About

Keven James Rudrow is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication & Film at the University of Memphis. Keven's scholarship and teaching explore contemporary discourses concerning race, gender, and sexuality in U.S. American popular culture. He is particularly invested in examining media discourses about Black masculinity in relation to vulnerability and resistance in contemporary mainstream hip-hop music. His work can be read in Critical Studies in Media Communication, Communication, Culture & Critique and the Journal of Black Studies. Keven currently teaches Oral Communication and the Rhetoric of Popular Culture.

Education

Ph.D. Communication, The University of Memphis, (In progress)
MA. Communication, Valdosta State University, 2016
BFA. Communication, Valdosta State University, 2014

Honors and Awards

Michael and Suzanne Osborn Fellowship (2019-2020) (awarded for excellence in research, teaching, and service to the Department of Communication & Film).

Top Student Paper, Southern States Communication Association, Argumentation and Forensics Division, Nashville, TN. April 2018.

Top Student Paper, Southern States Communication Association, Argumentation and Forensics Division, Greenville, SC. April 2017.

Top Student Paper, Southern States Communication Association, Argumentation and Forensics Division, Austin, TX. April 2016.

Graduate Student of the Year, College of Fine Arts, Valdosta, GA. May 2016.

Research Interests

Black Masculinities
Hip-Hop Music
Media Studies
Contemporary Rhetorical Theory

Refereed Journal Articles

Rudrow, K.J. (forthcoming). "I was scared to death": Storytelling, masculinity & vulnerability in "Wet Dreamz." Critical Studies in Media Communication. Doi: 10.1080/15295036.2020.1741660 

Rudrow, K. J. (2019). "I see death around the corner": Vulnerability and manhood in Me Against the World. Journal of Black Studies, 50(7), 632-650. Doi: 10.1177/0021934719875941

Edgar, A. N. & Rudrow, K. J. (2018). "I think of him as an ancestor": Tupac fans and the intimacy of pop cultural heritage. Communication, Culture & Critique, 11(4), 642–658. Doi: 10.1093/ccc/tcy032