Namjin Lee, PH.D.

Associate Professor

Education

Ph.D., Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison

M.A., Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison

B.A., History, Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea

Research Interest

Namjin Lee’s research concerns the role that political communication plays in our civic and political lives, with a special interest in how the consumption of news content in traditional and new media influences the ways in which people understand political matters, formulate political judgments, and participate in the political process. He has developed programs of research on (a) the capacity of mediated and interpersonal communication, particularly the Internet, to foster democratic citizenship, (b) media effects on political judgment and reasoning, and (c) the interplay of consumer culture and civic culture. Prior to joining the Department, he served as a Research Fellow with a project funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. In this position, he conducted research on the role of new digital media in promoting civic and political engagement among young people.

Courses Taught

Lee teaches courses on such topics as political communication, public opinion in American politics, uses and effects of mass communication, and communication research methods:

· COMM 301, Communication Research Methods

· COMM 336, Addressing Problems in Context

· COMM 389, Public Opinion in American Politics

· COMM 501, Research Methods in Communication

· COMM 540, Uses and Effects of Media

· FYSE 111, Fake Media or Watchdogs for Democracy? News Media and Elections

Honors & Awards

Sharon Dunwoody Early Career Award (2021), School of Journalism & Mass Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison