Office of Politics, Communication and Media
The Office of Politics, Communication, and Media (OPCaM) at the University of Alabama is an innovative hub for interdisciplinary research and public-facing dialogue. Situated at the intersections of politics, communication, and media, OPCaM works to create civic and community engagement on regional, national, and international levels by connecting high-quality research with public conversations that shape and respond to the growing impacts and rapidly evolving role of politics, communication, and media in democratic and public life. We believe politics should be a space for everyone, and we work to foster democratic well-being and civic discourse.
OPCaM is one of the first research offices of its kind to consider politics broadly, defining it not only through governments, political parties, and civic and political participation, but also in terms of the ways communication and media practices are intertwined with the social, cultural, and historical contexts of democratic well-being and civic discourse.
Common themes in our research agendas and interests include:
- Misinformation, disinformation, and media literacy
- Polarization, extremism, and hostility
- Civic and political engagement
- Public conversation, dialogue, and discourse
- Networked publics and communication technologies
- Emergent and digital media technologies
- Regulation of digital platforms
- The roles of race, gender, sexuality, ability, class, religion, and nationality in the politics of media and communication
Researchers on our executive committee and in affiliate program come from a range of theoretical and methodological backgrounds. We approach research from qualitative, quantitative, historical, computational, rhetorical, and humanistic methods invoking a range of theoretical and disciplinary perspectives from Communication Studies, Journalism, Political Communication, Information Science, Risk and Crisis Communication, Digital Media Studies, Cultural Studies, Internet Studies, Health Communication, Feminist Studies, and American Studies. Our interdisciplinary and overlapping interests form the question that exists as the scholarly touchstone of OPCaM: How can we use research-driven insights to cultivate knowledge and civic engagement revolving around public and political practices related to communication and media?
OPCaM is housed within the Institute for Communication and Information Research in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at the University of Alabama. Our members and affiliates serve on the editorial boards of leading media and communications journals, have received international research awards, and are frequently quoted in CNN, AL.com, NBC News, the Boston Globe, and the Washington Post.
If you are interested in partnering with OPCaM, becoming an affiliate, or have questions about our work, please send us an email at opcam@ua.edu or tweet us at @OPCaM_UA.