candice d.

roberts, phd

CR
robertsc@stjohns.edu
popmediaprof.com

Education

Ph.D., Communication, Culture and Media 2015

Drexel University
Dissertation: CouchSurfing & Connectivity: Hybrid Sociality in an International Hospitality Network

M.A., Communication with honors 2010

East Tennessee State University
Cognate: Cultural Narrative (Department of Sociology & Anthropology)

B.A., Psychology with honors, Theatre 2006

The University of North Carolina Greensboro

Academic Appointments

St John’s University September 2015-- current

Queens, New York
Director of Communication Arts
Assistant Professor, Division of Mass Communication, College of Professional Studies

Drexel University September 2010-- September 2015

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Instructor, Department of Culture and Communication, College of Arts and Sciences

EnCoMPASS Project, Researcher September 2012 - September 2016

EnCoMPASS (Emerging Communities for Mathematical Practices and Assessment) is an National
Science Foundation-funded grant project focusing on the development of a hybrid community of STEM
educators using an innovated integrated system of online networking and professional development
resources.
 Current Areas of Research

-- queer theory and queer potentialities

-- intersections of sexuality and class

-- mobility and space/place

-- branding in popular and consumer culture

-- cultural narratives and identity

-- hybrid sociality and new media

-- archetypes and mythic structure

-- global media systems

Current Projects

Consumer Identities, consumeridentities.com 2016-- current

Founder, Organizer

Consumer Identities is transdisciplinary research collective made up of scholars, media

practitioners, and industry professionals interested in interpretations and critical analyses of consumer
identity, broadly defined, across cultural and media landscapes. Previous themes include Consumer
Identities & Digital Culture (2017) and Consumer Identities & Social Change (2019). In addition to the
symposium series, productive collaborations thus far include an edited volume, industry roundtables, and
faculty/student mentorships.

LGBT Media History Database

This evolution of this project has included potential collaboration and discussion with the Human
Rights Campaign and the GLBT Historical Society. I am currently working with historians and non-profit
organizers in order to complete research grants to further fund and support the database.

Dissertation

CouchSurfing & Connectivity: Theorizing the Hybrid Collective of an International Hospitality Network
Drexel University, 2015

This research examines hybrid sociality through Couchsurfing, an international hospitality network connecting travelers to
hosts, visitors, and traveling companions. CS exists across online/offline boundaries and at the intersection of global/local,
grassroots/corporate, and public/private spaces. Ethnographic fieldwork in the local city groups of Philadelphia, Osaka,
Munich, and Dublin is combined with a broad survey and analysis of the online discourse. A mixed methods approach offers
a complete examination of CS as a quintessential example of hybrid sociality and poses important questions about global,
mediated space. 2
Publications

• Roberts, C. D. (Under Review, June 2020). The body and queer fluidity in Adventure Time.
Submitted to Critical Studies in Television.
• Sadri, S., Kelsey, J., & Roberts, C. (Under Review, May 2020). Social media and
misinformation: Impact of education and affiliation on news sharing behavior and source
credibility. Submitted to Journalism Studies.
• Roberts, C. D. (Under Review, March 2020). CouchSurfing and the marked body: Queer
(Im)mobility and identity in the hybrid collective. Submitted to Journal of Cultural Research.
• Roberts, C. D. & Lascity, M.E. (2019). (Eds.) Consumer Identities: Agency, Media, and Digital
Culture. University of Chicago Press: US. Intellect: Bristol, UK

• Lascity, M. E., & Roberts, C. D. (2016). What to wear to the end of the world: The
function of fashion in apocalyptic narrative. Film, Fashion & Consumption, 4(1), 89--
104.

• Roberts, C. D., & Stein, S. (2015). Eco-- heroes and eco-- villains: An archetypal analysis
of environmental film, 1950–2010. Applied Environmental Education & Communication,
14(1), 57-- 64.

• Roberts, C. D. (2014). Living In, Moving Through, Working Toward: SEPTA

and Progress in Philadelphia. T2M: Transport, Traffic & Mobility XI, 3.

• Roberts, C.D. Exploring Brand Personality Through Archetypes. (2014).

Annual Proceedings of the American Academy of Advertising.

Refereed Research Presentations (selected)

• Embracing Joy: Examining Space, Place, and Queer World-Making in Schitt's Creek.
Mid-Atlantic Popular Culture Association, November 7-9, 2019, Pittsburgh, PA.
• The Antidote to Binging: New Anthology Television. Popular Culture Association,
April 17-20, 2019, Washington, DC.
• Consumer Capital and Queer Representation. Consumer Identities & Social Change. March
22, 2019. St. John’s University, Queens, NY.
• Anthologizing Mobility: Space & Place in HBO’s High Maintenance. Literature Film
Association, November 29-December 1, 2018, New Orleans, LA.
• Hela Queer: LGBT Imagery and Negotiated Identity in Thor: Ragnarok. Mid-Atlantic
Popular Culture Association, November 7-9, 2018, Baltimore, MD.
• Frenemies & Family in Hybrid Queer Spaces: RuPaul’s Drag Race as Intertextual Fan
Practice, Fan Studies Network- North America, October 25-27, 2018. Chicago, IL.
• Binge, Meme, Repeat: Participatory Nostalgia in the Netflix Age. Popular Culture
Association. Indianapolis, IN. March 28-April 1, 2018

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 (presentations, cont.)

• The Semiotics of Tea and Shade: The Symbols, Rituals and Artifacts of RuPaul’s Drag Race.
Mid-Atlantic Popular Culture Association. November 9- 11, 2017. Philadelphia, PA.
• Stuff White Dudes Like: Late Night TV Hosts and Hegemonic Performances of Fandom.
Fan Studies Network. June 24, 2017, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire,England.
• Hip to be Queer: The Consumer Capital of LGBTCool. Panel: Leveraging Brand
Authenticity Through Popular Culture, Integrated Marketing Communication and Popular
Culture Conference, University of North Carolina Wilmington, June 2,
2017
• UnReal as Oppositional Reading of Reality Dating Shows. Popular Culture
Association 47th Annual Conference, San Diego CA. April 14, 2017
• Here for the Right Reasons: Class Portrayals and the Pursuit of Ordinary Celebrity in Reality
Television Competitions. Mid---Atlantic Popular Culture Association,
November 3---5, 2016 Atlantic City, NJ
• Stuart Hall’s Work and Understanding Digital Imaginaries. Association of
Internet Researchers, IR16 Conference, October 21-24, 2015, Phoenix, AZ
• Pop Bottle Projects and Etsy for Rest of Us: Working Class Queering and Crafting
in the Digital DIY Movement. Popular Culture Association Conference, April
2015 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

• Connection and Consumption: CouchSurfing as Alternative Economy. Paper presented

at PopKongress: Managing Popular Culture, February 2014 in Karlsruhe, Germany.

• An International Hybrid Collective in the United States, Japan and Beyond. Paper presented
at the International Academic Forum’s MediAsia, November 2013 in Osaka, Japan.

Courses Taught
Graduate
Theories and Processes of Communication
Participatory Culture
Fandom and Convergence

Undergraduate
New Media
Senior Capstone
Consumer Culture
Mass Media & Society
Introduction to Mass Communication
Research Methods (traditional and online)
Communication Theory & Models (traditional and online)
Film, Celebrity & the Environmental Movement (traditional and online)
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Pedagogical Development

• Writing Across Communities, Faculty Fellow 2017 - current

Writing Across Communities (WAC) is an interdisciplinary fellowship of faculty and

students who strive to use writing to sustain diverse academic, cultural, civic, and
professional communities across and beyond the university.

• Pedagogical Strategies of Managing Media and Popular Culture in the

Classroom, Professional Development Roundtable, Popular Culture
Association, April 15,2017

• Online Teaching and Learning Certification Course, St. John’s University, June 2016

• Pearson Technology and Engagement Workshop, Hoboken, NJ, May 4, 2016

Academic and Professional Organizations

• Mid-- Atlantic Popular Culture Association, Executive Board, LGBTQ Area Chair

• Popular Culture Association, Television Area Chair

• Association of Internet Researchers

• Society for Cinema and Media Studies

• Fan Studies Network

• Literature Film Association

Leadership and Service

• Director, Department of Communication Arts

• Faculty Sponsor, LGBTQIA+ Affinity Group, Center for Inclusivity & Diversity

• Coordinator, Articulation Program with LaGuardia Community College

• Coordinator for TOPS Internship and Pipeline Program, NBC Universal

5
Leadership and Service (cont.)

• Coordinator, Articulation Program with Institute for Audio Research

• CPS Budget Committee (College), continued service

o Nominated by Division Chair, Coordinator

• Committee for Admissions and Academic Standing

• Chair, Steering Committee for Curriculum Updates in Media Studies

• Coordinating Member, OUTGrads, Graduate Student LGBT Organization, Drexel University

• Assistant Advisor, Communication and Media Studies Group for

undergraduates, Drexel University

• Volunteer, The Franklin Institute’s Science After Hours program, in Entertainment/Media and
Science & Technology

• Graduate Student Representative & Moderator, Journalism Panel; International

Academic Forum, Osaka, Japan

Professional Service & Development

• Production Editor, Response: Journal of Popular and American Culture

• Contributor/faculty reviewer for Mass Communication: Living in a Media World, 7th Edition

• Reviewer for Journal of Fandom Studies

• Reviewer for Environmental Education Research

• Reviewer for International Communication Association Conference

o Popular Communication Division
o LGBTQ Studies SIG

• Cover writer for Digital Fandom 2.0, Peter Lang International Academic Publishers, 2016.

• Be Social Change, Professional Development Community, New York City

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Other Media Appearances

Guest Blogger, Living in a Media World. Spotlight on LGBT Media. May 9, 2018.

The A.V. Club, The Hallmark Channel’s Countdown To Christmas movie event is a guilt---free
holiday indulgence, December 2015

Overseas Insider International Podcast, Travel and CouchSurfing, Expert Guest. Episode aired July 21,
2014

Awards and Honors

Faculty Recognition Award for Excellence in Research, 2019, St. John’s University

Writing Across the Curriculum, Faculty Writing Fellow, 2017, St. John’s University

International Research Travel Award, 2015, Drexel University International Programs

Summer Social Webshop Grant, 2014, National Science Foundation and University of Maryland

Doctoral Fellowship, Drexel University

Phi Kappa Phi