This roundtable seeks to address the evolving role of gender in the academy through examination of personal experiences of male and female scholars. Participants will include scholars at various career levels, able to discuss his or her experiences (or lack thereof) with bias and sexism. This round table hopes to investigate how bias affects careers and how this issue may be overcome.
About the presentersAmanda S. McClain
Amanda McClain is Associate Professor of Communications at American Public University. McClain’s doctorate is in Mass Media and Communication from Temple University. She has published two books: American Ideal: How American Idol Constructs Celebrity, Collective Identity, and American Discourses (2011) and Keeping Up the Kardashian Brand: Celebrity, Materialism, and Sexuality (2013). She is also the Co-Chair of the TV Area for PCA/ACA. McClain’s research interests include reality TV, social media, and celebrity.
Jason Davids Scott
Jason Davids Scott graduated from NYU with a BFA in Cinema Studies, worked for over a decade in feature film publicity and development, and eventually earned and MA and Ph.D. in Theatre from UC Santa Barbara. Dr. Scott’s first textbook, Everything But the Script: Professional Writing in the Entertainment Industry, was published in 2019 by Cognella. Dr. Scott is a past president of MAPACA and helped launch the online journal Response.
Mary Beth Ray
Mary Beth Ray, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Plymouth State University in Plymouth, NH. Her research interests include emerging technology, creative industries, co-production, and popular music culture. Her book Digital Connectivity and Music Culture – Artists & Accomplices (2017) from Palgrave MacMillan explores how the rise of widely available digital technology impacts the way music is produced, distributed, promoted, and consumed, with a specific focus on the changing relationship between artists and audiences. Her current research examines popular music, identity, and digital culture through The Adolescentia Project – a digital archive and accompanying book that documents reflections on albums people loved during adolescence (https://adolescentiaproject.com/).
Email: meray@plymouth.edu Web: https://drmarybethray.com/