The ICIR at AEJMC

Dr. Kim Bissell and Dr. M.K. Alsip, as well as several graduate students from the University of Alabama, were among the presenters at the annual conference for the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication.  Two ICIR papers were presented.  Below the Yellow Line: Competitor Discourse in NBC’s The Biggest Loser (Eric Dunning--former ICIR Fellow, M.K. Alsip, Kim Bissell) was part of a top paper panel for the Cultural and Critical Studies Division.  This critical discourse analysis qualitatively explored the messages that competitors in this popular weight loss show are sending to viewers at home.  Growing Up Biased: An Analysis of Character Body Shape in Popular Children’s Programming (M.K. Alsip, Kim Bissell) was presented in a peer-to-peer session for the Entertainment Studies Interest Group.  This content analysis examined the body shape of characters in children’s programming intended for viewers aged 2 to 18.

Children's Nutrition and Fitness Research "Camp" is Underway

The ICIR is currently in its second week of a children's nutrition and fitness research "camp" intended to collect data on media-related precursors to childhood obesity and to educate children on how to live a healthy lifestyle.  Based on the pilot data from this camp, the ICIR plans to develop a research plan to help identify the factors that are most likely to contribute to a child's likelihood to become obese.  Childhood obesity is a growing concern in the United States, with 17% of all children aged 2 years to 18 years old being considered "obese" (CDC, 2009).  Recent data has indicated that adult obesity in the state of Alabama is 32.2%, meaning that nearly one out of every three adults is obese (CDC, 2011).

News Coverage for Nutrition Camp

The ICIR’s Nutrition and Fitness Camp has kicked off.  This project hopes to collect data about precursors to childhood obesity and the impact the media may have on obesity.  Children play Wii Fit games, discuss the importance of health, and give valuable insight into the role of advertising in food choices.  

The Nutrition Camp has been covered several times by both Fox 6 in Birmingham, AL and WVUA-TV in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Job Application Colloquium

ICIR welcomed students back for the Spring 2011 semester with a colloquium focusing on the job interview process. Participants had the opportunity to learn from the experience of their fellow student colleagues, Josh Dickhaus, Skye Cooley, and Sarita Stewart, who have all secured future faculty positions with other universities during their Ph.D. studies. Faculty members from the College of Communication and Information Sciences were also present to share valuable insider perspectives and experience to the roomful of budding academics.

Aimed at better preparing students for the daunting job application process, the session dealt with the crucial components in assembling a well-tailored job application packet and meeting expectations from job interviews held in campus and over the phone. The session also addressed pressing questions on negotiating salaries, the expected level of personal teaching and research experience, and the various avenues for locating job openings.

On top of addressing more traditional job application matters, the session also touched on the challenges and opportunities provided by today's information technologies such as the Internet and social media. Some issues dealt with various ways of coping with the increasingly popular online job interviews being conducted through video-phone technologies; as well as the significance of managing one's personal image properly through social media means.

Participants were reminded of the importance of a good personal fit with the location and working culture of the university faculty they ultimately choose to be a part of. As APR professor Dr. Lance Kinney shared, "You may be able to work anywhere... but you cannot live anywhere."