Contact Information
3001 Lincoln Hall, MC-456
702 S Wright
Urbana, IL 61801
Research Areas
Biography
Professor Dixon is a media effects scholar who specializes in investigating the prevalence of stereotypes in the mass media and the impact of stereotypical imagery on audience members. He has been honored as a faculty fellow with UIUC's Center on Democracy in a Multiracial Society and he was the 2013 Visiting Philanthropy Faculty Scholar at the Clinton School of Public Service. Dr. Dixon has received 7 top paper awards from the National Communication Association and the International Communication Association. He has also received a top article award from the National Communication Association. Dr. Dixon serves on the editorial boards of Communication Research, Howard Journal of Communications, Media Psychology, and the Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media. Much of Dr. Dixon's work has been focused on racial stereotyping in television news. His more recent investigations examine the content and effects of stereotypes and counter-stereotypes in major news events, online news, and musical contexts.
Research Interests
media stereotypes, content and effects of traditional/digital media
Education
Ph.D., 1998, Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara
M.A, 1994, Communication, University of California, Santa Barbara
B.A., 1992, Communication, University of California, Los Angeles
Grants
2016-2017, PI, Examining Systemic Distortions and Inaccuracies in the News and Opinion Media Framing of Black Families, Family Story
2005-2008, Co-PI, Police-Community Relations RAND Corporation in Cincinnati, Funded
Awards and Honors
2019, Inducted as International Communication Association Fellow
2015, Top Four Paper Award in the Mass Communication Division, National Communication Association
2015, Top Three Paper Award in the Multicultural Division, Broadcast Education Association
2013, Visiting Scholar, Clinton School of Public Service , U. of Arkansas scholarly investigation of stereotypical media content on network/cable news, Funded
2011, Excellence in Mentorship Award, Presented by UIUC Communication Leaders
2008, Top Paper Award in the Intergroup Communication Interest Group, International Communication Association
Courses Taught
Communication 277 (Lower Division Course): Introduction to the Mediated Communication
Communication 429 (Upper Division Course): Race and the Mass Media
Communication 529 (Graduate Course): Introduction to Mass Communication Theory
External Links
Highlighted Publications
Dixon, T. L. (2017). Rap Music and Rap Audiences Revisited: How Race Matters in the Perception of Rap Music. In P. Hall (Ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Music Censorship Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199733163.013.24
Dixon, T. L. (2019). Media Stereotypes: Content, Effects, and Theory. In M. B. Oliver, A. A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research (4 ed., pp. 243-257). Taylor and Francis.
Recent Publications
Butkowski, C. P., Dixon, T. L., & Weeks, K. (2019). Body Surveillance on Instagram: Examining the Role of Selfie Feedback Investment in Young Adult Women’s Body Image Concerns. Sex Roles, 81(5-6), 385-397. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-018-0993-6
Butkowski, C. P., Dixon, T. L., Weeks, K. R., & Smith, M. A. (Accepted/In press). Quantifying the feminine self(ie): Gender display and social media feedback in young women’s Instagram selfies. New Media and Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444819871669
Dixon, T. L. (2019). Black Criminality 2.0: The Persistence of Stereotypes in the 21st Century. In R. A. Lind (Ed.), Race/Gender/Class/Media: Considering Diversity Across Audiences, Content, and Producers (4 ed.). Routledge.
Dixon, T. L., Weeks, K. R., & Smith, M. A. (2019). Media Constructions of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity. In Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Communication Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.013.502
Dixon, T. L. (2019). Media Stereotypes: Content, Effects, and Theory. In M. B. Oliver, A. A. Raney, & J. Bryant (Eds.), Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research (4 ed., pp. 243-257). Taylor and Francis.