Adria Goldman
Associate Professor of Communication | University of Mary Washington
Fredericksburg, VA, UNITED STATES
Dr. Goldman is an expert in the intersectionality of race, gender, culture and its connection to communication and media.
Spotlight
Biography
Adria Goldman’s research explores the intersectionality of race, gender, culture and its connection to communication and media. She enjoys examining media’s impact on perceptions, construction of identity, social relationships and belief systems. Moreover, Dr. Goldman seeks to identify the complex relationship between media producers and consumers, while considering factors such as the role of ownership, media convergence, representations, race/class/gender and ideologies.
Dr. Goldman’s previous research has explored representations of Black women in television (specifically the reality genre), film, hip hop and social media. She is co-author of Black Women in Reality Television Docusoaps: Media Depictions and Reflections (Peter Lang Publishing) and co-editor of “I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, and the Church” (Special Issue of the Journal of Hip Hop Studies) and Black Women and Popular Culture: The Conversation Continues (Lexington Books).
Her current work dissects media presentations of sexuality for women of color. Dr. Goldman constantly seeks innovative ways to merge her research interests in the classroom. Her teaching experience includes courses in rhetoric, communication research, popular culture, public relations and mass media.
Areas of Expertise (5)
Mass Media
Popular Culture
Rhetoric
Communication Research
Public Relations
Education (3)
Howard University: Ph.D., Mass Communication and Media Studies 2012
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University: M.A., Communication 2009
Longwood University: B.A., Communication Studies 2007
Affiliations (4)
- Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association: Member
- National Communication Association: Member
- The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi: Initiated 2006
- Lamba Pi Eta: Initiated 2005
Media Appearances (3)
OPINION: Is Gabrielle Union’s truth really that different from Julianne Hough’s?
Atlanta Journal Constitution online
2019-12-12
For starters, Goldman said, we must recognize the differences that exist between white women and Black women, and other women of color because frankly we are not all the same. “Failure to recognize this prevents progress and true support for and from each other,” she said. “In everything we consider – feminism, beauty standards, expressions of emotion, for example – there are different considerations for white women and Black women.”
Goldman presents on images of young Black females in reality programming at National Communication Association Conference
EagleEye UMW Faculty/Staff Newsletter online
2019-11-19
Dr. Goldman presentation, titled “From Cartoons to Reality Television: Examining Images of Young Black Females in Reality Programming,” was a review of her analysis of two competition reality shows with child/adolescent casts – Bravo’s Top Chef Jr. and Lifetime’s The Rap Game. This presentation was an extension of her dissertation research where she found that representations of Black women in reality television were more flattering when the cast was predominately Black.
Goldman co-edits special issue of The Journal of Hip Hop Studies devoted to Kanye West
EagleEye UMW Faculty/Staff Newsletter online
2019-09-11
According to the abstract, “The goal of this project, ‘I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, and the Church,’ is to add a new perspective to the scholarly discourse on Hip Hop and Christianity within classrooms, religious institutions and popular culture by focusing on Kanye. We chose to focus on Kanye because he has been one of Hip Hop’s most influential artists in the past decade. Furthermore, Kanye is one of the most polarizing celebrities in America and across the globe. His music, fashion, political views and family (which includes the Kardashians) dominate discourse on social media, blogs, television and other forms of mass media.”
Event Appearances (5)
From Cartoons to Reality Television: Examining Images of Young Black Females in Reality Programming
The 105th annual convention of the National Communication Association
The Awkward Revolution: A Framing Analysis of Awkwardness, Humor, and Sexuality in Rachel Bloom’s Crazy Ex-Girlfriend
National Communication Association
Lambda Psi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Debutantes and Beaus High School Outreach Program
Media Literacy and Personal Branding Workshop
Awkward, Insecure…and Winning! An Interactive Session Unpacking Issa Rae’s Presentation of Authentic Black Entertainment in the HBO Series
The 2019 meeting of the Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association
Breaking Down Black Panther: An Analysis of the Blockbuster Film
The 2019 meeting of the Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association
Articles (4)
I Gotta Testify: Kanye West, Hip Hop, and the Church
The Journal of Hip Hop StudiesWright, J. K., Goldman, A., & Ford, V., Eds.
2019 Hip Hop is undergoing a spiritual awakening! Growing numbers of artists are incorporating their religious faith into their music and performances. At the 59th annual Grammy Awards in 2017, Chance the Rapper performed a medley of his hits “All We Got,” “No Problem,” and “Blessings (Reprise).” Chance was accompanied by an orchestra, an African American choir dressed in white robes, and gospel greats Kirk Franklin and Tamela Mann.
Black Women's Portrayals on Reality Television
The New Sapphire2016 This book critically analyzes the portrayals of Black women in current reality television. Audiences are presented with a multitude of images of Black women fighting, arguing, and cursing at one another in this manufactured world of reality television.
Black Women in Reality Television Docusoaps
Peter Lang PublishingGoldman, A. & Waymer, D.
2015 Black Women in Reality Television Docusoaps explores representations of Black women in one of the most powerful, popular forms of reality television – the docusoap. Viewers, critics, and researchers have taken issue with what they consider to be unflattering, one-dimensional representations. This book discusses images of Black women in reality television during the 2011 viewing year, when much criticism arose.
Black Women and Popular Culture: The Conversation Continues.
Lexington BooksGoldman, A., Ford, V., Harris, A., & Howard, N.
2014
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