I had the pleasure of interviewing Jacquelyn Arcy, one of our newest assistant professors here at the University of Wisconsin Parkside. She studied Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies for her bachelor’s and master’s degrees. She got her Ph.D. in Communication with a specialization in Critical Media Studies at the University of Minnesota. She has taught full-time for three years and taught as a graduate student for six years. We are lucky to have her. She has a dynamic personality, and she will make a wonderful addition to our already fantastic teaching staff in the Communication Department.
When she was a junior at an alternative high school that focused on experiential learning, she had the opportunity to teach a class on feminism and she got the bug to teach. She loved it! She choose the field of communication with the help of mentors. She specializes in Gender Studies and Critical Media Studies and focuses on analyzing how gender affects new media and new media environments.
Jackie explained that she “is working on a book project, called Feminized Convergence” and that it “is an intervention in the field of media studies related research on convergence culture of old and new media and the way it is changing the industry. I’m looking at television networks that target women as their primary consumer.” She also stated, “I am focusing on Bravo, Lifetime, WE, OWN and how those networks are trying to target consumers online. What it can tell us about contemporary constructions of femininity.”
She is also working on a scholarly article with a student from St. Xavier University, where she used to teach, regarding the show, Sleepy Hollow, and how fans responded to when one main characters was killed off. For this research project, Jackie and her former student are looking into fandoms given the fan campaigns online calling for boycotts of the show.
Jackie stated, “The most rewarding part of my job is getting to engage with students” She happily expressed that she enjoyed talking with students: It’s the best part of her job. Some of the challenges come from balancing doing research and teaching, so she makes sure her research and teaching work together!
She is interested in working with the Digital and Social Media Literacy Certificate. She would like to help put together a Digital Storytelling Lab, and she wants to develop courses in Digital and Social Media Literacy Certificate here at UW-Parkside.
She comes from a large extended family and feels that she has had a lot of support all the time. She stated, “I love hip hop; that’s also something that people don’t expect from me.” We are lucky to have an energetic knowledgeable teacher join our staff. Jackie Arcy, welcome to your University of Wisconsin Parkside family!
Sheila Schlitz 