Bio
Elizabeth Fakazis received her Ph.D. from Indiana University (Bloomington) in journalism and cultural studies. Her dissertation, Janet Malcolm: Constructing a Journalist’s Identity analyzed how professional journalists engage in boundary work, construct their authority, and support or challenge powerful ideologies of knowledge, identity and practice. She also received an M.A. in journalism from the University of Missouri -Columbia (Thesis: Imposing Meaning: Ideology and the New York Times Coverage of Anita F. Hill) and a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College (Biology/English).
Research Interests
How does food journalism, and food media more broadly, produce narratives that go beyond “news you can use,” addressing challenging questions about politics, culture, and identity? Who do such narratives empower, who do they leave out, and in what ways? These are the central questions driving Fakazis’s work.
Conferences and Publications
Fakazis co-edited with Elfriede Fursich (Univ. of Pittsburgh) The Political Relevance of Food Media and Journalism: Beyond Reviews and Recipes (Routledge 2022), a collection of international research on the ways that food journalism and entertainment media go beyond lifestyle conventions and engage more directly with politics.
Her other publications and conference presentations include:
- “Cool Kids Cook: Girls and Boys in the Foodie Kitchen” in Food, Masculinities, Home, Michelle Szabo and Shelley Koch, eds. (Oxford: Bloomsbury, 2017),
- “Children’s Culinary Culture: Why It Matters,” in Food and Communication: Proceedings of the Oxford Symposium on Food and Cookery, Mark McWilliams, ed. (London: Prospect Books, 2016),
- “Esquire Mans the Kitchenette,” Gastronomica: Journal of Food & Culture, 11(3): 29-39 (Fall 2011), among others.
Teaching
In the classroom, Fakazis strives to guide students in critically thinking about media and using what they learn to bring rigor, empathy, integrity and relevance to their own creative practice. She teaches courses for Media Studies majors and General Education courses in Critical Thinking, Oral Communication, and Global Awareness. Some of her favorite courses include Understanding Media, Constructing Digital Identities, Food Media, Media Writing, Digital Photography, and News Writing & Reporting.
Study Abroad
Fakazis takes students on a three-week study abroad program “The Food & Wines of the World” each June. Students learn about sustainability in food and tourism through site visits, cooking classes, tastings, and other experiences while traveling throughout Greece. Other destinations have included southern Italy and Turkey, and will soon include Valencia, Spain. Fakazis also lead a study abroad “Arts for Humanity” program in Mae Sai, Thailand where UWSP students engaged in art projects at a school for stateless children.
Professional Memberships
- Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
- Association for the Study of Food and Society
Instead of asking only how your education will contribute to what you can DO, ask also how your education will contribute to who and how you can BE.
Elizabeth Fakazis