KARYL KICENSKI

  Professor of Communication Studies

 

 

Karyl Kicenski received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Communication Studies from California State University at Northridge. While working on her Masters she became interested in Rhetorical Theory and Criticism as these studies intersect with the topics of race and political economy. After the completion of her Masters degree she began working on a doctorate at George Mason University in the interdisciplinary field of Cultural Studies [ A field which examines cultural practices and their relationships to power]. Karyl's book entitled, "Cashing in on Crime: The Drive to Privatize Prisons in California is an attempt to bridge the fields of rhetoric and cultural studies. The project takes account of the relatively recent drive to privatize the prison system in the US. and the ways this event affects and is affected by cultural practices, our political-economic structure and the issues of race and class. Her favorite areas of research and teaching include the political and cultural facets of communication, communication theory and the philosophy of communication technologies. In her "free time" Karyl loves the beach and spicy Indian food.