Professor, Media & Cultural Studies
Dept. of Communication, Media & Performance
Allegheny College
Box 45. 520 North Main Street
Meadville, PA 16335
EMAIL: iroy@allegheny.edu
As a Media Professor at one of the top Colleges that Change Lives ...
I'm an advocate for interdisciplinary thinking, a fan of lifelong inquiry and community- engaged learning, a global explorer, and a communication strategist.
DEGREES EARNED
B.A & M.A
(English Lit.)
Bombay University, India
M.A. & Ph.D (Communication)
Annenberg School for Communication at the
University of Southern California,
Los Angeles
Media Cultures
Nation Branding
Global Media
Integrated Marketing Communication & Media Storytelling
Sports Marketing
Digital & New Media Technologies and Communities
2026 Alumni Tour to India
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In the summer of 2026, Allegheny graduates across various cohorts, and their guests, will embark on an immersive eighteen-day tour unpacking the contested and unfolding 'idea of India'. We will explore Indian art, mythology, history, politics, and visual media, organized around the theme of Peacocks, Palaces, and Portals.
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This unique journey will be co-led by myself and my colleague, Brian Miller, Assistant Professor of History and International Studies. Drawing on our combined expertise, we will guide the group as they discover India’s rich cultural landscape, and build deep connections and lasting memories along the way.
Thrilled to host a former student Kristen Lauth-Shaeffer ('03), who was double major in Communication and Theater. Kristen re-visited her Alma Mater, thanks to the Allegheny College Public Humanities Program, which sponsored the event. During her talk, she unpacked examples of her work, including the immersive 360 VR video "By the Waters of Babylon," and showed students how to take an idea and develop it into a creative-critical piece.
"By the Waters of Babylon," takes viewers into the world of composers silenced by the Holocaust and a string quartet’s mission to make this music heard. It was awarded the hashtag#VIFFImmersed Best in Documentary Award at Vancouver International Film Festival.
Most recently, Kristen was recommended for The Academy Gold Fellowship for Women, a fellowship by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences that is designed to inspire emerging women filmmakers. Making us proud and showing what a liberal arts education can do!
INCOMING STUDENTS LEARN
D.I.Y SKILLS IN THEIR FALL '23 FIRST YEAR SEMINAR ON "FASHION, MEDIA AND CULTURE".
Right: Television producer and Allegheny alumnus Lloyd Segan ('80) virtually co-taught the "Media and Culture" course in spring 2024, and generously brought in industry professionals who added their expertise in covering timely topics regarding the changing media and technology landscape and its impact on American democracy.
"Disruptive Learning and An Ethics of Sustainable Development: The Case of an SDG-Themed Community Engaged Learning Cohort for Future Leaders," co-presented with Dr. Caryl Waggett, Allegheny College, USA (17 June 2022) at the 5th World Symposium on Sustainable Development at Universities.
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Our presentation used the case study of an undergraduate first-year cohort of Allegheny College Global Citizen Scholars studying SDG 5 (Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment). During the COVID lockdown, these students participated in a virtual community-engaged learning initiative developed in collaboration with the community partner (Women’s Services Inc.). While most higher education initiatives use the SDGs in courses oriented towards global problem-solving, our case study explored how the SDGs can provide the foundation to build more collaborative partnerships, framed by an "ethics of care," between academic institutions and community partners.