B.A. Columbia College
M.A. The University of North Carolina at Charlotte
Ph.D. Howard University
Certificate in Women’s Studies, Howard University

Dr. Morgan Smalls is an assistant professor at James Madison University in the School of Media Arts and Design (SMAD). 

Smalls earned her her Ph.D. in Communication, Culture, and Media Studies with a Certificate in Women’s Studies from Howard University. As a media and digital studies scholar, her areas of research center at the intersection of Africana studies, women and gender, social media and popular culture. Essentially, she uses popular culture as an entryway to have larger conversations about race, class, gender and power. 

Specifically, she is interested in the portrayal of Black women in media and social media and the counter narratives that are created to combat sexism, racism, and the lack of representation or misrepresentation in traditional media, such as television and film. This scholarship extends to the ways in which digital spaces are used to build communities and forums of discussion for marginalized groups, potentially leading to social change. 

Recently, her research has included the convergence of media as it relates to television shows such as Being Mary Jane and Insecure. Her topics of interest include: stereotypes, participatory culture, second-screen experience, and social media.

Moreover, she is an experienced speech consultant with a professional background in teaching and public relations. She is also an active member in several organizations and has presented her research at several regional and national conferences.