Communication Research Area

Dr. Melissa Harris’s research interests are located at the intersection of culture, race, gender, and media studies. Most of my research is cultural and critical in nature, often using theoretical frameworks that illuminate discourse, power, rhetoric, resistance, and emancipation. Dr. Harris is currently conducting research on the cultural rite of passage known as “The Talk” within Black family and community communication structures, guided by interseconality and critical race theory (CRT). This research focuses on the implications and interplay of such conversations on gender, media, and the public and private sphere.