ATLANTA —The National Communication Association has announced the recipients of the Gerald R. Miller Outstanding Dissertation Award, with two being awarded to Georgia State University alumni, Dr. Ayse Lokmanoglu and Dr. Meredith L. Pruden. This is the first time Georgia State University has been awarded. This also marks the 4th time two recipients are awarded from the same university at the same time — the last which was awarded in 2002.
Dr. Ayse Lokmanoglu successfully defended her dissertation titled “Imagined Economics: An Analysis of Non-state Actor Economic Messaging” in 2021 to Chair, Dr Carol Winkler and committee members: Dr. Anthony Lemieux, Dr. Dror Walter, Dr.Timothy Barouch, Dr. Dan Altman. Winkler praised the timely importance of Lokmanoglu’s topic and the important contributions it makes to existing scholarship, both in communication and to interdisciplinary inquiry. In communication studies, the dissertation adds to scholarship focusing on the rhetoric of economics by examining online discourse, rather than traditional modes of public address. Lokmanoglu’s dissertation examines how non-state actors are now threatening the global economic system through their media campaigns and also makes a unique interdisciplinary methodological contribution to the emerging field of computational rhetoric.
Dr. Meredith L. Pruden successfully defended her unique dissertation, titled “Maintaining Frame” in the Incelosphere: Mapping the Discourses, Representations, and Geographies of Incels Online,” with no revisions in June 2021 to chair Dr. Marian Meyers and committee members Dr. Carrie P. Freeman, Dr.Patrick Wade, Dr. Dror Walter and Dr. Yannick Veilleux-Lepage. Walter, who stated Pruden’s dissertation project is the first large-scale, empirical exploration of the incel community. This examination of the online spaces where they gather and are represented in the mainstream media is warranted, and one might argue past due, considering the increasing rate at which incidents of mass violence have been carried out by men who self-identify as incels.
The National Communication Association will hold its 108th Annual Convention, “Honoring PLACE: People, Liberation, Advocacy, Community, and Environment” on November 17-20, 2022 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The convention will host nine hybrid (in-person sessions at the convention that are livestreamed to a virtual audience) sessions. Lokmanoglu and Pruden will receive their awards at the upcoming Convention. Virtual Registration is available here.
Lokmanoglu and Pruden both are alumni of Georgia State University and previous Presidential Fellows for Transcultural Conflict and Violence initiative.