Alison Dagnes, Ph.D.

addagn@ship.edu

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Phone: 717-477-1754

Address: 1871 Old Main Drive

City: Shippensburg, Pennsylvania - 17257

Country: United States

About Me:

Dr. Alison Dagnes is a Professor of Political Science at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. Her book Super Mad at Everything All the Time: Political Media and Our National Anger was released by Palgrave Macmillan in 2019. She is also the author of A Conservative Walks Into a Bar (2012) and Politics on Demand: The Effects of 24-Hour News on American Politics (2010), and she frequently speaks about the news media & humor. Dagnes has also edited two books on political scandal; Sex Scandals in American Politics (2011) and Scandal! (2013) which makes her something of an authority on the topic. Her father is so proud. 

Prior to receiving her doctorate in Political Science from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Alison Dagnes was a producer for C-SPAN in Washington, DC which is not as boring as it sounds.

Research Interests

Political Communication

Political Media

Countries of Interest

United States

Publications:

Books Written:

(2019) Super Mad at Everything All the Time: Political Media and Our National Anger, Palrgave

Super Mad at Everything All the Time explores the polarization of American politics through the collapse of the space between politics and culture, as bolstered by omnipresent media. It seeks to explain this perfect storm of money, technology, and partisanship that has created two entirely separate news spheres: a small, enclosed circle for the right wing and a sprawling expanse for everyone else. This leads to two sets of facts, two narratives, and two loudly divergent political sides with extraordinary anger all around. Based on extensive interviews with leading media figures and politicos, this book traces the development of the media machine, giving suggestions on how to restore our national dialogue while defending our right to disagree agreeably.

(2013) Scandal!: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Consequences, Outcomes, and Significance of Political Scandals, Bloomsbury Publishing

There are many types of political scandals: sex, corruption, and election scandals are but a few. Political scandals are public events that have tremendous consequence on citizenry and can undermine democratic institutions-when we pay attention to scandal, we risk ignoring weightier matters. This volume brings together an array of academics to explore the impact of political scandals. What makes this book different from others is the wide spectrum of perspectives brought together to help analyze a single subject.

(2012) A Conservative Walks into a Bar : The Politics of Political Humor, Palgrave Macmillan

This book examines why there are so few conservative political satirists today and explores the consequences of this imbalance.

(2011) Sex Scandals in American Politics: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Construction and Aftermath of Contemporary Political Sex Scandals, Bloomsbury Publishing

A collection of essays that examine the construction, disgrace, and consequences of political sex scandals from various academic disciplines.

(2010) Politics on Demand: The Effects of 24-Hour News on American Politics, Praeger

This riveting book provides a nonpartisan examination of how the technological changes and financial imperatives of the media have led to an entertainment-driven news system poorly suited to report on American politics.

Media Appearances:

TV Appearances:

(2019) C-SPAN Book TV

Filmed at Kramerbooks & Afterwords in Washington, DC, a book talk on "Super Mad at Everything All the Time."

(2018) BBC-TV

World News interview about President Trump & Stormy Daniels

(2016) StarTalk with Neil deGrasse Tyson

Discussion about ideology and political humor. Guest: Bill Maher.

Radio Appearances:

(2019) WITF (Harrisburg, PA NPR Affiliate)

"Radio Smart Talk" discussion of partisan media.

(2019) Progress Pod

Podcast discussion of polarized media

(2016) Studio 360 with Kurt Anderson

"Hail to the Entertainer in Chief," discussion about comedy in politics