Robert MacDougall

Robert MacDougall is Professor of Media Studies in the Communication Department at Curry College, where he also served as the inaugural coordinator of the Faculty Center for Professional Development & Curriculum Innovation. Previously, he taught at the University at Albany, Allegheny College, and Emerson College.

MacDougall's research spans media ecology, cognitive approaches to digital interfaces, and the social implications of technology across historical periods. His work examines how communication media shape cognitive processes, social structures, and epistemological frameworks, with particular focus on the interface between human cognition and digital environments. Recent investigations incorporate EEG and other neuro-physiological apparatuses to measure multimedia effects.

His scholarly output reveals a clear trajectory from early cultural studies of digital communication (particularly his work on Mohawk email usage) toward increasingly sophisticated examinations of mind-technology relationships. The publications demonstrate consistent engagement with media ecology while progressively incorporating neuroscientific methods and theoretical frameworks. His work bridges humanities and scientific approaches to understanding media's cognitive and social impacts.

MacDougall is author of three books including Cultural Technics: Making Meaning at the Interfaces of Oral and Electronic Culture (2009), Digitation: Identity, Organization and Public Life in the Age of Small Digital Devices and Big Digital Domains (2012), and Communication and Control: Tools, Systems and New Dimensions (2015), along with numerous journal articles and book chapters.

His academic work demonstrates sustained engagement with the philosophical and practical implications of media technologies, evolving from cultural analysis toward interdisciplinary investigations incorporating neuro-physiological measurement. MacDougall maintains active research partnerships and continues to publish at the intersection of media theory, cognitive science, and digital technology studies.