Hello. I'm associate professor and area coordinator of journalism in Miami University's Department of Media, Journalism & Film. I received my PhD from Indiana University's Media School/School of Journalism. My research interests are the uses of new media, media and identity, Muslims and the media, and communication & globalization.
I'm in the midst of finalizing the manuscript of my next book, Pop Islam: Seeing American Muslims in Popular Media, will be out with Indiana University Press Spring 2024. In it, I examine the ways that American Muslim identities have become accessible in a variety of popular media while also considering the costs of that accessibility. The book includes chapters on Ms. Marvel, reality TV, high profile Muslim comedians, and fashion magazines. I'm also really excited about the cover artwork, but will save my news about that for when the cover is out.
I also have several projects underway examining the news framing of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the way an American icon was written about after their death, and exploring the lives of American Muslims in out of the way places.
Fall 2019 my book The Media Word of ISIS (co-edited with Michael Krona of Malmö University) was published by Indiana University Press. The book contains diverse scholarly perspectives on the media produced by, and about, the Islamic State. I also co-edited a volume with Hilary Kahn of Indiana University about the representation of Muslims in American media. On Islam: Muslims and the Media was published by Indiana University Press and came out in February 2018.
While at IU, I worked on two projects housed in the Center for the Study of Global Change. Muslim Voices is a multimedia project aimed at creating knowledge about the diverse experiences of Muslims -- it won funding three years in a row from the Social Science Research Council. Framing the Global is an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation project with the goal of rethinking academic approaches to the field of Global Studies.
Before moving into academia I was a public broadcasting journalist. Though I have experience in both television and radio, my heart belongs to public radio. I love the feeling of intimacy a really great radio piece can create. During my last job as a journalist, at WBHM-FM in Birmingham, Alabama, I covered social issues as well reported science and medical stories. My last major piece of reporting before leaving was a documentary on the AIDS epidemic in Alabama.
I'm from Appalachian Ohio and, though I lost my drawl a long time ago, I love my cowboy boots, bluegrass, and rolling hills. In my spare time I like to cook, read, watch Doctor Who (with my kid) and Game of Thrones (not with my kid), and practice my yodel. (Sorry, neighbors!) I'm also a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan, which means I've been nursing a broken heart for a very long time.
You can get at touch via email: penninrm@miamioh.edu.
I'm in the midst of finalizing the manuscript of my next book, Pop Islam: Seeing American Muslims in Popular Media, will be out with Indiana University Press Spring 2024. In it, I examine the ways that American Muslim identities have become accessible in a variety of popular media while also considering the costs of that accessibility. The book includes chapters on Ms. Marvel, reality TV, high profile Muslim comedians, and fashion magazines. I'm also really excited about the cover artwork, but will save my news about that for when the cover is out.
I also have several projects underway examining the news framing of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the way an American icon was written about after their death, and exploring the lives of American Muslims in out of the way places.
Fall 2019 my book The Media Word of ISIS (co-edited with Michael Krona of Malmö University) was published by Indiana University Press. The book contains diverse scholarly perspectives on the media produced by, and about, the Islamic State. I also co-edited a volume with Hilary Kahn of Indiana University about the representation of Muslims in American media. On Islam: Muslims and the Media was published by Indiana University Press and came out in February 2018.
While at IU, I worked on two projects housed in the Center for the Study of Global Change. Muslim Voices is a multimedia project aimed at creating knowledge about the diverse experiences of Muslims -- it won funding three years in a row from the Social Science Research Council. Framing the Global is an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation project with the goal of rethinking academic approaches to the field of Global Studies.
Before moving into academia I was a public broadcasting journalist. Though I have experience in both television and radio, my heart belongs to public radio. I love the feeling of intimacy a really great radio piece can create. During my last job as a journalist, at WBHM-FM in Birmingham, Alabama, I covered social issues as well reported science and medical stories. My last major piece of reporting before leaving was a documentary on the AIDS epidemic in Alabama.
I'm from Appalachian Ohio and, though I lost my drawl a long time ago, I love my cowboy boots, bluegrass, and rolling hills. In my spare time I like to cook, read, watch Doctor Who (with my kid) and Game of Thrones (not with my kid), and practice my yodel. (Sorry, neighbors!) I'm also a lifelong Cleveland Browns fan, which means I've been nursing a broken heart for a very long time.
You can get at touch via email: penninrm@miamioh.edu.