On Pulp Fiction and Media Scholarship

Michael Newman grew up in Toronto, Canada and always wanted to be a writer. “I approach the world ready to do a critical interpretation. This means looking below the surface,” Newman said.

Newman is a media scholar at UW-Milwaukee who majored in English Literature at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. He later got his PhD in Media Studies. He wrote an extensive article on Pulp Fiction and the cultural influences it has had on media.

Associate Professor and Department Chair for the JAMS program at the University of Wisconsin- Milwaukee, Newman spoke to a class of first-semester freshmen on Oct. 28. He gave information about his media background as well as the benefits of a degree in Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies.

He added that part of capturing readers’ attention in any writing is to pull out bits of information that are both fascinating and memorable.

Newman also expressed his passion to learn more about Tumblr, blogs, and other creative sites. “[These sites] give ordinary people an exciting opportunity to be creative,” Newman said.

Newman also talked about the importance of understanding media’s social significance in our society. “It is part of our everyday lives,” he said.

Newman was also asked to describe the major differences between a JAMS degree and a Communication degree. He explained how Communication “can be studied in lots of ways from a lot of perspectives. JAMS is more focused.”

Newman spoke at the Journalism, Advertising, and Media Studies Living Learning Community, through which students interested in media careers live together in the dorms.

When Newman was asked what his career as an Associate Professor entailed, he described it in three parts: teaching, research, and service. By this he means teaching classes, researching by reading and writing, and service through communication with others.

A member of Newman’s audience, freshman and intended JAMS major Bianca Camiro, had only good things to say. “I really enjoyed his talk. It gave me kind of a ‘behind the scenes’ look into the JAMS department. He really gave me more insight into what a potential career may look like with a Journalism degree,” Camiro said.

Newman concluded his talk by leaving first-semester freshmen with one piece of advice, “It doesn’t matter what you study in your undergrad, as long as you like it.”