The Power to Persuade with - Political Cartoons?

Please join us for the first-ever virtual iROC presentation on Thursday, September 17, at 4 p.m. when Eric Langstedt, PhD, Associate Professor of Communication at the Mount, presents The Power to Persuade with - Political Cartoons?.

Election year is a perfect time to discuss how our political opinions are influenced.  Since before the United States was a country, American political cartoons have been used to garner support towards beliefs and causes. This talk will explore some of the symbols used in American political cartoons between the colonial period and the Second World War.

Eric Langstedt has been interested in "comics" (which, to be distinguished from “comic books,” can be found in newspapers and magazines) since his teens.  He has amassed an extensive collection of books on the history of this art form.  Teaching an introduction to mass media course, which addresses comics in colonial era and progressive era newspapers, was pivotal in his selection of this research topic. The study of political cartoons is closely related to Dr. Langstedt’s other area of research, namely, prime-time animated cartoon enthusiasts.  Prior to the pandemic, he had been scheduled to present his work at the Popular Culture Association Conference in April.

Eric Langstedt holds degrees from Cornell University, University of St. Andrews (Scotland), and the University of Connecticut. He is a member of the Popular Culture Association, the Society for Animation Studies, and is on the review board for the Journal of Social Media in Society. Most of his published research has studied media preferences for users of television, social media, and mobile devices.

The Power to Persuade with - Political Cartoons? will take place via Zoom at 4 p.m. on Thursday, September 17.  To register and obtain a link to the event, please click here.