ASU professor selected as editor of prestigious journal

J. Macgregor (Greg) Wise, an associate professor in Arizona State University’s College of Human Services, has been chosen to serve as editor for the National Communication Association (NCA) journal Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, an industry-leading quarterly of scholarship for a readership of international communication scholars.

“This is the premiere journal for critical/cultural research in the communication discipline,” says Jeffrey Kassing, associate professor and chair of the college’s Department of Communication Studies at ASU’s West campus. “Greg’s appointment as editor-elect is a direct result of his expertise and reputation as a top scholar in cultural studies and will bring considerable recognition to our program, the campus and the university.”

The journal promotes interdisciplinary approaches to the social, political and cultural dimensions of communication and “promotes critical reflection on the requirements of a more democratic culture,” according to the NCA.

Wise came to ASU in 1999 after teaching at Clemson University in South Carolina. He received his bachelor’s in communication and English from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and his master’s and Ph.D. in speech communication from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He was chair of the Department of Communication Studies from 2003 until 2006.

“This is an honor, but more importantly it is an important service role for the discipline,” says Wise, who grew up in Asia and the Middle East and is a former chair of the Philosophy of Communication Division of the International Communication Association. “This is my opportunity to serve the field, which is my intellectual home, and to give back something to the field.”

Wise serves on a number of editorial boards for journals of communication and cultural studies and also won an NCA Book of the Year award in 2005 for “Culture and Technology: A Primer (Jennifer Daryl Slack/J. Macgregor Wise, Peter Lang Publications). His research interests include cultural studies of technology, old and new media studies, and globalization.

“Professor Wise is a first-rate scholar who has experience in editing volumes,” says Michael Roloff, professor of communication studies at Northwestern University and chair of the NCA publications board. “The fact that he is a leading scholar in the critical and cultural areas means that other researchers will submit their best research to him. Hence, the quality and prestige of the journal should be enhanced.”

“The breadth and diversity of perspective by researchers, added to the knowledge of cutting-edge developments in the field, will benefit our students through my classes,” says Wise, adding, “As a mentor, I can direct students toward contemporary research and researchers in their particular area of interest.”

Wise will serve a three-year term. He will begin reviewing manuscripts later this summer and expects the first issue with his name as editor will appear with the first issue of 2010.

“I hope to encourage more non-North American scholars to contribute work to the journal and broaden globally the field of communication and critical, cultural studies,” he says. “I also hope to encourage work on issues related to technology, globalization, and human rights.

“But, generally, I look forward to publishing the best scholarship in the field.”

The College of Human Services combines forward-reaching education with world-class faculty members who work with private and public sectors to encourage positive change in social settings locally, nationally, and internationally. The college focuses on expanding research and influence in the areas of criminal justice and violence prevention, mental-health and substance-abuse treatment, lifelong learning, gerontology, community development, quality-of-life issues, and advocacy and leadership effectiveness.

The Department of Communication explores the multiplicity of factors that contribute to and detract from human communication. The department offers am MA in communication studies with an emphasis on advocacy. The emphasis will be further supported by the presence of a journal with such a critical perspective as Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies.