Faculty research profiles
Michael Leslie
Summary
Dr. Leslie’s research interests include the relationship between mass communication and society, especially the political, social, cultural, psychological, economic and health consequence of mass media for both to the dominant and oppressed groups in society, both in the U.S. and internationally. Much of Dr. Leslie’s work has focused on the nexus between media content and the empowerment of disempowerment of Africans and Afro-descendants. The goal of his research is to build a strong empirical base for theorizing about the role mass media play in the social construction of reality and perceptions of individual efficacy and agency for both dominant and oppressed groups, as well as to develop media/communications strategies that will empower the less fortunate in their struggles for political, economic, cultural, spiritual, physical and psychological health and well-being.
Recent publications
"IP-based Videoconferencing: Can it Promote Intercultural Understanding, Internationalization of the Curriculum and Social Change?" Accepted for publication in the Journal of Communication and Social Change, summer, 2007.
Keywords
Race, identity, agency, health, efficacy, perception, representation, social construction, communications strategies, media ownership, Blacks, African-Americans, Africans, Afro Descendants, Africa, Afro-Latinos, Afro-Caribbean
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