Vail Fletcher, a University of Portland communication studies professor, has received the 2014 Outstanding Edited Book Award from the National Communication Association. The book, Understanding Occupy from Wall Street to Portland, was co-edited by former University of Portland professor Renee Heath, now at the University of New Hampshire, and Ricardo Munoz, University of Colorado, Boulder.
The award, announced by the association’s Committee for the International and Intercultural Communication Division, will be presented at the NCA Annual Convention in Chicago, Ill., on Friday, November 21.
Understanding Occupy from Wall Street to Portland uses economic insights and contemporary theories of communication to better understand the Occupy Movement. The collection of articles focuses on global, local, and mediated perspectives. Contributors also examine social movement phenomena by stepping outside of social movement theory to analyze the macro- and micro-processes of the Occupy movement.
Fletcher teaches courses related to interpersonal and intergroup communication, international development, eco-feminism, gender, and social media and culture. Her research focuses on the intersections of culture, conflict, and identity with an emphasis on romantic and interpersonal relationships.
She recently completed a grant-funded project that explored the re-creation and disruption of identity among youth in a post-genocidal Rwanda. She has taught at West Virginia University, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the University of New Mexico, and California State Polytechnic University.
For more information contact Fletcher at fletcher@up.edu.