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Adria Goldman - University of Mary Washington. Fredericksburg, VA, US

Adria Goldman

Assistant 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.

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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.”

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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.

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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.”

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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 Studies

Wright, 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.

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Black Women's Portrayals on Reality Television

The New Sapphire

2016 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.

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Black Women in Reality Television Docusoaps

Peter Lang Publishing

Goldman, 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.

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Black Women and Popular Culture: The Conversation Continues.

Lexington Books

Goldman, A., Ford, V., Harris, A., & Howard, N.

2014

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