Book (2013)
Work/Text: Investigating the Man from U.N.C.L.E., Media Ecology series, Lance Strate, editor.
Employing a new dialogic model of creativity in mass communication, this book follows the development of the 1960s series, from the initial meetings to its cancellation and beyond. The approach considers the creative as well as the economic, the producer as well as the consumer, and explores how a cultural “work/text” like The Man from U.N.C.L.E. evolves through the many dialogues occurring, often simultaneously, between and among various collective parties. From the first spark of an idea at a breakfast meeting, U.N.C.L.E. eventually grew into a complex multileveled media ecosystem of multiple relationships, collaborations, interpretations, and communities.
The book has also been reviewed by Francesca Coppa of Muhlenberg College in Volume 18 of the journal of fan studies, Transformative Works and Cultures.
The review is available here
Book chapters
2015
“Fifty Years of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: How the Ever-Changing Media Sustained and Shaped One of the Oldest Fan Communities,” in Television, Social Media, and Fan Culture. Alison F. Slade , Amber J., Narro, and Dedria Givens-Carroll (Eds.).
Lexington Press, 2015
2014
“Mr. Bond’s Neighborhood: Domesticating the Superspy for American Television,” in Michele Brittany, (Ed); James Bond and Popular Culture: Essays on the Influence of the Fictional Superspy, Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2014.
2011/2010
“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: Ian Fleming’s Other Spy” in R.G. Weiner, B.L. Whitfied and J. Becker (Eds.) James Bond and Popular Culture: The Films Are Not Enough. London: Cambridge Scholars Publishing. (2nd ed., 2011).
2009
“The Future Just Beyond the Coat Hook: Technology, Politics and the Postmodern Sensibility in the Man From U.N.C.L.E.” In Lincoln Geraghty (Ed.) Channeling the Future: Essays in Science Fiction and Fantasy Television, Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press.
2008
“Sexy Nerds: Illya Kuryakin, Mr. Spock, and the Image of the Cerebral Hero in TV Drama.” With Amy H. Sturgis, in Lisa Holderman (Ed.) Common Sense: Intelligence as Presented on Popular Television, Lexington Books.
2004/1997
Encyclopedia of Television. Horace Newcomb (Ed.). Chicago, IL: Fitzroy Dearborn. (2004, 2nd ed.) Entries on spy shows, Edward Woodward, and “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.”
The encyclopedia is now available online here
2000/1999
“The Gun as Star and the U.N.C.L.E. Special.” In Murray. Pomerance & John Sakeris,(Eds.) , Bang Bang, Shoot Shoot! Essays on Guns and Popular Culture. NY: Simon and Shuster. (2nd ed. 2000).
Journal Articles:
2011
An Interview with Paula Smith, special history issue, Transformative Works and Culture,
Volume 6.
Available here.
2007
Media Literacy, Media Fandom and Participatory Culture,
Journal of Media Literacy (54)2-3, Winter.
Other projects:
2015
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. episode review for Cinema Retro. This will be part of a series. “Review: The Mad Mad Tea Party.” Posted February 21
Available Online here.
2007
On screen commentary, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. DVD set, produced by D*G Entertainment for Time/Warner and distributed by Time/Life. Release: November, 2007.
Liner notes, Season 2, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. DVD set, released by Time/Warner and distributed by Time/Life.
Online symposium between male and female academics who study media fandom posted on the weblog of noted media scholar, Henry Jenkins (http://www.henryjenkins.org/index.html). A two part conversation with Derek Kompare, of Cinema-Television in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University.
Available online here and here.
1995/1994
The Teacher’s Guide to Media-Related Books. NY: Pocket Books.
The Teacher’s Guide to Bless the Beasts and Children. NY: Pocket Books.
The Teacher’s Guide to Star Trek. NY: Pocket Books
Conference Papers/Panels/Presentations
“Teaching Media Literacy in the Age of Fake News,” presentation at the Communication Conference of American Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) July 18-21, 2018, Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO.
“Imaginative Educational Strategies for The TV Game: Paying attention to how Television works.” Global Education Conference, May 17, 2018, at University of Riverside, CA.
“Media Ecology: Exploring a Sense of Place,” Participatory Culture and the Media Classroom, at the 22nd Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) conference, April 14, 2018, at Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ.
“Fake News in the Classroom & the Street: A Roundtable with Dr. Cynthia W. Walker,” September 26, 2017, Hudson Community College, Jersey City, NJ.
“A Dialogic Approach in the Age of Convergence and Participatory Culture,” on the Anniversary Panel, The View from 1997: Models, Movies and Convergence, at the 21st Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) conference, March 25, 2017, Georgian Court College, Lakewood, NJ.
Graduate Students’ Presentations of their Capstone Projects I, panel at the 21st Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) conference, March 25, 2017, Georgian Court College, Lakewood, NJ.
The TV Game, presentation on a panel on experiential learning, at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities, January 8-11, 2017, Hilton Hawaiian Village Waikiki Beach Resort, Honolulu.
“Communicating with Alumni at Saint Peter’s University,” presentation at the Communication Conference of American Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) , July 13-16, 2016, Loyola University New Orleans, LA.
Chairs Roundtable: Preparing Professionals in Communication Across New Jersey, panel at The 20th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, April 9, 2016, Caldwell College, Caldwell, NJ.
Challenges Facing Graduate Communication, panel at the 20th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, April 9, 2016, Caldwell College, Caldwell, NJ.
“How the Rise of Social Media Sustained and Shaped One of the Oldest Fan Communities” presentation at the Communication Conference of American Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) July 22-25, 2015, Boston College, Boston, MA.
Saint Peter’s as Laboratory: Tackling Strategic Communication Challenges in a Small Private University, panel at the 19th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, “Technology and Change,” April 22, 2015, at Saint Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ.
Issues in Strategic Communication: Returning Veterans, career preparation for minority women, sports and entertainment audiences, panel at the 19th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, “Technology and Change,” April 22, 2015, at Saint Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ.
The Inhabitable Texts of Liberty Science Center and Walt Disney World: Employing Experiential Learning as a Bridge Between Theory and Practice, panel at the 19th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, “Technology and Change,” April 22, 2015, at Saint Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ.
Chairs Roundtable: Departments as Change Agents, panel at the 19th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, “Technology and Change,” April 22, 2015, at Saint Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ.
Work/Text: Investigating the Man from U.N.C.L.E., presentation at the Communication Conference of American Jesuit Colleges and Universities (AJCU) July 16-19, 2014, Fairfield University, Connecticut.
Capstones, Internships and Senior Experiences, panel at The 18th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, “Connecting Classrooms to Communication Careers,” April 12, 2014 at Kean University, Union, NJ .
Chairs Roundtable: Preparing Professionals in Communication Across New Jersey, panel at The 18th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, “Connecting Classrooms to Communication Careers,” April 12, 2014 at Kean University, Union, NJ .
Subversive Images: Real Beauty, Frozen Princesses and the Witches of Oz at The History of Media, Gender and Sexuality, 7th Annul Media and History Conference, April 3, 2014, St. Peter’s University, Jersey City, NJ.
Gee I’m Just a Hairdresser, presentation as part of a panel, “Working Moms Contributing to our COMMunities,” for the Women’s Caucus at the 98th annual convention of the National Communication Association (NCA), November 15-18, 2012, Orlando, FL.
Forty-five years of The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: How the Ever-changing Media Sustained and Shapes a Special Interest Group, presentation as part of a panel, “Communities in Transition: Voices and Identities changing through New Media” at the 103rd annual convention of the Eastern Communication Association (ECA), April 26-29, 2012, Cambridge MA.
They Didn’t See It Coming, presentation as part of a panel, “Back to you Bill and Steve: Reporting from the Shoulder of the Information Highway,” at And That’s the Way It Is… Technology and News, Fifth Annual Media and History Conference, April 12, 2012, St. Peter’s College, Jersey City, NJ.
From Letter Columns to Social Networks: How New Media Shaped and Changed the Fandom Community, presentation as part of a panel, “Not Like It Used to Be: New Technologies, New Relationships and New Strategies for the New Media Environment,” at 15th annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) conference, March 19, 2011, Bergen Community College, Paramus NJ.
The Fans Did What? Introducing Students to Participatory Culture in session on Teaching Communication in the New Media Environment, NCA 96th Annual Convention, Nov. 14-17, 2010 in San Francisco, CA.
Guys and Dolls: Class and Gender Differences in the Press, panel at Whose Truth? Reporting about Diverse Cultures, Third Annual Media and History Conference, April 15, 2010, St. Peter’s College, Jersey City, NJ.
The Role of the Communication Major at a Liberal Arts College: A Small Private Liberal Arts College Perspective, panel, 14th Annual Conference of New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), April 10, 2010, at College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ.
Where Do We Go From Here? Guiding Students to an Online Journalism Career, panel, 14th Annual Conference of New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), April 10, 2010, at College of St. Elizabeth, Morristown, NJ.
Fandom 101: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know, But Didn’t Know Who To Ask. Workshop at The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE), Detroit, MI, July 31-Aug 4, 2009.
Media Education and the Future of Journalism. Panel, Media Conversations VI 2009 : An International Conference of Youth, Media, and Education, June 4-6, 2009. Held at Pratt Institute, Manhattan Campus, The Players Club, and Fordham University, Lincoln Center Campus, NYC. Organized with support from the Institute of General Semantics, Media Ecology Association (MEA) and The Players Club.
Images of the Journalist: Hero or Hack? Panel at Images in and of The Press, Second Annual Media and History Conference, April 2, 2009, St. Peter’s College, Jersey City, NJ.
Remix, Rewrite, and Converge: Navigating Fan Communities and Participatory Culture. Presented as part of a panel, “Gathering together: Social Life on the Net,” at The 13th Annual New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA) Conference, March 28, 2009 at Kean University, Union, NJ .
Unlikely Allies: How Producers and Audiences Are Collaborating to Create Innovative Forms of Popular Culture. Presented as part of a panel called, “unCONVENTIONal Connections in a Culture of Convergence” at the 94th Annual Conference of The National Communication Association, November 22, 2008, in San Diego, CA.
Transformative Culture: The Evolving Relationship between Fan Audiences and Media Producers. Presented at the 12th Annual Conference of New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), March 22, 2008, at Marymount College in Manhattan.
Managing Competing Worldviews: Creating a Support System for Scholar/Mothers in the Communication Field. Presented at the 93rd Annual National Communication Association (NCA) Convention, November 15-18, 2007, Chicago, IL.
Employing Media Literacy to Teach Social and Civic Responsibility in the Undergraduate Classroom, Presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), March 24, 2007, Kean University.
Sexy Nerds: Illya Kuryakin, Mr. Spock, and the Image of the Cerebral Hero in TV Drama. Presented at the 92nd Annual National Communication Association (NCA) Convention, November 16-19, 2006, San Antonio, TX.
Media Fandom: Redefining a ‘Sense of Place’ at the Seventh Annual Convention of the Media Ecology Association, June 8-11, 2006. Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts.
Shadow of the Doubt: Hitchcock’s Modern American Vampire at the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association’s 16th Annual Conference, November 3-7, 2005, New Brunswick, NJ.
A Dialogic Approach to Mass Communication. Chosen one of the top three papers, Theory and Methodology Interest Group, the 95th Annual Eastern Communication Association (ECA) Conference, April 22-24, 2004, Boston, Massachusetts.
Understanding the Construction of Meaning in Media. Presented at the National Media Education Conference, Alliance for a Media Literate America (AMLA), June 28-July 1, 2003, Baltimore, Maryland.
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.: Ian Fleming’s Other Spy. Presented at The Cultural Politics of Ian Fleming and 007 conference, May 29-June 1, 2003, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana.
Work/Text: A New Approach to Mass Communication. Presented at the 85th Annual National Communication Association (NCA) Convention, November 4-7, 1999, Chicago, Illinois.
The Gun as Star and the “U.N.C.L.E. Special.” Presented at Bang Bang, Shoot Shoot: Film, Television and Guns Conference, May 16-17, 1998, Ryerson Polytechnic University, Toronto, Canada (featured speakers: Leslie Fielder, George Gerbner and Ellen Seiter.)
Taking the Popular Seriously: Toward an Aesthetic of the Collaborative. Presented at the 2nd Annual Conference of the New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), March 21, 1998, Montclair State University.
A Dialogic Approach to Creativity in Mass Communication. Presented at the 1st Annual Conference of the New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), April 26, 1997, Montclair State University.
Coming in from the Cold: Gender, the Internet and Man From U.N.C.L.E. Fandom. Presented at the 5th Annual Console-ing Passions: Television, Video and Feminism, April 25-28, 1996, University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Workshops/Lectures/Appearances
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.: The Creature Feature Affair. August 14-15, 2015. Creature Features Store and Art Gallery, Burbank, CA.
“The Tangram Puzzle Exercise,” for panel on Experiential Exercises for Four Levels of Communication, February 15, 2014. At the Western States Communication Association (WSCA) 85th Annual Convention. Anaheim, CA February 14-18.
Moderator, Media Panel for the Jersey Arts Marketers Media Roundtable, June 14, 2010 at the Morris Museum & Bickford Theatre.
On screen commentary, The Man from U.N.C.L.E. DVD set, produced by D*G Entertainment for Time/Warner and distributed by Time/Life. Release: November, 2007.
In March, 2008, Comcast Network’s Backstage with Larry Nolan featured “The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” DVD set. Clips of my extras interview were featured on the show and are available on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com:80/watch?v=K2GzF2sxVm4.
Participated in Summer, 2007 online symposium between male and female academics who study media fandom posted on the weblog of noted media scholar, Henry Jenkins (http://www.henryjenkins.org/index.html). Her two part conversation with Derek Kompare, asst. professor of Cinema-Television in the Meadows School of the Arts at Southern Methodist University, begins here: http://www.henryjenkins.org/2007/08/gender_and_fan_culture_part_on.html#more
Let’s Write A Movie! Teaching Language Arts Skills Through Scriptwriting. Presented at National Media Education Conference 2007 (NMEC), June 24, 2007, in St. Louis, MI.
Participant, ALMA’s First Media Literacy Education research Summit, June 23-24, 2007, St. Louis MI.
Great Ideas for Teaching Students (G.I.F.T.S.): The Television Game. Presented at the 11th Annual Conference of the New Jersey Communication Association (NJCA), March 24, 2007, Kean University.
Representative, New Jersey Chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists, to the National Media Reform Conference, held January 11-14, 2007, in Memphis, TN.
Curriculum Design and Teaching, Media Literacy component of The Gender Project, a Project -Based Learning project for grades 7-8 at the Great Brunswick Charter School, New Brunswick, NJ, Spring, 2005 in collaboration with George Lucas Educational Foundation and Buck Institute for Education. View video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPVXg8fmtdM
Click on “The Gender Project.”
Expanding the Definition of Literacy: Bringing Media Literacy into the Classroom. Norman Felton Media Literacy Lecture, Center for Media Studies, School of Information, Communication and Library Studies (SCILS), March 10, 2004, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Superheroes, Toys and Celebrities: Exploring Values through Media Images that Matter in Children’s Lives. Presented at the National Media Conference (NMEC), June 25-28, 2005 in San Francisco, CA, and at the Central Region Character Education, Conference, Building Program Quality: Changing Kid’s Lives, May, 17, 2004. Sponsored by Raritan Valley Community College in collaboration with The New Jersey Center for Character Education and The Somerset County Superintendents’ Office
To Inform, To Persuade, To Entertain: Using Media’s Creative Strategies to Teach Reading and Writing. Presented at the Center for Effective School Practices (CESP) Spring Forum 2004, May 19, 2004, Busch Student Center, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey.