Michael Schudson

Michael Schudson "is Professor of Communication and Adjunct Professor of Sociology at the University of California, San Diego where he has taught since l980.

"Professor Schudson received a B.A. from Swarthmore College and M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard (in sociology) and taught at the University of Chicago before coming to San Diego.

"He is the author of six books and editor of two others concerning the history and sociology of the American news media, advertising, popular culture, and cultural memory. He is the recipient of a number of honors, including a Guggenheim Fellowship, a resident fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Palo Alto, and a MacArthur Foundation "genius" award.

"From 1996 to 2001, Schudson was co-director of the UCSD Civic Collaborative, a project designed to link UCSD faculty and students to the broader San Diego community through their research and teaching. He is active in the affairs of Thurgood Marshall College, one of UCSD's six undergraduate colleges; he chaired the committee that designed its general education course, "Diversity, Justice, and Imagination," he frequently teaches in the "Justice" segment of that course, and he served as acting provost of the College 2001-03.

"He is also active in professional activities nationally. He chaired the "Sociology of Culture" section of the American Sociological Association in l998-99; he served as a member of the Penn National Commission on Culture, Society, and Community l996-99; he serves on editorial boards in communication, sociology and history.

"Schudson's The Good Citizen: A History of American Civic Life (l998) explores how Americans’ practices and ideals about what a “good citizen” should do have changed from colonial days to the present. The American Historical Review judged the book "innovative, perceptive, and -- especially on today's culture -- controversial." The Journal of American History called it "relevant, imaginative, and determined to face facts." Reviews in American History termed it "daring, persuasive, and refreshing." The Washington Monthly called it "admirable, consistently interesting, and extremely valuable" and The Economist urged all Americans to read it.

"Schudson's latest book is The Sociology of News (W.W. Norton, 2003)."

• Advisory Commitee, Center for Social Media
• Press Commission, American Institutions of Democracy
• Corresponding Editor, Theory and Society