David Weiss teaches courses in strategic communication, political communication, and media studies. Before his return to academia in 2000, Weiss worked in the advertising agency business in New York City for almost two decades. He has taught in Oregon, Ohio, and Montana, and is thrilled to be back at UNM, where he earned his Ph.D. degree in 2005.
Research
His research interests include media discourse, political and religious communication, and the media and popular culture industries. Weiss characterizes himself as a critical scholar of the discourse, structures, and societal impact of the media and popular culture. His "elevator talk" description of my scholarly pursuits is quite simple: He critically investigates the roles played by the media in society and the ways that those pursuits play themselves out are, of course, more complex and multi-faceted. The content areas he’s most interested might best be described as "culture war" issues including mediated and other publicly communicated messages or texts that are located at the points where media, language, and popular culture intersect with the most powerful issues and institutions of our time: religion, politics, law, sex and sexuality, gender, and/or race and ethnicity.
Additional areas of interest
Weiss is interest in these content areas has been manifested in two distinct research and publication streams: (1) political communication and, in particular, its intersection with religious communication; and (2) linguistic manifestations of identity in media and popular culture. Currently, he is in the early stages of a project situated at the intersection of media theory (specifically, normative theories of journalism) and the political economy of media.
Contact
If you would like to contact this expert for a story, please call Savannah Peat at (505) 277.1742 (office) or University Communication and Marketing (UCAM) at (505) 277.5813.