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Department of

Communication Studies

Kristin Moran, Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Communication Studies

Kristin C. Moran, Ph.D., joined the Communication Studies department in 1999 as a visiting assistant professor and became a permanent faculty member in 2001. Moran offers courses on a wide range of mass media related issues such as Children and Media and International Media. Her research focuses on Spanish-language media in the United States, Mexico and Spain with special attention to the global expansion of children’s television networks. She serves as the university’s representative to the Binational Association of Schools of Communication (BINACOM), an organization devoted to cross border interaction and demystifying stereotypes through ethical communication.

Education

Ph.D., University of Washington, School of Communications
M.A., University of Washington, School of Communications
B.A., University of San Diego, Communication Studies

Scholarly and Creative Work

Moran’s research focuses on the relationship audiences have with media texts emphasizing the development of Spanish-language media in the United States. Her current book project, Listening to Latina/o youth: Media consumption within families, investigates the television viewing habits of Latino families to better understand how and why family members come to the television set.  The book will provide a context from which the reader can listen to the family members through dialogues that were produced during in-home interviews with families who have immigrated from and/or have ancestry in Mexico. In addition, she has published research comparing the presentation of local news in Spanish and English in Journalism: Theory, Practice, and Criticism and the Journal of Borderland Studies.  Moran’s research has also studies children’s programming in a global context and this research has appeared in Global Media Journal and Learning, Media and Technology.

Teaching Interests

Moran teaches a variety of courses that focus on the role of mass media in society, including the introductory course, Introduction to Media Studies, as well as more specialized courses such as Mass Media in Spain and Latin America, Media, Process & Effects, and Communication Criticism. She has also participated in interdisciplinary courses in the Honors program offering Asian Women in Popular Culture and Media and Politics in Latin America.  Moran regularly teaches in the preceptorial program and serves as advisor to the Lambda Pi Eta, the communication honor society.