Austin D. Hestdalen, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Communication

Introduction

Austin Hestdalen is an Assistant Professor of communication in the Department of Communication and Creative Arts. His scholarship focuses on the ethical implications mark technologies have for urban public spheres.

Research Overview

Austin’s research is particularly interested in how individual and institutional actors cultivate ethics of crisis response within the complex and contradictory contexts of urban environments.

Select Publications

• Hestdalen, A. D. (In Press). Communicative Spaces of Abjection: Rust, Ruination, and Renewal in Gary, IN. In Relics of Modernity: Theorizing Rhetorics and Performance of Ruins, A. F. Wood (ed.). Lexington Books.
• Hestdalen, A. D. (2022). The Kind of Problem a Smart City Is. Explorations in Media Ecology, 21(2-3), 213-230.
• Hestdalen, A. D. (2022). Urban Risk and Crisis Communication in Posthuman Cities. Explorations in Media Ecology, 21(1), 67-83.
• Hestdalen, A. D. (2020). Understanding the Medium of Exchange. Explorations in Media Ecology, 19(1), 37-54.

Teaching Focus

Austin’s research focuses include urban communication, risk and crisis communication, communication ethics, and media ecology. As a first-generation student, his goal is to help bridge gaps between theory and practice by working with students to address systemic issues in the local area through community based participatory research. Through classes that emphasize a workshop model, he invites students to participate in the craft of learning and engage one another in conversations about business, ethics, media, cities, and the uncertainties of everyday life.

Fun Facts

I love playing tabletop roleplaying games. D&D is my favorite, but I’m always open to rolling dice in any system.