University of Minnesota
School of Journalism and Mass Communication
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Mark Pedelty

Mark Pedelty

Mark Pedelty

612-625-6383
School of Journalism 111 Murphy Hall

Narrative

Mark Pedelty is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. His current research deals with the politics of popular culture, with emphasis on music and the environment. Dr. Pedelty earned his PhD in Anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley in 1993. His dissertation involved ethnographic fieldwork among reporters in El Salvador and resulted in War Stories: The Culture of Foreign Correspondents (Routledge 1995). Professor Pedelty’s second field project resulted in a book entitled Musical Ritual in Mexico City: From the Aztec to NAFTA (University of Texas 2004). He has published numerous journal articles and book chapters concerning media, performance, and popular music. As a Fellow at the Institute on the Environment, Pedelty is filming a documentary about Metro Blooms' raingarden project in the Powderhorn, an innovative attempt to improve water quality in the Twin Cities and beyond. Pedelty has taught a range of undergraduate and graduate courses, ranging from Global Seminars in Mexico to performance-based courses examining the relationship between popular culture and the environment. He currently teaches two graduate seminars: (1) Media Ethnography and (2) Mass Media and Social Change.


Specialties

  • Popular music
  • Environmental media and performance
  • Ethnographic research in the USA, El Salvador, and Mexico

Educational Background

  • Ph.D.: Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley, 1993.

Publications

  • Woody Guthrie and the Columbia River: Propaganda, Art, and Irony: Pedelty, Mark Holmes, Popular Music and Society, 31(3) 329-355, 2008.
  • Musical Ritual in Mexico City: From the Aztecs to NAFTA. Pedelty, Mark Holmes, University of Texas Press, Author, 2004.
  • War Stories: The Culture of Foreign Correspondents. Pedelty, Mark Holmes, Routledge, Author, 1995.

Research Activities

  • Popular Culture and Water Quality: In affiliation with the Institute on the Environment, Pedelty is currently developing an environmental communication campaign designed to improve the quality of stormwater runoff in Minneapolis neighborhoods. The participatory action research (par) campaign is drawing on the talents of student, faculty, and community-based artists.

Creative Activities

  • Popular Music and the Environment: Dr. Pedelty has been performing with student and faculty musicians in local venues, part of a larger participatory action research (par) project aimed at better understanding the actual and potential role played by local musicians in environmental education and action.

Outreach Activities

  • Environmental Action: Professor Pedelty and his students collaborate with several local organizations, including efforts to promote environmental restoration and education projects.

Awards

  • 2009-2011 Institute on the Environment Research Fellow
  • 2009 Institute for Advanced Study Research Fellow
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