PhD - Year 3

Briana Barner

Briana Barner is a proud native of the Southside of Chicago, and made her way to Texas from North Carolina, where she attended Bennett College, a women's historically Black college. She graduated with dual degrees in Journalism and Media Studies, and Africana Women's Studies. Briana is also a graduate of the Center for Women's and Gender Studies at UT, where she wrote her award-winning Master's thesis on the power of the #BlackGirlMagic hashtag. She also currently serves as facilitator for INSPIRE, a women's leadership program for undergraduates, housed in the Center for Women's and Gender Studies. Her research interests include digital and Black feminism, new media, social media as a tool for social justice and activism, podcasts hosted by people who hold marginalized identities, and the representation of marginalized people, specifically Black girls and women, in popular culture and media. Briana recently wrote an article for the Flow Journal about a controversial online advertisement for a popular ethnic hair care line. (http://www.flowjournal.org/2017/07/the-personal-is-digital/)

Nabeeha Chaudhary

Nabeeha has worked as a Communications/Marketing professional in various capacities across academic, corporate, and non-profit environments. She holds an M.A. in International Studies from the University of Washington and a B.A. in English Literature from Miami University. Having lived in over six different cities (Seattle and Lahore holding the most special place in her heart so far), on two different continents, she has worked and taught in South Asia and North America. Serving as jury member on the national South Asia Book Award Committee and writing for various publications, includingThe Seattle Globalist,provides an outlet for her passion for stories and storytelling.

Research interests include: The interconnections between Cultural/Entertainment Media, Women’s Issues, and Education, and the role played by Social Organization and Religion. Regional focus on South Asia, particularly Pakistan.

More at:chaudhnz.wix.com/nabeeha

Jaewon Choi

Jaewon grew up in Seoul, South Korea. He received his B.A. in Media and Communication from Korea University located in Seoul. He recently finished his M.A. in Journalism andMass Communication from the same university where he wrote a thesis on the Internet ofThings (IoT) business ecosystem evaluation. As a research assistant, he was part of several research reports published by both national and private research institutions regarding global TV and OTT (over-the-top) market, cross-media audience measurement,and etc. In addition, he individually conducted studies on factors affecting smartwatch adoption, and mobile news platform competition. His academic interests include new media technology adoption and its implications on industry, policy, and society.

Brett Siegel

Brett received his MA and BA in Critical Studies from the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts and his MLIS from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. An active member of Trojan Vision, USC’s student-run television station, Brett was the host of CU@USC, a live entertainment talk show; an anchor for Platforum: Entertainment, a roundtable debate show; and co-host of The Cutting Edge, a critical review show featuring student short films. Additionally, he has been a contributing writer forThe Artifice, an online magazine discussing a broad spectrum of art and media, and the site leader and teaching assistant for Reel Expressions, a filmmaking program for high school students held through Duke University. Most recently, Brett was the curator and lecturer for Picture This, a film series for the City of San Diego’s Library department, and the Teen Services Librarian at the San Diego Central Library. His research interests include US film and television criticism, sports media, and reception studies, particularly the intersection of celebrity, fandom, and culture.

Maria Skouras

Maria was born and raised in New Jersey and earned her B.A. from New York University's Gallatin School of Individualized Study, M.A. from NYU's Graduate School of Arts and Science in Cultural Sociology, and M.S. in Global Affairs from NYU's School of Professional Studies. While at NYU she organized community events as Senior Policy Analyst in the University's Office of Government and Community Affairs and managed grants and planned conferences on topics such as the global imperative for higher education as Assistant Director of The Faculty Resource Network. She also served as a Peace Fellow for the Advocacy Project in Malaysia and shared the personal stories of women artisans learning how to weave baskets out of discarded magazine paper though the Salaam Wanita Eco-basket Project. She has participated in service-learning and community revitalization projects in Jamaica, New Orleans, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Her research interests include cultural diplomacy, creative expression, and how social media platforms can be used to foster awareness of global issues and inequalities.