David F. Stephens Jr
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR (COMMUNICATION AND FILM)
Office
ACB 227
Office Hours
Contact for office hours or appointment.
About
Dr. David Stephens is an Assistant Professor of Communication in the Department of
Communication and Film teaching courses in media literacy, television studies, and
the internet. Dr. Stephens approaches teaching and research from a critical/cultural
perspective where he urges his students to think about the influence media has on
power, identity, agency, and possibility.
His research focuses on the ways Black people use new media towards individual and
communal self-determination. His book research centers on how ideas regarding Black
interpersonal, romantic, and sexual relationships are expressed through new media
technology like podcasting and social media. He incorporates theories of race, ethnic
studies, gender and sexuality, as well as affect theory to argue that new media provides
a new site Black individuals and communities can utilize to engage in discourse around
what constitutes healthy forms of Black relationships, intimate or otherwise. In doing
so, he hopes to address the misogynistic and anti-Black aspects of these discourses
so Black people can fully realize the power of new media in constructing Black relationships.
Education
Ph.D., Bowling Green State University
M.A., University of New Orleans
B.A., Alabama State University
Publications
Below you can find a sample of publications by Dr. Stephens
- Stephens, D. (2023). Appear to disappear: Blackness, Affect, and the Political Imaginary. Camera Obscura, 38(2), 173–197.
- Emily Edwards, Stephens, D.. (Hash)tagging intersection(ality): Black and Palestinian experiences on Twitter,” Communication, Culture, Critique, 16(2), 83–90.
- Stephens, D. (2024). RDCWorld: Performing the Black Nerd in new media. Communication, Culture & Critique, 17(1), 72–79.
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Stephens, D. F. (2024). The Wendy’s Retweet Challenge: Neoliberalism, Social Media, and the Creation of an Influencer. In Global Perspectives on Social Media Influencers and Strategic Business Communication (pp. 59–79). IGI Global
Courses Taught:
Media Literacy
Television and Culture
Internet and New Media
New Media (grad)
Critical Media Studies (grad)