shira chess
... media studies | gender studies | communication studies ...
Welcome! My name is Shira Chess. I have a PhD in Communication and Rhetoric from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. My dissertation, License to Play: Women, Productivity, and Video Games analyzes how video games affect (and are affected by) cultural perceptions of gender and play. Recently, numerous video games have been aimed specifically at feminine audiences. By examining games and advertising campaigns, I illustrate how the culture of gaming often reifies traditional stereotypes of femininity. While my research currently uses media and cultural studies methodologies, I plan to extend it through ethnography and reception studies. After completing my dissertation, I intend to submit a fully developed proposal to get a Faculty Career Development Grant through the NSF, as a means to fund future projects.
While my core area is in media studies, my interests and training encompass several disciplines including mass communication, rhetoric, cultural studies, women’s studies, comparative literature, and human-computer interaction. This diversity not only gives me the ability to teach a variety of courses, but also the capacity to communicate with students from various disciplines. Additionally, because I have production experience as a web developer and game designer I am able to teach practice courses in topics such as web design, video game design, and writing for new media. Recently, I worked as a game designer at First Playable Productions in Troy, NY, and hope to use this experience to teach game design classes.
Currently, I am seeking a tenure-track position for the 2010-2011 school year. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to hear more about my research or teaching.