Sharon R. Mazzarella

Dr. Sharon R. Mazzarella is a Professor at the School of Communication Studies, James Madison University, specializing in Cultural Communication and research methods. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has been affiliated with JMU since 2009.

• Research Focus: Media culture's portrayal of young people, particularly girls, intersecting with moral panic, gender studies, and youth in media.
• Key Publications: Authored Girls, Moral Panic, and the News Media: Troublesome Bodies (2020) and co-edited nine academic collections, including The Routledge Companion to Girls’ Studies (2024).
• Awards: Recipient of the 2019 Provost Award for Excellence in Research and Scholarship.
• Journal Contributions: Published in journals such as Women’s Studies in Communication, Communication Culture & Critique, and Girlhood Studies.