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Dr Angela Smith has published an article which explores the influential role played by the media in perceptions of political leaders. Since the latter part of the twentieth century, leaders’ personalities have come to play an increasing role in their appeal, in particular their gendered performances. In her article, Angela explores Barack Obama's 2008 election campaign through a gendered lens, contrasting it with the construction of male political leaders in other parts of the world, particularly that of Vladimir Putin in Russia. Building on work carried out in relation to the mediatisation and personalisation of politics in the last 50 years, Angela shows how gendered performances can be seen to mirror changes in society. Smith, Angela (2015) 'Mediated political masculinities: the commander-in-chief vs. the new man.' Social Semiotics . 

Sophie Raine Sophie Raine, who holds a BA in English and Creative Writing and an MA in English Studies from Sunderland, has been awarded a scholarship at Lancaster University to pursue doctoral studies. Her project is entitled 'The Body Currency: Consumer Culture as the Catalyst for Exploitation in Victorian Gothic Literature' and it will explore the role of commodity fetishism and consumer culture in a wide range of popular and canonical texts, analysing their role in both the oppression and liberation of marginalized groups. 

The New North East one-day symposium took place on 13th July at St Peter's campus. The day - hosted by the Department of Culture and convened by Mike Pearce - saw people from all walks of life attend a wide-ranging programme of talks organized around the theme of culture in the region. Topics covered included the role of archives and museums, dialect, arts policy, and journalism. Landscape photography and poetry was also on the menu. The full programme can be found here .

Dr David Fallon recently gave a paper at Romantic Imprints - the British Association of Romantic Studies conference in Cardiff (July 16th-19th). 'Gillray, the Phallic Earl, and the Public Meanings of a 1790s Imprint' discussed James Gillray's caricature  Sandwich-Carrots!­—dainty Sandwich-Carrots (3rd December 1796), which lampooned John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. The paper argues that the presence of Robert Faulder's bookshop in the background of the caricature is actually central to the caricature's message.

Dr Angela Smith will be presenting a paper at the 2015 Ross Priory Broadcast Talk Group's annual seminar to be held on the banks of Loch Lomond, 6-9th July. Her subject is how social media is used to create a sense of co-presence and community amongst viewers of the BBC1 show, Strictly Come Dancing , in both the BBC's official social media feeds and in the Guardian ’s dedicated blog. In so doing, she will revisit Livingstone and Lunt’s (1994) assessment of the privileging of ‘lay’ over ‘expert’ in public participation shows, as well as the creation online of a sense of co-present liveness that underpins more conventional aspects of broadcast sociability (Scannell, 1991).

Mike Pearce has written a comment piece for the website of The Northern Correspondent . You can read it here .

It's been three years since the first post on the Department of Culture Research Blog. Thirty thousand hits later we're still going strong, showcasing the range of high-quality research and scholarship in the department. Many thanks to all those who have contributed - keep it coming!