Janet Sternberg – Fordham Now https://now.fordham.edu The official news site for Fordham University. Tue, 19 Nov 2024 17:38:37 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://now.fordham.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/favicon.png Janet Sternberg – Fordham Now https://now.fordham.edu 32 32 232360065 Fordham Faculty in the News https://now.fordham.edu/university-news/fordham-faculty-in-the-news/ Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:46:55 +0000 http://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=30026 Inside Fordham Online is proud to highlight faculty and staff who have recently
provided commentary in the news media. Congratulations for bringing the University
to the attention of a broad audience.


Aditi Bagchi,

associate professor of law, LAW,

“ESPN Accused in Dish Case of Giving Comcast Better Terms,” Bloomberg, February 11


Tom Beaudoin, Ph.D.,

associate professor of practical theology, GRE,

“Woodford and the Quest for Meaning,” ABC Radio, February 16


Mary Bly, Ph.D.,

professor of English, A&S,

How do Bestselling Novelists Court Cupid on Valentine’s Day?,” Washington Post, February 14


James Brudney,

professor of law, LAW,

Nutter Seeks High Court’s OK to Impose His Terms on City Workers,” Philly.com, March 1


Charles C. Camosy, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

Drone Warfare Faces Barrage of Moral Questions,” Catholic San Francisco, February 20


Colin M. Cathcart, M.F.A.,

associate professor of architecture, A&S,

New York City Traffic Ranked the Worst Among the Nation: Study,” AM New York, February 6


Saul Cornell, Ph.D.,

The Paul and Diane Guenther Chair in American History, A&S,

“After Newtown: Guns in America,” WNET-TV, February 19


Carole Cox, Ph.D.,

professor of social service, GSS,

Boomer Stress,” Norwich Bulletin, February 19


George Demacopoulos, Ph.D.,

associate professor of theology, A&S,

Pope Resignation,” ABC, World News Now, February 28


Christopher Dietrich, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of history, A&S,

Bad Precedent: Obama’s Drone Doctrine is Nixon’s Cambodia Doctrine (Dietrich),” Informed Comment, February 11


John Entelis, Ph.D.,

professor of political science, A&S,

“John Brennan,” BBC Radio, February 9


Howard Erichson,

professor of law, LAW,

High-Stakes Trial Begins for 2010 Gulf Oil Spill,” Amarillo Globe-News, February 25


Laura Gonzalez, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of finance, BUS,

Recortes al Presupuesto Podrían Afectar el Seguro Social y Medicare,” Mundo Fox, February 8


Albert Greco, Ph.D.,

professor of marketing, BUS,

Why Would Anyone Want to Buy a Bookstore?,” Marketplace, February 25


Karen J. Greenberg, Ph.D.,

director of the Center on National Security, LAW,

Alleged Sept. 11 Plotters in Court, but Lawyers Do the Talking,” National Public Radio, February 11


Stephen R. Grimm, Ph.D.,

associate professor of philosophy, A&S,

Grants from Foundations and Corporations of More Than $100,000 in 2013,” Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 28


Tanya Hernandez, Ph.D.,
professor of law, LAW,

Brazil’s Affirmative Action Law Offers a Huge Hand Up,” Christian Science Monitor, February 12


J. Patrick Hornbeck, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

Vatican Conclave,” Huffington Post, March 4


Robert Hume, Ph.D.,

associate professor of political science, A&S,

USA: Supreme Court Case Update – DOMA/Prop 8 Briefs Streaming In,” Gay Marriage Watch, February 28


Clare Huntington,

associate professor of law, LAW,

Sunday Dialogue: How to Give Families a Path Out of Poverty,” The New York Times, February 9


Nicholas Johnson,

professor of law, LAW,

Neil Heslin, Father of Newtown Victim, Testifies at Senate Assault Weapons Ban Hearing,”Huffington Post, February 27


Michael E. Lee, Ph.D.,

associate professor of theology, A&S,

Tiempo: Watch this Week’s Show,” WABC 7, February 17


Joseph T. Lienhard, S.J.,

professor of theology, A&S,

“Remembering Benedict — the Teacher, the Traditionalist,” The Saratogian, March 1


Dawn B. Lerman, Ph.D.,

director of the Center for Positive Marketing, marketing area chair, and professor of marketing, BUS,

Study: Google, Facebook, Walmart Fill Consumer Needs,” Tech Investor News, February 12


Paul Levinson, Ph.D.,

professor of communication and media studies, A&S,

 

Will Oscar Host Seth MacFarlane Be Asked Back? Probably Not,” Yahoo! News via Christian Science Monitor, February 26


Hector Lindo-Fuentes, Ph.D.,

professor of history and director of Latin American and Latino Studies, A&S,

Escaping Gang Violence, Growing Number of Teens Cross Border,” WNYC, December 28


Timothy Malefyt, Ph.D.,

visiting associate professor of marketing, BUS,

On TV, an Everyday Muslim as Everyday American,” The New York Times, February 8


Elizabeth Maresca,

clinical associate professor of law, LAW,

Poll: 87 Percent Say Never OK to Cheat on Taxes,” KWQC, February 26

Carlos McCray, Ed.D.,

associate professor of education leadership, GRE,

Cops Nab 5-Year-Old for Wearing Wrong Color Shoes to School,” Take Part, January 18


Micki McGee, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of sociology, A&S,

Do Self-Help Books Work?,” Chicago Sun Times, February 21


Mark Naison, Ph.D.,

professor of African and African American Studies and history, and principal investigator of the Bronx African American History Project (BAAHP), A&S,

Professor: Why Teach For America Can’t Recruit in my Classroom,” Washington Post, February 18


Costas Panagopoulos, Ph.D.,

associate professor of political science, A&S,

Analysis: Obama to Republicans – Can We Just Move On?,” WHTC 1450, February 13


Kimani Paul-Emile,

associate professor of law, LAW,

Some Patients Won’t See Nurses of Different Race,” Cleveland Plain Dealer via AP, February 22


Michael Peppard, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of theology, A&S,

Big Man on Campus isn’t on Campus,” Commonweal, February 20


Francis Petit, Ed.D.,

associate dean and director of Executive Programs, BUS,

Marissa Mayer Takes Flak for Gathering Her Troops,” E-Commerce Times, March 1


Rose Perez, Ph.D.,

assistant professor of social work, GSS,

Education Segment,” Mundo Fox, January 21


Wullianallur “R.P.” Raghupathi, Ph.D.,

professor of information systems, BUS,

¿Qué Tiene Silicon Valley para Producir ‘Frutos’ Como Steve Jobs?,” CNN, February 24


Joel Reidenberg, Ph.D.,

Stanley D. and Nikki Waxberg Chair and professor of law and founding academic director of the Center on Law and Information Policy, LAW,

Google App Store Policy Raises Privacy Concerns,” Reuters, February 14


Erick Rengifo-Minaya, Ph.D.,

associate professor of economics, BUS,

Noticias MundoFOX 10PM Parte II,” Mundo Fox Noticias, February 8


Patrick J. Ryan, S.J.,

The Laurence J. McGinley Professor of Religion and Society, A&S,

“Pope Resignation,” WNBC, Sunday “Today in NY,” March 13


Susan Scafidi,

professor of law, LAW,

Diamonds: How $60B Industry Thrives on Symbolism,” CBS This Morning, February 21


Christine Janssen-Selvadurai, Ph.D.,director of the entrepreneurship program at the Gabelli School of Business and co-director of both Fordham’s Center for Entrepreneurship and the Fordham Foundry, BUS,

NYC Embraces Silicon Valley’s Appetite for Risk,” Crain’s New York Business, February 6


Ellen Silber, Ph.D.,

director of Mentoring Latinas, GSS,

Mentoring Program Serves Young Latinas Aiming Higher in New York City,” Fox News Latino, February 25


Janet Sternberg, Ph.D.,assistant professor of communication and media studies, A&S,

What are You Supposed to Do When You Have, Like, 106,926 Unread Emails?,” Huffington Post, February 25


Maureen A. Tilley, Ph.D.,professor of theology, A&S,

“Pope Resignation: Interview with Maureen Tilley of Fordham University,” WPIX, February 17


Terrence W. Tilley, Ph.D.,

Avery Cardinal Dulles, S.J., Professor of Catholic Theology and chair of the department, A&S,


As Conclave to Select New Pope Begins, English-Speaking Cardinals Lead Charge to Reform Vatican,” Daily News, March 4


Peter Vaughan, Ph.D.,dean of the Graduate School of Social Service, GSS,

Ceremony Held for NASW Foundation Award Recipients,” Social Work Blog, February 28

 

 


More features in this issue:

People

In Focus: Faculty and Research

 


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Copyright © 2013, Fordham University.

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Media Scholar Casts a Wary Eye on Technology https://now.fordham.edu/inside-fordham/media-scholar-casts-a-wary-eye-on-technology/ Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:05:14 +0000 http://news.fordham.sitecare.pro/?p=8099 Modern communications technology has made it possible for Americans to stay in touch with friends,
relatives and co-workers—24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Janet Sternberg, Ph.D., studies the effects of digital technology in educational environments.  Photo by Patrick Verel
Janet Sternberg, Ph.D., studies the effects of digital technology in educational environments.
Photo by Patrick Verel

That might not be such a good thing, said Janet Sternberg, Ph.D.

Sternberg, an assistant professor of communication and media studies, is an avowed questioner of technology. She is more skeptic than Luddite though, and insists that ceaseless cheerleading for technology must be tempered with an analysis of its unintended effects on culture.

“I love technology. I have a new brand-name computer in my office, but I actually bring in my own open-source laptop because I’m a geek. I’ve owned a computer since 1984, and my own digital habits have been established for decades,” she said.

Sternberg recently returned from a yearlong faculty fellowship, which she used to conduct research for her forthcoming book, Mediating Ourselves to Death: Unexpected Consequences of Communication Technology in the Digital Media Age.

The title is a nod to her mentor, media theorist Neil Postman, who wrote the seminal critique of television, Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business (Penguin, 1985). As his assistant, Sternberg typed Technopoly: The Surrender of Culture to Technology (Knopf, 1992), in which Postman argued that technology was monopolizing culture. Sternberg doesn’t say that culture exclusively serves technology, but she does think society is dangerously close to Postman’s vision.

“In a culture that celebrates and venerates technology, all we have are cheerleaders. That’s who we hear from most often, especially since the people selling the technology are cheering the loudest,” she said.

“When you get an e-mail, and you automatically think, ‘I have to answer this now,’ like Pavlov’s dog, the technology is in charge. When people caress their digital devices all the time, almost obsessively, the way some people used to caress their cigarettes, there’s more going on than simply staying connected,” she said.

“People are starting to realize that when we’re connected all the time, there’s a downside.”

Sternberg speaks from experience. Her doctoral dissertation, Misbehavior in Cyber Places: The Regulation of Online Conduct in Virtual Communities on the Internet, which will be published soon in book form, was born of her self-described addiction to chat rooms.

“I’ve refrained from using blogs, Twitter or Facebook—not because I don’t know what they do, but because I know very well what they do and what they undo, and I know that I’m vulnerable to the seductiveness of being ‘always connected to everyone,’” she said. “I used to chat with 20 people at the same time, so if I were to start tweeting or blogging, I’d have to stop doing other things.”

The role of technology as it relates to education is a major part of what Sternberg studies. When undergraduates crowd into her class on digital media and cyberculture, they become knowledgeable about the topics—and themselves the subjects—of her lectures.

For example, Sternberg has noticed that mobile technology has altered students’ behavior in the minutes before class begins. In the past, when she arrived early to make herself available for unscripted schmoozing, students would approach her. But now, so many are preoccupied with laptops and smart phones, “it feels like an imposition to ask for their attention before class officially starts,” she said.

The role that devices play in distracting people is interesting, but Sternberg is more interested in technology’s subtle effects. For instance, if a student sits in the front row with a laptop that everyone behind the student can see, the entire classroom is affected—not just the computer’s owner.

“Everybody watches the screen. It’s what you would do; it’s what I would do, because that’s what the technology wants,” she said. “The screen says, ‘Watch me! Watch me! Watch me!’ That’s what screens are good at. People spend lots of money designing a technology that can compel us to watch, and so we do.”

Taking the subject a bit further, Sternberg questioned her students over who is responsible for ensuring that they are not viewing inappropriate material—such as pornography—during class.

Without installing mirrors in the back of the classroom—which everyone agreed was a bad idea—she pointed out that she couldn’t see what was on their screens. Her walking to the back of the class where she could see the screens likewise made them nervous.

“I’m using a dramatic example, because people get really worked up over porn, but it would be distracting even if someone were browsing a commercial website to buy a pair of boots,” she said.

“So what do we do? Lock down the classroom? Turn it into a police state?” she asked. “Or do we try to raise people’s consciousness? That’s where I’m at.”

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