Faculty List

Janie Diels, Ph.D.

Janie Diels, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Communication & New Media Studies
Joined Alma College Faculty in 2006
SAC 327
(989) 463-7028
Office Hours: MWF 11:30-12:30, TTH 10:30-11:30 and by appointment
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Education

  • Ph.D., Communication, Cornell University (2006)
  • M.S., Communication, Cornell University (2002)
  • B.A., Communication & Psychology, UW-Madison (1997)

Research Interests

The structure and regulation of US media institutions and the impact of that structure and regulation on media content. The role of both entertainment and news media in the formation of attitudes about social groups and current events.

Selected Articles

  • Janie Diels (with William A. Gorton).  "Is political talk getting smarter? An analysis of presidential debates and the Flynn effect."  Public Understanding of Science.  2011, 20 (5)  September 2011.
  • Janie Diels, Ph.D. (with John Besley.  "Public meetings in entertainment television programming: Using procedural justice to analyze fictional civic participation."  Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media.  Due September 2009

Selected Chapter Book Publications

  • "Nanotechnology in the Media: A Preliminary Analysis." In Nanotechnology: Societal Implications II: Individual Perspectives, edited by Mihail C. Roco and William Sims Bainbridge, 258-65. Dordrecht: Springer, 2007.

Recent Presentations

  • Janie Diels (with William A. Gorton).  ""Real America" versus "Washington Insiders": Using Social Labels to Foster Group Identity and Affiliation in Political Discourse."  Midwest Political Science Association.  Chicago.  March 31, 2011.
  • Janie Diels, Ph.D..  "Belief in a Just World, Television News and Support for Arab and Muslim American's Civil Liberties."  Canadian Political Science Association.  Vancouver.  May, 2008.

 

Alma College is among the top 40 baccalaureate institutions in the country for the percentage of students who choose to study abroad, according to a report published by the Institute for International Education. Among Alma’s graduates in the 2009–10 academic year, 61.4 percent participated in study abroad, which ranked 37th in the nation.

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Student Profile

Ted Webb

Ted Webb
Graduation: 2013
Major: New Media Studies

When the new media studies major was offered, you didn’t have to tell Ted Webb twice. The Petoskey senior was first in line to sign up.

“At Alma, you can hop right into what you want to do, and do it,” he says. “Dr. Gilbert, especially, encourages me to go for it. She always tells me, ‘If you have time to do it, then do it!’”

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