school colors cheering at an athletic event.

Wednesday, December 13, 2023
3:30-5:30 pm, Hemmingson 210

Dr. Click's students have spent the semester doing a deep dive into the subject of "Audiences & Fandom". Join them as they share their final projects.

3:30-4:00: Sports & Athletics

Kate B, "Fans of Gonzaga Women's Basketball"
Konrad G, "Crafting Community through Chrome"
Jessica P & Kate S, "Last Team Standing"
Abby W, "Women in Fandom of Gonzaga Men's Basketball"

4:00-4:30: Online Fan Communities

Ely E, "Gaylor: Representation or Speculation of Taylor Swift's Sexuality"
Anna P & Elizabeth S, "From Screen to Page: Digital Literary Fandom and Colleen Hoover"
Nikki R, "The Ecosystem of Incledom"
Fiona S, "Whoniverse as a Lens for the Universe"

4:30-5:00: Fans of Legacy Media

Bella K, "Hunger Games Fans"
Colby B, "Disney, Race, and High School Musical"
Maddie T, "The Harry Potter Fandom and JK Rowling's Transphobic Remarks"
Madison V, "Beyond the Mask that Brings New Hope"

5:00-5:25: Collectors, Comforters, & Deciders

Evelyn J & Sam M, "An Introductory Research Analysis Into the Squishmallow Fandom"
Johanna S, ""The Comfort Show: Escapism on Repeat"
Arianna T, "Swifties and the Eras Tour"


Political Disinformation in the Anthropocene

Dr. Jeffrey Omari, J.D., Ph.D.

Wednesday, November 29, 2023
4-5 pm, Humanities 153 (College Commons)

Drawing from Anthropocene theory and exploring relevant strategies, Dr. Omari will
offer suggestions for mitigating disinformation and its effects.

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2022-2023 Speaker Series


Comm Studies Presents-Pizza with Alumni!

Portrait of Andrea Davis

Wednesday, April 26
12:00 pm
College Hall 425

Comm Studies majors and minors are invited to join the faculty for pizza and discussion featuring a presentation from 2017 Comm Studies Graduate Andrea Davis.

Andrea graduated from Gonzaga in 2017 with a degree in Communication Studies. She has served three service terms with Americorps and is currently manager of the Zags Volunteer Program. She is a fierce advocate for those with disabilities, with much of her work focusing on issues of accessibility, equity, and inclusion.

 

Dr. Lisa Flores

Dr. Lisa Flores

March 1, 2023, time 5-6:30 pm
Location: Hemmingson Auditorium 004
The 2023 Annual Speakers Series Scholar is Dr. Lisa Flores from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Her March 1st talk is titled, “‘Crisis’ at the U.S./Mexico Border?: Towards a Racial Rhetorical Perspective.”
 
 
 

February 17, 2022—Major Lessons from Minority Media: Exploring Hmong American Digital Cultures

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October 20, 2021—Political Communication in Digital Spaces

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April 9, 2021—Communication, Activism & Civic Engagement: "Process Over Output: Media Based Organizing and Movement Building"

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March 5, 2021—Communication, Activism and Civic Engagement: "Meaningful Student Activism in Tumultuous Times"

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Friday, November 6, 2020—COMMversations: Election 202 Debrief

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Friday, October 16, 2020—COMMversations: Grad Studies

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“Adventures in Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland: The Paradoxical Audacity of Scandal’s Papa Pope” by Dr. Rachel Griffin, University of Utah

“COMMversations on Activism and Organizing” by Meshell Sturgis, University of Washington; Dr. Karma R. Chávez, University of Texas at Austin; Dr. Rachel Kuo, University of North Carolina
 
“El SIDA Nos Afeccta a Todos: AIDS Activism in and for Latinx Immigrant Communities in the Early Years of HIV/AIDS by Dr. Karma R. Chávez, University of Texas at Austin
 
“Race, News, and Right-Wing Populism: The Tea Party and the Media” by Dr. Khadijah White, Rutgers University
 
“Screening Strategic Ambiguity: Reading Black Female Resistance to the Postracial Lie” by Dr. Ralina Joseph, University of Washington