Critical  Discourse Studies and/in Communication: Theories, Mehodologies, and Pedagogies at the Interesctions

This book argues for an inherent connection between Critical Discourse Studies and Communication Studies. 

The volume begins with a comprehensive introduction that documents the shift towards Critical Discourse Studies in the study of socio-discursive phenomena, as well as its implications in terms of theories, methodologies, and objects of study within and beyond Communication. The diverse selection of case studies further demonstrates the possibilities located at the intersection of Communication and Critical Discourse Studies, ultimately providing solid ground for a firmer cross-fertilization between the two. The chapters as a whole provide an insightful state of the art of the kinds of research that emerge when we consider the traversing trajectories of Critical Discourse Studies and Communication, advancing our understanding of self-reflexivity, journalism production and social media, discourses of neurodiversity, the environment, autism advocacy, and national memory. They also provide promising emergent venues that speak to the value and the need of interdisciplinary theory building. 

Reviving Gramsci: Crisis, Communication, and Change
Co-authored with Marco Briziarelli

Engaging debates within cultural studies, media and communication studies, and critical theory, this book addresses whether Gramscian thought continues to be relevant for social and cultural analysis, in particular when examining times of crisis and social change. The book is motivated by two intertwined but distinct purposes: first, to show the privileged and fruitful link between a "Gramscian Theory of Communication" and a "Communicative Theory of Gramsci;" second, to explore the ways in which such a Gramscian perspective can help us interpret and explain different forms of political activism in the twenty-first century, such as "Occupy" in the US, "Indignados" in Spain, or "Movimento Cinque Stelle" in Italy.

Schedule for publication March, 2016

The Rhetoric of American Exceptionalism: Critical Essays (co-edited by Jason A. Edwards and David Weiss)

The American experience has been defined, in part, by the rhetoric of exceptionalism. This book of 11 critical essays explores the notion as it is manifested across a range of contexts, including the presidency, foreign policy, religion, economics, American history, television news and sports. The idea of exceptionalism is explored through the words of its champions and its challengers, past and present. By studying how the principles of American exceptionalism have been used, adapted, challenged, and even rejected, this volume demonstrates the continued importance of exceptionalism to the mythology, sense of place, direction and identity of the United States, within and outside of the realm of politics.

Available on Amazon.com

What Democrats Talk About When They Talk About God: Religious Communication in Democratic Party Politics

What Democrats Talk about When They Talk about God is a collection of essays on the religious communication of past and present leaders of the Democratic Party, while in office, on the campaign trail, and in their public and private writing. While many books address issues at the intersection of church and state, this is the only volume that focuses exclusively on Democrats as important contributors to the dialogue about religion and politics in the United States.

Available on Amazon.com