We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Timeka Tounsel of the Department of Communication to the ISS Thematic Area Faculty. Dr. Tounsel will teach AES/COM/GWSS 489: Black Cultural Studies this spring. Originally developed by Professor Ralina Joseph, Black Cultural Studies examines how images of Blackness have been (re)constructed through identity formation and entrenched inequality. Topics include Black women's bodies, Black men's bodies, Blackface minstrelsy, Black queer studies, Black power, and Black hybridities. 

"As someone who approaches education as social justice praxis, becoming an instructor with ISS is a natural fit for me," says Dr. Tounsel. "I've seen first hand how relevant coursework and degree completion can enrich lives, so I'm thrilled to join the community of scholar-educators who serve the hardworking students enrolled in this program."

Dr. Tounsel’s work considers the stories that society tells about Black women and the narratives that Black women craft about themselves. This line of inquiry engages numerous fields, including: Africana studies, audience studies, digital cultures, feminist media studies, womanism, and the medical humanities. In her first book, Branding Black Womanhood: Media Citizenship from Black Power to Black Girl Magic (Rutgers University Press, 2022), Dr. Tounsel examines the individuals and institutions that have reconfigured Black women’s empowerment as a commercial project.

Her work has been published in scholarly venues such as Journal of Communication; Communication, Culture & Critique; and SOULS. In addition, she has contributed to edited volumes including Gladiators in Suits: Race, Gender, and the Politics of Representation in Scandal and Interpreting Tyler Perry: Perspectives on Race, Class, Gender, and Sexuality.

Dr. Tounsel holds a Ph.D. in Communication Studies with a Graduate Certificate in African American and Diaspora Studies from the University of Michigan, where she was also a Rackham Merit Fellow. She received a B.A. in Magazine Journalism and International Relations from Syracuse University and has written for popular outlets including Essence, The Conversation and Elle.com. To learn more about Dr. Tounsel, visit her website: https://timekantounsel.com/