Department of Anthropology and Sociology
Associate Professor - Sociology
Phone: 828-227-3237
Email: pnieckarz@wcu.edu
Office Address: 102B McKee
Education:
- Ph.D. Western Michigan University. June 1999. Major: Sociology. Concentrations in Social Psychology and Mass Media. Dissertation: “All Things Considered”: A Comparative Case Study Examining the Commercial Presence Within Public Radio.
- M.A. Minnesota State University, Mankato. December 1996. Major: Sociology. Thesis: New Social Movement and Anarchist Theories: A Case Study of Earth First!
- B.S. Lake Superior State University. December 1993. Major: Sociology. Minor: Counseling. B.S. Thesis: Job Content and Alienation.
Publications and Presentations
Refereed Publications
- December 2002. The Business of Public Radio: Examining the Growing Commercial Presence Within Local National Public Radio Affiliates. Journal of Radio Studies. December 2002.
- December 2005. Community in Cyber Space?: The Role of the Internet in Facilitating and Maintaining a Community of Live Music Collecting and Trading. City and Community. December, 2005.
Manuscript Under Review
- March 2007. “If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Beat ‘Em”:The Virtual Community of Live Music Collecting As Cultural Resistance and Annexation.
Paper in Process
- 2007. Locating the Ties That Bind: Relative Senses of Attachment and Belonging in Virtual and Geographic Communities.
Presentations
- When Fisherman Become Rockstars: Newfoundland’s Great Big Sea as (Folk) Cultural Imperialists. Paper to be submitted for presentation at 2007 Annual Meeting of the Popular Culture association/American Culture Association. Boston, MA. April 2007.
- “If You Can’t Beat ‘Em, Beat ‘Em”: Live Music Trading as Cultural Resistance and Annexation. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Popular Culture association/American Culture Association. Atlanta, GA. April 2006.
- No Public Left Behind: The role of NPR Alternative in the Commercial Era of Public Broadcasting. Paper presented at a Refereed Roundtable Session at the 2004 Annual Meeting of American Sociological Association. San Francisco, CA. August 2004.
- Community in Cyber Space?: The Role of the Internet in Facilitating and Maintaining an Online Community. A paper presented in the “Internet and Society” Regular Session at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association. August 2003. Atlanta, Georgia.
- Other Public Radio: Exploring the Viability and Service of Alternatives to NPR in the New Era of Public Broadcasting. A paper presented at the 2003 Annual Meeting of the Popular Culture Association/American Culture. April 2003. New Orleans, LA.
- The Emergence of Structure and Community on the Internet. A paper presented at the annual meeting of the North Central Sociological Association. March 2003. Cincinnati, OH.
- Novel Ways of Teaching Sociology: The Use of Fiction as Required Reading in an Introductory Sociology Class. Paper presented at the 2002 Annual meeting of the North Central Sociological Association. April 2002. Windsor, Ontario.