Dr. Gary R. Hicks (he/his)
Professor
Office Phone: (618 ) 650-2242
Email: ghicks@siue.edu
About
For nearly thirty years, my research has focused on the impact of media on society's marginalized people. The majority of my work has focused on media and the LGBTQ+ community. My framework for studying the impact of media on, and use by, this community includes ethical theory, critical and cultural theories, and both qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. I was awarded the 2022 William and Margaret Going Endowed Professorship from the College of Arts and Sciences in recognition of my body of work. My research has been included in coverage by the National Geographic Channel and National Public Radio, among other media outlets. Because of my background as a newspaper reporter and as an associate producer in the southwest bureau of The MacNeil/Lehrer News Hour, I work to make my research relevant and applicable to the real-world work of media practitioners.
Education
Ph.D. The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX
M.A. University of Missouri, Columbia, MO
B.S. Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
Research Interests
My current projects are focused on examining the current political and cultural backlashes against the LGBTQ+ community following decades of both legal and societal progress.
Selected Research & Activities
Hicks, G. (2020, December 17). Beliefs and Stereotypes About LGBT People. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics. Retrieved 22 Dec. 2020, from https://oxfordre.com/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-1240.
Hicks, G. (2020). Mass Media and the LGBT Community. In E. Perry and M Len-Rios (Eds). Cross-Cultural Journalism: Communicating Strategically About Diversity 2nd Ed. (pp. 139-163). Routledge: London.
Hicks, G. (2021) Magazine as Lifeline: The Case of POZ. In S. Bloyd-Peshkin and C. Whitaker (Eds.), Curating Culture: How Twentieth Century Magazines Influenced America. In Press, (pp. 105-119). Rowman & Littlefield: Lanham, Maryland.
Hicks, G.(2008) Media at the Margins: Homoerotic Appeals to the Gay and Lesbian Community. In Laura Gray-Rosedale (Ed). The [Next] Reader: Reading and Writing Critically About Popular Culture (pp. 393-404). Boston: McGraw-Hill Inc.
Current Courses Taught
MC401: Media Law and Policy
MC403: Cultural Studies in Media
MC424: Literary Journalism
MC455: Media Ethics
