EDUCATION

PhD in Communication Studies, Rhetoric and Popular Culture from Ohio University, 2024

Dissertation: Can I have your autograph? Exploring parasocial relationships in person

MA in Communication Studies, The University of Akron, 2018

Thesis: I Don’t Need a Medical Degree, I Watch TV

BA in Journalism, Minor in Theater from Youngstown State University, 2015

Capstone project: The Little Man’s Little Man, an investigative look at unfair pay in Downtown Youngstown bars

EXPERIENCE

Current Positions

2024-Present Assistant Professor, Communication & Emerging Media, Georgia Southwestern State University

2020-present Managing Editor/Entertainment Reporter, Fandomize Media

Past Positions

2020-2024 Graduate Teaching Associate, School of Communication Studies, Ohio University

2011-2023 Color Guard Caption Head, Ursuline High School

2018-2020 Staff Writer, Tribune Chronicle & The Vindicator Edition

PUBLICATIONS

Journal Articles

Spence, L. & Shiller, E. (Under Review). Have you ever tried this one? A rhetorical analysis of Sabrina Carpenter’s Juno pose
Shiller, E. (Under Review). ‘Avengers, assemble!’: Experiencing fandom offline, The Journal of Popular Culture
Shiller, E., & Beck, C. (In Final Looks). When the Perfect Christmas Can’t Be Perfect: Juxtaposing Hallmark Christmas Movies with Real Life during Covid-19, The Journal of Popular Culture

Book Chapters

Shiller, E. (2026). Just cause you carry that shield, it doesn’t mean you’re Captain America”: Carrying on Steve’s legacy. In Popular Culture Perspectives on the MCU edited by Adam Tyma, Matt Meier, and Dana Schowalter.
Shiller, E. (2021). Enhancing credibility through visual presentation. In COMS 1030 Fundamentals of public speaking: Student guidebook. Southlake, TX: Fountainhead Press.

Reviews

Shiller, E. (2025). Sinners Review, Popular Culture Studies Journal. 13(2).
Shiller, E. (2025). Woman of the Hour Review, Popular Culture Studies Journal. 13(2).
Shiller, E. (2024). Treasure Review, Popular Culture Studies Journal. 12(2). 162-164. https://www.mpcaaca.org/_files/ugd/aced74_a2098fff50414225af913b0e43e49672.pdf
Shiller, E. (2024). Five Nights at Freddy’s Review, Popular Culture Studies Journal. 12(1). 371-372. https://www.mpcaaca.org/_files/ugd/aced74_0fca23ca620f47a1b1a4e8c4c5464876.pdf
Shiller, E. (2023) Barbie Review Popular Culture Studies Journal. 11(2), 276-277. https://www.mpcaaca.org/_files/ugd/aced74_9a09f5e8a88145bb85c1468800ba5662.pdf?index=true
Shiller, E. (2023). The Enormity of Life Review. Popular Culture Studies Journal. 11(1), 147-149. https://www.mpcaaca.org/_files/ugd/aced74_fe40f5d4303e458ab3aa122abe58963d.pdf
Shiller, E. (2022). Like Dogs Review. Popular Culture Studies Journal. 10(2), 160-162. https://mpcaaca.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Compiled-V10N2.pdf
Shiller, E. (2022). The Last Duel Review. Popular Culture Studies Journal.10(1), 399-401. https://mpcaaca.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/V10I1-Final-1.pdf
Shiller, E. (2022). Rain Beau’s End Review. QED: A Journal in GLBTQ Worldmaking, 8(2), 210-212. https://doi.org/10.2307/48655699
Shiller, E. (2022). Why Wakanda Matters: What Black Panther Reveals about Psychology, Identity, and Communication. Critical Studies in Media Communication Journal. 39(4), 347-349. https://doi.org/10.1080/15295036.2022.2033917
Shiller, E. (2021). Black Widow Review. Popular Culture Studies Journal. 9(2), 368-371. https://www.mpcaaca.org/_files/ugd/5a6d69_101da49a453843e4b76e4a8588e82ac0.pdf?index=true

PRESENTATIONS

Paper presentations

Shiller, E. (2025). You can’t kill off Captain Nash: Illustrating the parasocial continuum with 9-1-1, MPCA, Iowa City, IA
Shiller, E. (2025). "Just cause you carry that shield, it doesn't mean you're Captain America": Carrying on Steve's legacy, CSCA, Cincinnati, OH
Shiller, E. (2025). Can I have your autograph? Exploring parasocial relationships in person, PCA, New Orleans, LA
Shiller, E. (2024). Carrie vs Leia: A closer look at the subject of our parasocial connections, MPCA, Chicago, IL
Shiller, E. (2024). Eddie wake up: An exploration into parasocial progression, PCA, Chicago, IL
Shiller, E. (2023). A billowing cloud: Performing metaphor while creating White Noise, MPCA, Chicago, IL
Shiller, E. (2023). WandaVision’: Coping with the familiar, SSCA, Popular Communication Division, St. Petersburg, FL
Shiller, E. (2023) ‘Avengers, assemble!’: Experiencing fandom offline, PCA/ACA, San Antonio, TX
Shiller, E., & Shiller. P. (2022) Dune: A father/daughter fandom. MPCA, Chicago, IL
Shiller, E., & Beck, C. (2022) When the Perfect Christmas Can’t Be Perfect: Juxtaposing Hallmark Christmas Movies with Real Life during Covid-19. PCA/ACA, virtual

Panel presentations

Tattoos as Embodied Reclamation: Marking Resistance, Identity, and Visibility, NCA, Denver, CO (November 2025)
Teaching Ideas in Popular Culture Studies, MPCA, Iowa City, IA (October 2025)
Teaching Pop Culture… and in General, Graduate Student Conference, MPCA, virtual (March 2023)
Teaching Opportunities, Ohio University, Athens, OH (February 2023)
Graduate Student Experiences in Higher Education's 'Return to Normal' amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic, Graduate Student Caucus Panel, CSCA, Madison, WI (March-April 2022)
Re-connecting with Superheroes in all their Forms, Media Studies Panel, CSCA, Madison, WI (March-April 2022)
The PSR discussion panel, CSCA, Madison, WI (March-April 2022)
Idealization in the construction of mediated protagonists celebrity and stardom, panel, MPCA, Minneapolis, MN (October 2021)
Graduate Students' Diverse Approaches to Resilience in Communication Research in Progress, Research in Progress panel, OCA, Youngstown, OH (October 2021)
Queering the Quarter: Intersectional Representations in Film, Television, and Streaming Shows, panel, AEJMC, virtual (August 2021)

AWARDS

Kathy Merlock Jackson Dissertation Award- Can I have your autograph? Exploring parasocial relationships in person, PCA, New Orleans, LA (April 2025)
First Place Research Talk, Can I have your autograph? Exploring parasocial relationships in person,
Grad Con at Ohio University Athens, OH (February 2024)
Top Student Paper- ‘WandaVision’: Coping with the familiar, Southern States Communication
Association, Popular Communication Division, St. Petersburg, FL (April 2023)
Top Panel- Graduate Student Experiences in Higher Education's 'Return to Normal' amidst the
COVID-19 Pandemic, Graduate Student Caucus Panel, Central States Communication Association, Madison, WI (March-April 2022)
Top Panel- Re-connecting with Superheroes in all their Forms, Media Studies Panel, Central
States Communication Association, Madison, WI (March-April 2022)

COURSES TAUGHT

COMM 1110: Fundamentals of Public Speaking
COMM 2137: Introduction to Mass Communication
COMM 2256: Communication Theory
COMM 3110: Interpersonal Communication
COMM 3200: Journalism
COMM 3250: Interviewing for Investigative Practice
COMM 3600: Media Criticism
COMM 3650: Performance Studies
COMM 3800: Digital Cultures
COMM 4100: Media and Popular Culture
COMM 4200: Creating for Online Media

SERVICE

Georgia Southwestern State University

Faculty Advisor- Sou’wester student Newspaper, GSW (2024-present)
Student Affairs Committee (2024-present)
New Faculty Teaching Circle chair (Fall 2025)
Guest Lecturer for Psychology Senior Seminar (Spring 2025)
Humanities Symposium student panel advisor/chair (2024, 2025)

Midwest Popular Culture Association

Executive Counsil member- Graduate Student/New Faculty Representative (2024-present)
Reviews Editor, Popular Culture Studies Journal (2026-present)
Assistant to Reviews Editor, Popular Culture Studies Journal (2024-2025)
Mentor for the mentorship program (2023-present)
Film area chair (2022-2024)

Popular Culture Association

Graduate Student Advisory Committee member (2023-2024)

Service as Reviewer

Undergraduate Honors Conference, CSCA (2025)
Lit Youngstown Anthology Conceptualization Committee and reviewer (2024-present)
Book and Paper Award- MPCA (2024-present)
Paper- NCA (2022- 2025)
Paper- Original Work Grant, Ohio University (Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2023)
Paper - ECA's Undergraduate Scholars Conference, Philadelphia, PA (April 2022)
Book proposal- AEJMC-Peter Lang Scholarsourcing (Winter 2021)
Paper- ECA’s Undergraduate Scholars Conference, virtual (March 2021)

Additional Service

Guest critic at a Speech and Debate Tournament, Ohio University (2021- 2023)
Panel chair for the From Students to Subways: Ethnographic Experiences and Exploration panel, Eastern Communication Association's Undergraduate Scholars Conference (sponsored by James C. McCroskey and Virginia P. Richmond Undergraduate Scholars Conference), virtual (March 2021)

TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Comics and Pedagogy Workshop, San Diego Comic Con (2025)
Autoethnography short course with Tony Adams and Andrew Herrmann, CSCA (2025)
Be There Certificate training through the Born This Way Foundation (Fall 2024)
Inclusive College Classrooms (Fall 2024)
New Faculty Teaching Circle (Fall 2024)
eCore Faculty Training (Fall 2024)
USG Ethics Training Course (Fall 2024)
Building Supportive Communities (Fall 2024)
Midwest Winter Workshop, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Spring 2024)
First Amendment Training presented by the Case Western Reserve University School of Law First
Amendment Clinic, Ohio University (Spring 2023)
Safeguarding the Candidate Experience Training, Ohio University (Spring 2023)
Inclusive Pedagogy Pilot Training Program, Ohio University (2021-2022)

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

Georgia Communication Association
Society of Professional Journalists
Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association
Midwest Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association
National Communication Association
Central States Communication Association
Southern States Communication Association
Ohio Communication Association
Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication

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