Texas Tech University

Entertainment & Pop Culture

Entertainment and Popular Media

Entertainment is serious business. Research in this area explores entertainment products and consumption from a variety of perspectives, including the social scientific study of how entertainment content impacts individuals and society, the effects of video game play, the qualitative examination of entertainment products, industries, culture, and more.

A Serious Look at the Joker

There's no arguing that the Joker is one of the most popular and recognizable villans in contemporary entertainment. From the comic book page to the silver screen, the character has been a fixture in popular culture for decades, and CoMC professor Dr. Rob Peaslee's edited book provides a scholarly examination of the character and his popularity. Learn more about the book.

How Educational Television Can Help Kids with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Most of us have fond memories of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and that legacy lives on in the new PBS series Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. The show focuses on teaching children a variety of skills and lessons, such as sharing, cleaning up after playtime, and more. But researchers from the College of Media & Communication partnered with the Burkhart Center for Autism Research & Education at Texas Tech to show how the program can be of particular benefit to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Read more about the research.

Entertainment & Pop Culture 
Research Faculty



Learn more about CoMC research areas