As Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication at Bridgewater State University, Dr. Melanie McNaughton holds expertise in community building, conflict management, and strategic planning.

Dr. McNaughton’s expertise in visual communication and brand strategy have been honed through professional communication roles. Having taught effective communication to college students, corporate leaders, and social justice advocates, Dr. McNaughton is also an well-respected communication coach. As a speaker, Dr. McNaughton has over fifteen years of experience, including presentations at the international, national, regional, state, and local levels.

Communications Experience & Leadership

Curious about how we create and communicate identity, Dr. Melanie Joy McNaughton’s research concentrations combine communication and critical cultural studies approaches. As a researcher focused on visual, popular and material culture, Dr. McNaughton has written extensively in these areas. Topics range from subjects like design and domesticity, graffiti, disaster photography, graphic design, and tattooing.

Dr. McNaughton is currently wrapping up the manuscript for her first book, titled Good Things and the Good Home: Designing, Dwelling, and Martha Stewart. The book uses Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia as a text to explore the rhetoric of domestic style and design. By exploring style and design as rhetorical artifacts, this project investigates how people know the world, constitute personal and corporate identity, and participate in wider social environments through everyday visual practices.

Melanie McNaughton’s research interests also connect to her classroom. Curiosity and dedication are powerful forces for change. These values are the means through which she inspires and engages her students.

Dr. McNaughton teaches research and writing courses in media studies, popular and visual culture, and cultural studies. As an instructor, Melanie McNaughton has developed significant expertise in using technology to engage students. This expertise draws on Dr. McNaughton’s knowledge of effective visual and design practices. In 2017, Dr. McNaughton received a Presidential Award for Academic Excellence from Bridgewater State University. This award highlighted her innovative use of technology to enhance online learning environments.

My dog-mom expertise came into play when I was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal about Shohei Ohtani’s dog, who is the same rare Dutch breed as my pup. Read it here.

I was pleased to discuss strategies for teaching media literacy skills at an international conference in Jordan (May 2023). The conference was featured in the news. See it here and here.

I discuss features and benefits of interactive syllabi in an article for the Association of International Certified Public Accountants. Read it here. (You can read more on my thoughts about interactive syllabi in a blog post post of mine. Read it here.)

My example interactive syllabus is featured in a piece about syllabi formatting and equity by Every Learner Everywhere. See it here.

I review cultural values and their impact on body shape ideals throughout a range of significant social shifts in North American culture in this post by Bustle. Read it here.

I comment on mediated images of gender in a news story by the Sun Chronicle. Read it here. 

I have long desired validation as an expert on style (at last—my addiction to Vidal Sassoon!). You can read my thoughts on Michelle Obama’s bangs in a piece by the Sun Chronicle. Read it here.

When not researching or teaching, Melanie McNaughton enjoys the sorts of things many middle-aged professors do—gardening, fiber arts, DIY, and playing with her dog.