Dr. James Eric (Jay) Black

Schumann Endowed Professor of Journalism and Media Studies

Chair of Journalism and Media Studies Department

 

Jay Black

Dr. James Eric (Jay) Black’s professional background includes print, broadcast, and film. His awards include the National Association of Teacher of English Award for Superior Writing, The Roberta Kevelson Scholarship Award from the Semiotic Society of America, and The Atlanta Olympic Committee’s Olympic Force Award for Superior Community Service. His work has appeared on NPR, CNN, UPI, ABC Radio, and Georgia News Network. His first book was Walt Kelly and Pogo: The Art of the Political Swamp. He has also published extensively in magazines and academic journals. Dr. Black spends his summers for the most part in China where he was awarded Permanent Visiting Scholar status at Jinan University International Schools. He also curated and wrote The American Chamber of Commerce in South China’s White Paper on the Business Environment in China from 2018 to 2023, an annual publication of over 500 pages that are presented in both English and Mandarin.

Education

  • Ph.D., Public Communication,Georgia State University
  • M.A., Journalism Management, University of Kansas
  • B.S., Broadcast Communications, Mercer University

Specialty

Dr. Black has published articles concerning Chinese culture, semiotics, and Cold War pop culture in numerous academic journals and publications. His primary interest is media in transition and how the media is used to promote change.

Professional Interests

Dr. Black has taught many of the classes in both of the majors in the Journalism and Media Studies Department but prides himself on preserving journalism as a liberal art. He regularly teaches Journalism History, Media Law, Media Ethics, Media and Current Issues, and News Literacy. He also teaches in the INT program.

Other Interests

Dr. Black has traveled to 49 states (he’ll get to Alaska eventually) and over 25 countries. Jinan University’s International School, where he often teaches in the summers, awarded him Permanent Visiting Scholar status in 2016. He honeymooned in Vietnam and Cambodia.

Recent Publications

Books

  • Black, Jay. 2023 White Paper on the Business Environment in China. Guangzhou, China: American Chamber of Commerce in South China, 2023.
  • Black, Jay. 2022 White Paper on the Business Environment in China. Guangzhou, China: American Chamber of Commerce in South China, 2022.
  • Black, Jay. 2021 White Paper on the Business Environment in China. Guangzhou, China: American Chamber of Commerce in South China, 2021.
  • Black, Jay. 2020 White Paper on the Business Environment in China. Guangzhou, China: American Chamber of Commerce in South China, 2020.
  • Black, Jay. 2019 White Paper on the Business Environment in China. Guangzhou, China: American Chamber of Commerce in South China, 2019.
  • Black, Jay. 2018 White Paper on the Business Environment in China. Guangzhou, China: American Chamber of Commerce in South China, 2018.
  • Black, James Eric. The Art of the Political Swamp: Walt Kelly and Pogo. Jefferson NC: McFarland, 2016.
  • Black, James E., comp. Heard on the East Side: Stories from Macon’s First Neighborhood. Ed. James E. Black. Macon: Centenary, 2016

Book Chapters

  • Black, James Eric (Jay). “The Emergence of ‘Atomodoxy’ in Cold-War Rhetoric and Science Fiction Narratives.” International Handbook of Semiotics. 1st ed. London: Springer, 2015. 265-80.
  • Black, James Eric (Jay). “In Defense of Vespertilio-homo: Finding the Truth in the 1835 Moon Hoax.” Sensationalism: Murder, Mayhem, Mudslinging, Scandals, and Disasters in 19th-Century Reporting. Piscataway, Ed. David B. Sachsman and George R. West, Jr. NJ: Transaction, 2013. 223-240.

Other Publications

  • Black, James Eric (Jay). “You Cannot Represent Yourself. You Must Be Represented: I. F. Stone and Defining American Communism.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 73.4 (2018): 133-53. Print.
  • Black, James Eric (Jay). “The Star Image and National Identity of Sessue Hayakawa and Marlene Dietrich.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 73.1 (2018): 100-05. Print.
  • Black, James Eric (Jay). “The Emergence of ‘Atomodoxy’ in Cold-War Rhetoric and Science Fiction Narratives: Fear, Threats, and the Duties of Citizenship in an Atomic Age.” Southern Semiotic Review 3 (2014): n. pag. Web.
  • Black, James Eric (Jay). “Silent Cal and the Invisible Audience.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 69.1 (2012): 3-20.
  • Black, James Eric (Jay). “‘Amoozin’ but Confoozin’: Comic Strips as a Voice of Dissent in the 1950s.” ETC: A Review of General Semantics 66.4 (2010): 460-77. Print.

Contact Dr. Jay Black


(478) 301-2137
black_je@mercer.edu