February 10, 2020
The Faculty of media and mass communication welcomes a new faculty member Dr. Jeff shires who earned a Ph.D. (1998) from the University of Missouri-Columbia in Communication-Media Studies. His dissertation focused on applying the theories of Mikhail Bakhtin to the media through the lens of British Cultural Studies. He received an MA (1994) from Indiana State University in Communication where he primarily focused upon Bakhtin’s description of the Bildungsroman, showing how the classic television program M*A*S*H, through the character of Hawkeye Pierce, demonstrated actual character learning and growth that mirrored the program’s physical setting. His research focuses on the work of Bakhtin and his influences to examine how interaction with the media affects the development of the individual’s concept of self. The second strand of research focuses on the importance of the liberal arts in developing reasoned individuals which can counteract the media’s influence. His areas of expertise include social media, British Cultural Studies, and Bakhtin’s writings on the individual as architectonic. unity.Dr. Shires has taught at three previous institutions, Campbellsville University, Wartburg College, and Purdue University North Central/Northwest, where he developed and taught courses in mass communication theory, mass media ethics and law, communication and emerging technologies, broadcast production, and American humor. He has worked with countless students on individual study projects, including projects that led to conference presentations and publications. Dr. Shires is a Fellow of the Society for Values in Higher Education which awarded him the Robert Spivey Award for his research
