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John M Sloop

Professor of Communication Studies, Vanderbilt University
I received my B.S. in Media/Advertising from Appalachian State University (Boone, NC) in 1985 and worked the following year at a full service marketing firm in Chapel Hill, NC. From 1986-1988, I worked on my Master’s in Speech Communication at the University of Georgia. From 1988-1992, I was at the University of Iowa, where I received my Ph.D. in Communication Studies. After a three year teaching assignment at Drake University in the Dept. of Rhetoric and Communication Studies, I began my current position at Vanderbilt. In Spring 2005, I was promoted to Professor of Communication Studies.

From 2007-July 2011, I served as Sr. Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs in the College of Arts and Science. From August 2011-present, I served as Sr. Associate Dean of Faculty in the College of Arts and Science.

Like the entire faculty of our Department, I work hard to maintain a relationship between my research and teaching interests. For instance, I have published work that focuses on mass media production and consumption and use this background in my Rhetoric of Mass Media course. My current research on public discussions of gender ambiguity led to the creation of a course entitled “The Rhetoric of Gender Trouble.” As a result, I try to encourage students to work, write, and speak on areas that are vital to their lives–past and potential.

European soccer is having another reckoning over racism – is it time to accept the problem goes beyond bad fans?

May 29, 2023 05:35 am UTC| Sports

After suffering months of racial abuse on the field and off, Brazilian soccer star Vinícius Júnior had enough. On May 21, 2023, the Real Madrid forward commonly seen as one of the best soccer players in...

Economy

Gold Prices Slip in Asia as Iran Strait Deadline Looms

Gold prices retreated in Asian trading on Monday following a strong weekly performance, with investors closely watching escalating tensions between the United States and Iran over control of the Strait of Hormuz. Spot gold...

Strait of Hormuz Crisis Fuels Oil Surge as Asian Markets Brace for Impact

Asian markets opened with a cautious tone Monday as geopolitical tensions in the Middle East continued shaking investor confidence. U.S. President Donald Trumps stern warning to Iran threatening devastating military...

Dollar Holds Steady as Yen Nears Critical 160 Level Amid Iran War Escalation

Global currency markets opened cautiously on Monday as the U.S. dollar maintained its footing while the Japanese yen hovered dangerously close to the psychologically significant 160-per-dollar threshold. Thin trading...

Morgan Stanley: Fed Rate Cuts Still on Track Despite Oil-Driven Inflation

Morgan Stanley believes the Federal Reserve will push forward with interest rate cuts in 2026, even as rising oil prices temporarily inflate headline inflation figures. According to the banks analysts, the current...

China's Energy Resilience Shields Economy From Global Oil Shock, Goldman Sachs Says

Goldman Sachs analysts believe China is among the best-positioned major economies to weather the current oil price shock stemming from escalating Middle East tensions, citing the countrys diversified energy strategy,...

Politics

Taiwan Opposition Leader's China Visit: A Peace Mission Amid Rising Tensions

Taiwans Kuomintang (KMT) chairwoman Cheng Li-wun is heading to China on Tuesday in a landmark visit the first by a KMT leader in over a decade. She describes the trip as a peace mission, with a potential meeting with...

U.S. and Iran Edge Toward Potential 45-Day Ceasefire Amid Escalating Tensions

Diplomatic efforts between the United States and Iran are gaining momentum, with mediators from Pakistan, Egypt, and Turkey joining negotiations aimed at brokering a potential 45-day ceasefire, according to a report by...

Britain Courts Anthropic Amid US Defense Department Dispute

The United Kingdom is actively working to attract Anthropic, the company behind the popular Claude AI app, to expand its footprint in the country. This diplomatic push comes as Anthropic finds itself in the middle of a...

Iran Rejects Trump's Hormuz Ultimatum, Threatens Wider Trade Disruption

Iran has firmly pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trumps latest threats over the Strait of Hormuz, dismissing his ultimatum and introducing new conditions that could further destabilize global trade routes. The...

Trump Issues Deadline for Iran to Reopen Strait of Hormuz Amid Escalating Conflict

President Donald Trump has set an 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time Tuesday deadline for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, one of the worlds most critical oil shipping routes, warning of severe military consequences if the demand...

Science

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

SpaceX Pivots Toward Moon City as Musk Reframes Long-Term Space Vision

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has revealed a significant shift in the companys near-term space exploration strategy, announcing that SpaceX is now prioritizing the development of a self-growing city on the Moon rather than focusing...

SpaceX Prioritizes Moon Mission Before Mars as Starship Development Accelerates

Elon Musks SpaceX is shifting its near-term space exploration strategy, choosing to prioritize a return to the Moon before pursuing missions to Mars, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report citing sources familiar...

Technology

OpenAI Executive Shake-Up Ahead of Anticipated 2026 IPO

OpenAI is navigating a significant leadership restructuring at one of the most pivotal moments in its history. The AI powerhouse confirmed that Chief Operating Officer Brad Lightcap is transitioning into a newly created...

Elon Musk Ties SpaceX IPO Access to Mandatory Grok AI Subscriptions

Elon Musk is reportedly making Grok subscriptions a prerequisite for banks and advisers involved in SpaceXs highly anticipated initial public offering. According to the New York Times, citing insiders familiar with the...

MATCH Act Targets ASML and Chinese Chipmakers in New U.S. Export Crackdown

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers has unveiled the MATCH Act, a landmark piece of draft legislation designed to tighten export restrictions on advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment destined for China. The...

Microsoft's $10 Billion Japan Investment: AI Infrastructure and Data Sovereignty Push

Microsoft is set to pour approximately $10 billion into Japan between now and 2029, channeling funds into data center expansion and artificial intelligence infrastructure to meet the countrys growing demand for data...

Australia's Social Media Ban for Under-16s Sparks Global Movement

Australias landmark social media ban for users under 16, which took effect in December, is reshaping digital policy conversations worldwide. Countries including Spain and Malaysia have signaled interest in adopting similar...