Amy R. Franzini, PhD
- Associate Professor
- Communications & Marketing
Affiliated Programs
Education
- PhD, Mass Media & Communication (2003)
Temple University (PA)
About Me
I have been a member of the Widener faculty since 2001. I teach a wide variety of courses that are in the core curriculum for Communication Studies and Digital Media Informatics students, such as Communication Theory, Interpersonal Communication and Senior Capstone; as well as other fun and interesting courses such as Film Analysis and Media & Children.
I strongly believe that learning is a lifelong endeavor, and I'm consistently learning from my students. I have a passion for communications and teaching, and more than anything I want to help my students to find their own personal passions. I find the Senior Capstone experience especially rewarding, being able to work one-on-one with students on passion projects that will help them take the next step into their careers.
- Pop culture
- Mass media and children
- TV and parents/parenting
- TV and teens
- TV history
- Communication theories
Research Interests
I research the intersections between children, parents, and the media. This research varies from studying children's television content to helping parents use media as teachable moments with their children.
Media Expertise
- Television and children
- Portrayal of childhood and parenting in the media
Publications
- Franzini, A.R. (2012). Children and media in parenting. In V.B. Cvetkovic & D.C. Olson (Eds.), Portrayals of children in popular culture: Fleeting images (15–26). Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
- Franzini, A.R. (2008). Is school cool? Academics and intelligence on teen television. In L. Holderman (Ed.), Common sense: Intelligence as presented on popular television. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.
- Franzini, A.R. (2007). The world of teenage television: A longitudinal content analysis of prime-time programming most popular among adolescents. The National Social Science Journal, 27(2).
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
National Communication Association (NCA), Popular Culture/American Culture Association (PCA/ACA)
News
In the Media
- Yahoo! Entertainment
How quirky female crime-solvers took over TV
- Real Clear Investigations
Left Foot In, Children's TV Is Doing the Wokey Pokey
Noteworthy
Communication Studies Professor Publishes Article in The Journal of Children and Media
Amy Franzini, associate professor of communication studies and digital media informatics, recently had an article, entitled "U.S. coviewing during COVID" published in a special issue of The Journal of Children and Media. The special issue was entitled "Children, Media, and the Clarity of Crises in 2020."
The article focused on how the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020 provided a unique opportunity for Franzini to interweave her personal family life, as a parent, and professional life, as a researcher of teachable moments in children's media.