Biography

Ph.D. Drexel University

Alison N. Novak teaches at Rowan University as an Associate Professor in the Department of Public Relations and Advertising. She received a Ph.D. from Drexel University in Communication, Culture, and Media. Her work explores the intersection of digital activism, public policy, and public engagement. She is the author of three books: (1) Media, Millennials, and Politics, (2) Network Neutrality and Digital Dialogic Communication, and (3) The New Review Economy. She has won top paper awards at the International Communication Association and the National Communication Association. Her work is supported through fellowships with the C-SPAN Archives and the Arthur W. Page Center of Penn State University. Her work is featured in Wired Magazine, NBC News, and BBC Radio.

Courses

Public Opinion, PR Case Studies, PR Planning, Graduate Strategic Communication Overview 

Research Interests

Political engagement, media representation, activism and public opinion change

Publications and Presentations

Novak, A. N. (2024). Global Discourses of Protest and Support of Offshore Wind Energy. Qualitative Research Reports in Communication 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/17459435.2024.234294

Novak, A. N. (2024). News coverage of climate change and generation Z. Springer Nature: Climatic Change 177, 78-97. 10.1007/s10584-024-03731-4

Novak, A. (2024, August). “Offshore Wind Energy In NJ: Anti-Wind Activist Discourses from Protect Our Coast” (Env Activism COMSHire). Presented at AEJMC, Philadelphia.

Novak, A. N. (2021). “Constructing 21st Century Citizens: Congressional Discourses in U.S. Citizenship Policy Speeches.” In Browning, R. (Ed.). The Evolution of Political Rhetoric: The Year in C-SPAN Archives Research, Volume 6. Purdue University Press.

Novak, A. N. (2021). The New Review Economy: Third-Party Review Sites, Reputation, and Neo-Liberal Public Relations in the Digital Age. Routledge.

Novak, A. N. & Sebastian, M. S. (2019). Network Neutrality and Digital Dialogic Communication: How Public, Private, and Government Forces Shape Internet Policy. Routledge.

Novak, A. N. & Richmond, J. (2019). E-Racing together: How Starbuck’s reshaped and deflected racial conversations on social media. Public Relations Review, 45(3).

Novak, A. N. (2016). Media, Millennials, and Politics: The Coming of Age of the Next Political Generation. Lexington.

Novak, A. (2021, May). “What’s wrong with SLAPP?” Public relations, digital engagement and TPRS lawsuits. Presented at the International Communication Association Annual Conference.

Novak, A. (2020, November). “The #OkBoomer Election:” Discourses of Generational Identity, Tension and Engagement on Twitter. Presented at the National Communication Association Annual Convention.

Novak, A. (2020, May). #StandwithCaster: Twitter, intersectionality, and the IAAF’s DSD policy. Presented at the International Communication Association Annual Conference, Top Paper Award.

Novak, A. (2017, November). Millennial Engagement Myth-Busting: Active Disengagement and the Future of Digital Politics. Presented at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, Top Paper Award.

Novak, A.& Richmond, J. (2016, November). “The phrase has been hijacked:” Studying generational communication on Feminism through social media. Presented at the National Communication Association Annual Convention, Top Paper Award.