Aubrey Studebaker, a second-year COMM graduate student, was one of two students to receive the 2024 Richard S. Arnold First Amendment Research Excellence Award. Established in 1999 by Kay and Richard Arnold, the scholarship supports the first amendment studies and political communication research of COMM graduate students. 

Studebaker explained that the monetary award has allowed her to continue her research in political communication.  Studebaker expressed how thankful she is to receive the support of this award, adding, “I’m incredibly passionate about the academic engagement of political issues, and I look forward to working on projects that reflect the spirit of this award.”  

Studebaker has been invited to talk with undergraduate theory classes at two universities about her article Abstructing AOC: Reifying the reactionary rhetoric of patriarchal ideology, which was published in the National Communication Association journal, Communication and Democracy, in 2023.  

Other publications by Studebaker include Respondents and activists: Citizen roles in formulating congressional committee hearings as public spectacle (2023), Congressional hearings as public spectacle (2023), and the book review of Lesbian death: desire and danger between feminist and queer: by Mairead Sullivan (2024). 

Studebaker is working on multiple upcoming political projects. She has two articles under review and two co-authored essays in the works with professors from the University of Arkansas and other universities.  Studebaker will be presenting two papers at the National Communication Association Conference in New Orleans, LA this November. One essay will feature argumentation theory, race, and police brutality, and the other will feature queer, religious, and political identities as well as, public memory.   

With the financial support of the Arnold Prize and the encouragement of graduate faculty, Studebaker is confident that she is on a trajectory to defend her thesis this spring and continue to publish. Studebaker said, “I’d like to express gratitude for my mentors and professors who’ve cultivated these interests and encouraged my scholarly pursuits.” 

Written by Lacie Bryles, marketing and programs specialist

Photo by Lacie Bryles, marketing and programs specialist