Campbell students and faculty are delighted with their showing in this weekend’s Southern States Communication Association conference. Reviewers selected five Campbell students to present their communication research to attendees, placing Campbell in the top three of all universities represented.
Each of the five students worked with a faculty mentor last fall to conduct research into topics within the discipline, then submitted the findings to the competitive process. Each paper had to be approved by at least three reviewers before it could be accepted for presentation.
Campbell faculty also played an active role in the conference, serving as presenters, respondents, and reviewers of research from other universities.
“Our Department has a deep commitment to undergraduate scholarship,” said Dr. J. Dean Farmer, chair of the Department of Communication Studies. “We prioritize students’ participation in academic conferences and are thrilled about our students’ experiences at SSCA 2022.”
- Serenity Wiles presented “Trapped and Small: An Autoethnographic Journey of Identity and Caring to Guardian Ad Litem” in the category of Top Papers in the Undergraduate Honors Conference.” Associate Professor J. Dean Farmer served as Serenity’s mentor.
- Kirsten A. Murphy presented her work, “Emerging from the Chrysalis: Communication Implications from an In-Betweener” in the Communication and Identities category. Her mentor was Associate Professor J. Dean Farmer.
- Delaney Jordan Metcalf wrote “Is Gracious Submission a Woman’s Role?: An Analysis of the Go Home Controversy” in the category of Women’s Rhetorics and Histories. Her mentor was Associate Professor J. Dean Farmer.
- Megan Savannah Pifferini presented “Understanding the Dominant Group and Coculture Memberships through ‘The Office’” in the category of Persuasive Messages of Popular Culture. Her mentor was Associate Professor J. Dean Farmer.
- Jeffrey Gurwitch’s paper was called, “Censoring the Taboo: An Analysis of Voluntary and Involuntary Censorship in News Media” in the category Issues and Access and Influence. His mentor was Assistant Professor Brian Bowman.
Several of the students plan to continue their research in graduate programs after wrapping up their time at Campbell.
In addition, department faculty members also had active roles at the conference. Dean Farmer presented two papers (with department alumna Gracie Allen and departmental adjunct professor Elizabeth Homan, respectively). Farmer and Homan’s paper was selected as a Top Four Paper in the Political Communication Division. Brian Bowman and Dean Farmer both served as respondents for paper sessions at the conference.