Meet the team: James Dennis (Senior Lecturer in Political Communication and Journalism)
In the fourth of our series of posts profiling the Journalism team at the University of Portsmouth, James Dennis discusses his research background, his love of Derby County, and explains why Back to the Future 2 is the best film ever made.
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Name: James Dennis
Background / Education: I completed my undergraduate degree in Politics at the University of Warwick, before moving to Royal Holloway, University of London, for my postgraduate studies. In 2016 I received my PhD in Politics entitled “It’s Better to Light a Candle than to Fantasize About a Sun”: Social Media, Political Participation and Slacktivism in Britain. This was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
I have experience of working with industry, carrying out social media research with the BBC World Service and the British Council. I maintain a personal research site at jameswilldennis.com, and moan about the dire performances of my beloved Derby County on Twitter at @jameswilldennis.
What is your subject specialism? My research interests lie in political communication, with a particular focus on social media, political participation and citizenship, and digital news. My work has been published in the Civic Media Project, published by MIT Press, Participations: Journal of Audience & Reception Studies, and Political Studies.
I am currently working on a monograph, “The Power of Slacktivism? Social Media and Political Participation in Britain”. This book explores the relationship between social media and democratic citizenship in Britain, arguing that Facebook and Twitter create new opportunities for cognitive engagement, discursive participation, and political mobilisation.
What units do you teach? I co-ordinate three units: Academic and Professional Skills (Level 4); Digital Media and Democracy (Level 6); and Mobile and Social Journalism (Level 5).
Digital Media and Democracy analyses the debates surrounding the impact of new communication technologies on democratic politics. From e-petitions to Donald Trump’s love affair with Twitter, we examine how the internet is changing the relationship between politicians, the media, and citizens.
Mobile and Social Journalism introduces students to the theories, techniques, and applications of mobile and social storytelling across digital platforms.
I also deliver lectures on digital news and methodologies in Feature Writing and News Analysis (Level 5) and Journalism in Context (Level 4).
What is your favourite place in Portsmouth? As someone who comes from the North(ish), I am very particular when it comes to pies. Not only does Pie and Vinyl offer a cracking pie and mash, but you can also browse a substantial catalogue of records while you wait. A hipster’s dream.
What is your favourite book? To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. I am forever thankful to AQA and my secondary school for forcing me to read this book. An incredibly moving read and, thanks to its emphasis on ethics, justice, and social inequality, a book that is as relevant now as it was in 1960.
What is your favourite movie and TV show? Although Gill beat me to it, The West Wing is an outstanding TV show. Aaron Sorkin’s writing over the first four seasons is impeccable. It’s worth revisiting if you’ve never seen it, if only to imagine a world where Martin Sheen is president.
When it comes to movies, very few are able to repeat the storyline of another film and somehow get away with it, but Back to the Future 2 does it with aplomb. Despite being an excellent example of self-plagiarism, BTTF2 is time-travel at its best. Now, where is my hoverboard?
What is your favourite album? “A Song to Ruin” by Million Dead.
Prior to becoming a folk-rock troubadour, Frank Turner was in a post-hardcore band. With abrasive vocals and raw production, it might not seem all too pleasant on first listen. However, give it time and you’ll unearth a deeply political record with incredibly rich instrumentation. In Utero (Nirvana) and Benji (Sun Kil Moon) are pretty good too.
Cats or Dogs? An impossible question. At a push, I’ll go with cats because I am jealous of their lifestyle choices. I used to have a cat called Brian, named after the Derby County legend Brian Clough (let’s ignore the fact that he won two European cups with Forest…). His daily routine consisted of sleeping, eating, and more sleep. Occasionally he would even eat Nemo’s food (he was also a cat, not to be confused with the fish). I want that life.
