The King-Chávez-Parks Future Faculty Fellowship Program – Fall 2025 – Emma Johnson.

Johnson, Emma C.
Emma Johnson, PhD in Rhetoric, Theory and Culture, 2025

My research encompasses the intersection of media, neoliberalism, and feminism. I am interested in how neoliberalism is represented in media as well as women’s agency within that system. I plan to write my dissertation on how neoliberalism is represented in media through the lens of women. Currently, I am exploring the film and photography of Lauren Greenfield and Sofia Coppola. I am fascinated by how their critiques of capitalism and consumerism both subvert and reify neoliberalism.

I would love to teach a class on how neoliberalism is represented in various media. My goal is to become a professor and teach humanities classes that ask students to consider the world around them, beyond what’s in front of them. I want to invite future students to ask questions about media representation and challenge what they see.

I want to extend my gratitude to the Graduate School, Graduate Dean Awards Advisory Panel, and Dean for this fellowship. I am thankful to the Interim Humanities Department Chair Dr. Kette Thomas, the Rhetoric, Theory & Culture Graduate Program Director Dr. Dana Van Kooy, my co-advisors Dr. Stefka Hristova and Dr. J.W. Hammond, and committee member Dr. Scott Marratto for their guidance and mentoring.