education). Not sure yet though.
(1) Media Effects (quantitative)
This
research stream focuses on social and psychological effects of media
messages and technologies upon individuals. Faculty research often
takes a multi-disciplinary approach in applying theories of
communication, psychology, marketing, and other social sciences to
investigate the influences of media content and form on audience
perceptions, attitudes, memories, emotions and behaviors. Research
methods are primarily empirical, involving mostly experiments, surveys
and content analyses.
(2) Critical Cultural (both qualitative and quantitative)
Does not have a nice concise blurb, so here's piecemeal...
This
research draws on theories and research methods used in many academic
disciplines, including anthropology, political science, communication
arts and sciences, sociology, psychology, law, education, health and
human development, and history. Examples of current faculty and
graduate student research topics include: the study of how media
industry structure and content production practices are related to the
rise of civil society social institutions in transitional democracies;
research on how news media frame political events and the consequences
of this framing; critical analysis of how copyright laws have evolved
to govern distribution of content via the Internet; and historical
studies of media coverage of political issues.
19 posts tagged “phd”
One of the little things I have taken up in the last few years is pedicures. Honestly, I never thought I would be one of *those* people (no offense intended as I am also one of *those* people), but a friend went on and on about how relaxing they are so I decided to give it a try. And, I gotta admit, it's pretty darn nice. Especially if you get someone who gives really good massages, cause there ain't nuttin like a good foot massage. Ahhhhhh...
So, as life recently has been about poverty and busyness, I have not had a pedicure since the beginning of October and I decided to wait until after I finished the semester to treat myself. Yesterday my friend and I went and got out little tootsies tended to. So nice. My polish is "Hot Lava Love". Yum yum. I <3 the candy cane striped flip flops. Too cute.
We will just take one moment to have a pity party. I just want to chronicle what my life is like in grad school.
Monday - work 9-4, class 6-9, sleep at 11
Tuesday - work 9-3, class 4-5:30, school stuff in evenings
Wednesday - work 9-noon, class 2:30-5:30, collapse in exhaustion (this is a hard class and I'm brain dead when done)
Thursday - class 9-noon, work 1-4, collapse exhausted from week so far
Friday - wake up 9:30, schoolwork 11am-10pm, bed
Saturday - wake up 9:30, schoolwork 11am-10pm, bed
Sunday - wake up 9:30, schoolwork 11am-10pm, bed
I am now done complaining. I chose this.
So that mid-term I studied 35 hours for?
I got a 16.5 out of 20 which is 82.5%.
A solid B on its own.
A solid A with the curve.
And the 4th or 5th highest grade in the class.
Woot!
I haven't been writing much because I've been exhausted lately and I don't really have anything to talk about except about school. My gut tells me no one really wants to know about what I'm reading or the latest paper I've written. And for the last two weeks that's literally all I have had going on, so no blobbage.
I will tell you that I took my first midterm in eleven years last Wednesday and I studied for it for 35 hours in one week. Thirty-freaking-five hours. Yes, I added it up. Wednesday I may know how I did. If they get graded in time. The professor says the class average is usually in the 60's... grrreeeeaaaattttt... but he curves like crazy.
The stress in the weeks leading up to the mid-term then the stress of trying to prepare for it have left me squarely in the insomnia category which SUCKS. I have always been a terrible sleeper. The tiniest noises or amounts of light or too hot/cold temperatures have woken me up for years. But I've always been able to find a way to keep it under control - sleeping masks, living in very quiet locations, etc... But now I've moved out of the problem sleeper and squarely into the insomniac category. Grumble grumble. I'm finally going to give in and get a prescription sleep medication. Hopefully I'll be sleeping again soon because I feel tired and achey and cranky and just plain old crappy when I don't sleep.
So enough blobbity blah blah about school. Here are a couple of cool things:
I work in the same building as the public tv station. Every once in a while they do live shows in the lobby. It's pretty cool. Here are some photos from the last one...
Saw this crazy load of babies on the sidewalk. At first I thought they were all hers, but no, she works at a day care. Whew!
And I got the WORST haircut ever in the history of bad haircuts last week. It's so bad I don't even know what to do with it. It looks bad down. It looks bad up. It looks bad straight-ish. It looks bad curly. Sheesh. Just awful. And the lovely thing - I can't afford to go get it fixed somewhere. Yay for being a student. Here are all my curls after they got whacked off my head. Sniff sniff...
I survived my first PhD Hell Week... Yaaaaayyyyyyy! It was exhausting but I feel pretty good about everything overall. I feel a bit more stable in classes now. I have enough of the lingo down that it doesn't sound as much like a foreign language anymore, which is a relief. Lots of BIG projects looming in the near future, I'm trying to keep on top of everything so I can (1) sleep and (2) not panic. Both very important.
However, this will be me this time next week as I am facing the research methods mid-term next Wednesday. Eeeeeeekkkkkkkk! Very scared of that one.
I also registered to vote in PA on Friday. Whatever else was on my to-do list, that was the most important. Got in right under the wire, Monday is the last day.
Went to a friend's for a movie night - Iron Man - Robert Downey, Jr. Yummmmm... The problem with movie nights with nocturnal friends is they don't want to start watching until my bedtime. Crappers. Feel kind of crappy today as a result.
Oh, I think we need a little more RDJ... All nice and yummy and intense...
What the heck... one more... I like the silly RDJ too...
Still running kinda regularly. Proud of myself for that. Less jiggly now, I think. I'm getting into my medium-sized clothes again. I have not tried on my fat jeans in a while because I want to absolutely SWIM in them so I can pop with pride. Want to get down into my skinny sizes so I can wear all the fabulous clothes I bought a couple years ago. I think it will happen if I stick with running, it gets me fit like nothing else. One of my classmates and I are going to keep each other motivated through winter by going to the gym together. Yay for friends.
I am researching Web 2.0 tools for both my PhD program and my graduate assistantship. In looking for basic information I found this great series of videos on YouTube by a guy named Lee Lefever who runs a company called CommonCraft. He puts together these simple, easy to understand, "in plain english" videos explaining the basics of a bunch of new technologies. If you feel intimidated by the jargon flying around these days, watch a few of these. They're awesome.
Since a friend just asked me about this, here's one on Twitter..
Just for fun, Lee did one on Zombies for Halloween last year. Since I love me some zombies I thought I'd share it. It's pretty funny.
First a confession... I've been avoiding this blog for the past few weeks. I've been going through so many things and thinking so many things that it was swirling around in my head like a tornado and I couldn't make enough sense of it to know what to say let alone write it down. So, avoidance theory. It works every time.
But the past 48 hours have been pretty important. At least I think so in this moment. My moods are like the weather... wait five minutes and they'll be different.
Wow, where to start? TV class...
Monday night is my tv class. I think I'm going to really like it. I loved it after the first night, actually felt euphoric afterwards, But then I got all jumbled and twisted and turned and now I'm back to thinking I will like it. This week the whole class had to write short reaction papers for two of the weekly readings and then post them on the class Angel site (like BlackBoard for you JMU'ers).
I was all anxious about it - of course - because it was my first assignment as a PhD student and I really had no clue what to expect. But I worked on them and posted them like a good little student. Then I went back and read other people's and I started to feel worse and worse.
Monday's class was our first "real" class because of Labor Day. I was ok for the first 15 minutes - answering questions, contributing, engaged. Then I started to feel worse and worse. And I shut down.
Then I went home and cried.
And questioned myself, my intelligence, my abilities, and every single decision I made on the way to landing in this moment in time, in grad school, feeling like a complete idiot.
Monday I felt like the dumbest kid in class.
Was I really? Who knows. But that doesn't really matter. What matters is that I suddenly wondered if I could even make it through the first semester let alone the whole program. I have never felt that way. Ever. I'm not dumb. I know I'm not the brightest bulb on the tree, but I'm also not the dimmest. I did really well in my master's program. They thought I was a good student. See? Proof!
But Monday night was a pretty bad night. So, as I am inclined to do, I retreated inside and swirled around in my head. Questioning. Wondering. Thinking. Processing. Analyzing. Round and round and round and round. And round and round and round and round. It's my way.
Things were still pretty bad when I woke up Tuesday. But by noon they were looking up because I had two lightning bolt insights that calmed the chaos and helped me begin to breathe again:
1) Most of the other people in my class are 1-3 years into their Master's or PhD programs which means they are 1-3 years ahead of me in what they have been exposed to and studied. How can I be expected to know after two weeks what people know after two years? Maybe some people can and do, but not me. This is a completely new discipline for me and I do not have any of the foundational knowledge or theories to draw from. I'm getting it all for the first time and am just trying to see the forest for the trees. No one has those expectations of me except me, I'm sure. But my expectations sometimes have a life of their own. So... perspective... it's a good thing. It takes off some of the (self-imposed) pressure.
2) Then I suddenly remembered the first two weeks of my master's program and realized I felt EXACTLY this same way. Totally lost. Totally stupid. Unprepared. Not smart enough. Freaked out of my mind and scared to death. Like everyone else was so much more sophisticated and smart and wise and scholarly. Again, perspective... it's a good thing. I've been here before and I not only survived, but thrived.
So, I began to breathe. And relax.
And took down my walls, made myself vulnerable, and told a few people what I was going through.
And I started to feel.
That's a big one for me. Feeling.
I trap myself nicely up in my head and block out the world and keep everyone away.
I'm really really good at it.
So when I get to a point when I am feeling, which doesn't happen much these days, I know I'm in a good, if scary, spot.
In fact, in a lot of ways, this whole journey that I'm on right now is all about that. I had a great life before. Anyone looking at me would have seen a happy, successful person living a pretty darn charmed life. But I was walled off in a lot of ways, in a deep deep trench, and knew I needed to make huge changes in order to get life back on track. Or to re-create it the way I wanted it to be. So, here I am.
That tornado that hit me on Monday has - oh please please please - started the process of jumping me out of the old patterns from my old life. I have started to feel. I have opened up and shown people my real, true, honest, and vulnerable parts. The parts I usually try to keep secret.
Today, Wednesday at 1:30pm, I am hopeful. Oh so hopeful that this really is a first step towards living a life of joy and passion and love and energy and excitement and happiness again. I don't want to be ok anymore. I want to LIVE my life like I used to. I want to smile all day every day. I want to have friends that burrow themselves so deep in my heart I can't even tell where the entry point was. I want to find romance and a partner to walk through life with. I want to take everything this PhD program can throw at me and savor every moment and ask for more.
Today, Wednesday at 1:30, that's what I want. It's scary to admit and I am actively resisting the temptation to delete it. If I leave it and I hit the post button, it's going live. Even if no one reads this, it's still out there in the public world and not locked away like a secret in my heart and in my head. Am I ready?
Robert Downey Jr. visited me in a dream last night. Apparently we dated back in college. How about that? Who knew? But I felt something in that dream. Felt something strong and powerful and intoxicating. And that gives me hope.
So...
I figured it was about time I posted something on what I'm actually studying up here at the good old PSU. Here's a run down on my classes and the question circling endlessly in my head... am I quantitative or qualitative?
First of all, what the heck is Mass Comm anyway, right? Watch this video if you'd like. It is aimed at undergrads, so it does not really apply to what I'm doing/studying, but it will give you an overview of what the field is all about.
My classes:
Issues in TV (Monday) - My favorite class this semester. We will be looking at tv as a communication genre through the qualitative (critical/cultural) research lens. Topics/issues we will cover: Political Economy of Television, Genre, Narrative and Flow, The Television Audience and Fandom, Advertising, Children’s Television, Adult Daytime TV, News, Primetime TV and Representation, Primetime TV and Reality, Globalization, and Digital Technology, and the Future of TV.
Colloquium (Tuesday) - Different faculty will attend each week to talk about their current research projects. This is both to educate us about what kinds of research are possible in the field and to recruit us to help them and join their research teams. This is especially important for me since my assistantship is in another division of the university, so I need both the awareness and the ability to get involved.
Quantitative Research Methods (Wednesday) - Well, this is the one I was so afraid of but I have to say I'm ok with it at this point. It is the introductory class in quantitative/empirical/scientific research methods and also a great feeder to getting published and presenting at conferences. The final project is to do a research project straight through from beginning to end. Last year's class had four small groups - three presented at national conferences, one present at a regional conference, and two won awards at the national conferences. Lofty goals, but the teacher is great and very supportive so we'll see. Topics we are covering: Conceptualization, Operationalization, Measurement, Realiability & Validity, Sampling, Survey Research, Experimental Research, Content Analysis, Descriptive Statistics, Inferential Statistics, Data Interpretation, Reporting Research.
Proseminar (Thursday) - Overview of the communication field from the quantitative research perspective - going back to greek philosophers all the way through current. Topics: Intellectual History, Research in the US, Current Themes, Analyzing Media Content and Media Audiences, Media Sociology and the Creation of Content, International Communication, Ethics, Legal Research, Media History, Media Technology, Social Change, and Democrary,
I am debating which of two tracks to pursue... I love the types of research done in the Media Effects Research Lab which is a quantitative/empirical track, but I think I may be more qualitative by nature. I'm thinking I may try to study the media (social networking, tv, etc) through a critical cultural lens (psychology/sociology/law/
Last night I dreamed I was in a plane crash.
Don't worry, it was not scary at all. I only remember a little bit of it, but I was traveling with and sitting next to a friend with whom I was talking and laughing.
Right up till the last few seconds we were having fun and no one on the plane (as far as I could tell) even knew there was a problem until the back end of the plane fell off mid-air. Even then, in the dream, my friend and I saw it happen out the window and said something to the effect of "ha ha, those poor bastards". Not very nice, I know, but it shows how much fun we were having.
Then our part of the plane went straight down into a city. We were heading into the swimming pool outside of a hotel or apartment building but I woke up before we landed. Again, it was not scary at all. I remember thinking "wow, great idea trying to land in a pool" and wanted to stay asleep to see if it worked.The last thing I did in the dream was text my mom to say "plane crashing, love you, take care of Dunk and Izzy". lol... Gotta take care of the kids... errr... I man cats.
So, what does a plane crashing mean? Heeeeeeeeere's Google:
1) If you dream of an airplane crash this may symbolize an overactive
mind, one that needs a rest from thinking. It may also symbolize a need
to get out of your head and bring your ideas down to earth.
Ummmmmmm.... yeah......duh! Hello PhD program.
2) An airplane
crash may also symbolize spending a lot of time worrying and fretting
about things over which you have no control.
This one is especially interesting because I was fretting last night that I might have inadvertently made one of my new classmates uncomfortable. *I* was goofing around, playing around, trying to be funny. But I think he took me seriously and I might have hurt his feelings a bit. Which is sad because I really like him which is why I was joking around with him. But, when you're first getting to know people, you don't know how they will react to humor or to different situations. Lesson learned. I'll try to mend fences in a very un-scary, un-hurtful, un-offensive way.
3) They may represent a necessary change, usually in your thinking that
allows you to enter another 'plane' of existence--the current 'plane'
must crash to allow new freedom of existence.
ALSO could be true! I was thinking as I was walking home last night about whether or not I am really ready to make this one particular gigantic change in my life which is long overdue. Then a friend called and she asked me that EXACT question. How crazy is that? Jury's still out, but I hope I'm ready.
4) Your dream may simply be telling you that you have the ability to
accomplish more than you ever thought humanly possible but the fear of
taking flight and going into a place you've never been is overwhelming
you. If this is the case, I encourage you to step on the plane, get in
that seat, and prepare for the adventure ahead...even if you need a
friend to help you do it!
Ok, yeah... This is right on. Hello PhD program. Hello moving to a new state and new city where I don't know anyone. Hello starting in a brand new discipline/field. But look! I had my friend along! So I'm going to be ok.
And, citing my sources in proper PhD fashion, these interpretations are from an article on a website called "Bella Online" which you can visit here.
Had a couple of those unexpected little life lemons recently.
The water heater went out in my house last week. I've been suspicious of it for a while because I ran out of hot water when showering and it's just me in the house. I even had the thermostats cranked waaaaayyyy up to try and make it last longer which worked a little, but I still ran out. That sucks when it's freezing outside. Brrrrrrrrr...
So, that little adventure cost $575 - $300 for the new tank and $275 in labor for the emergency plumbing services. We had to turn the water off to the whole house because the knob to shut it off just to the tank was frozen shut, so we had no water for a while. We were carrying buckets over from the neighbor's house to flush the toilets and bought out the whole supply of gallons of bottled water from the neighborhood convenience store. lol...
Tuesday night I got a flat tire - like all the way down flat. Grumble grumble... Of course I was an hour from home. Grumble grumble... One positive note - Fix-A-Flat is the BEST STUFF EVER. Go out right now and buy a can to keep in your trunk. It is a miracle product. A lifesaver. Absolutely amazing.
So took the car in to get that tire fixed and found out it couldn't be because there was too much wear. It was a 30,000 mile tire and I got 50,000 miles out of it so I'm not complaining. But my car is all-wheel drive and you have to replace all four tires at the same time or it messes up the computer that controls the all-wheel drive stuff. AND... while they were poking around in there they also noticed that my rear brakes were worn basically down and needed to be replaced too. Ha. Of course.
So $100 for one tire turned into $450 for tires and $150 brake pads leading to $620 with tax.
Sigh...
Me poor. Me no want pay lots of money. Me want save for future.
The silver lining is that I won't have to pay for these repairs when I am in school for the next three years making next to nothing. I'd rather pay for this kind of thing now then face it when I'm REALLY poor. And I do have to say I take pride in the quality of house that some lucky person is going to buy. It's a nice house with lots and lots of quality improvements. That makes me happy.
But... then I read my horoscope for today and realized everything is going to be ok. Read and marvel and how the world knows things in a spooky way sometimes:
Scorpio - Someone may have a good money-making plan but it doesn't necessarily mean it will work for you. A change in plans will probably cost a little more but, in the end, you will be better off not scrimping. Ooooooooooo.... Ahhhhhhhhhhhh...
