Flagler College communication students present papers at pop culture conference

ST. AUGUSTINE, FL (10/08/2013)(readMedia)-- Three senior students from the communications department at Flagler College were invited to present their research at the Popular/American Culture Association in the South Academic Conference on Oct. 3 in Savannah, Ga.

Students Ashley Ryan, Senal Eslami and Ryan Cinney were all chosen to present their papers, ranging in topic from apocalyptic myths, reality television, and marketing nail polish.

All three papers began as class papers and have been expanded and altered to fit within the theme of the conference.

Dr. Matthew Wysocki, coordinator of media studies for the department of communication, put out a call for interested students and received a great response.

"It's taking what they learned in the classroom and increasing it," Wysocki said.

Wysocki feels interacting with other academics in a conference setting allows students to develop into stronger individuals.

"It allows them to get response and feedback on their work from viewpoints they may not have considered, and also to see what other scholars are doing," he said. "This makes all involved better researchers and students."

The conference was presented by the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association, an organization of scholars who study pop culture.

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Flagler College is an independent, four-year, comprehensive baccalaureate college located in St. Augustine, Fla. The college offers 29 majors, 34 minors and two pre-professional programs, the largest majors being business, education and communication. Small by intent, Flagler College has an enrollment of about 2,500 students, as well as a satellite campus at Tallahassee Community College in Tallahassee, Fla. U.S. News & World Report and The Princeton Review regularly feature Flagler as a college that offers quality education at a relatively low cost. A Flagler education is less than half the cost of similar private colleges, and competitive with many state universities. A relatively young institution (founded in 1968), Flagler College is also noted for its historic beauty. The centerpiece of the campus is the former Hotel Ponce de Leon, a grand resort built in 1888 by Henry M. Flagler, industrialist, railroad pioneer and co-founder of Standard Oil. The Ponce has been designated as a National Historic Landmark. For more on Flagler College, visit www.flagler.edu.