Center for Democracy, Art, and Popular Culture
About
Where Pop Culture Meets Political Engagement
The CDAPC is an interdisciplinary research and engagement center that promotes healthy democracy through examination of and engagement with visual and performing arts, popular culture, and digital media.
Co-Director
Karrin Vasby Anderson
Karrin Vasby Anderson is Professor of Communication Studies at Colorado State University, where she studies the culture of politics and the politics of culture, examining the ways in which political identity is rhetorically constructed and contested in popular media. Her research assesses media framing of real and fictional women politicians on the internet, in television series and films, and in comic books. She also researches the connections between gender equity and democratic health, exploring why patriarchy, misogyny, homophobia, and transphobia are endemic to authoritarianism.
Books
Co-Director
Nick Marx
Nick Marx is Professor of Communication Studies at Colorado State University. He is a film & media studies scholar whose research examines the relationship between entertainment media and political ideology in the United States. His most recent co-authored book, That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them, considers the rise and reign of popular right-wing comedians like Joe Rogan, Shane Gillis, and Fox News’ Greg Gutfeld. The book received coverage in, among others, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Politico, while New York Magazine named it the 3rd best comedy book of 2022. His expertise on media economics, political satire, and broadcast history has been featured in dozens of national and international news, media industry, and popular press outlets
Books
