John Sewell
Associate Professor & Journalism Head
Miller Hall - Room 2305
Office Hours
Tue 8:00-9:30am and 10:45am-2:15pm
and by appointment
As an educator my goal is twofold: to provide viable career training, and to foster critical thinking. Although my professional history and current focus at UWG is in journalism, I also have a strong background in rhetorical theory, cultural studies and critical/rhetorical ethnography. My research interests include rhetorical theory, affect theory, post-structuralism, postmodernism and identity studies. I am honored to serve as Program Head for the SCFM's Journalism track.
- B.S., Communication, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, 1997
- M.A., Professional Communication, East Tennessee State University, 2006
- Ph.D., Public Communication (Cultural Studies/Critical Theory), Georgia State University, 2012
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications)
- COMM-2254 (Media Ethics)
- COMM-3301 (Writing & Reptg for Newspapers)
- COMM-3302 (Public Affairs Reporting)
- COMM-4402 (Feature Writing)
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian)
- COMM-4454 (Media Law)
- COMM-4455 (Critical Issues in Mass Comm)
- COMM-5585 (Soc Media, Pop Cultr, Postmdrn)
- COMM-6055 (Collctv Idntities n Digtl Cltr)
- COMM-6600 (Digt & Soc Med Comm Theories)
Fall 2026 Sections
- COMM-4402 (Feature Writing) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4454 (Media Law) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6055 (Collec Identity in Dig Culture) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2026 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: E04 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-3301 (Fundamentals of Newswriting) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2026 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: 02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4454 (Media Law) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6600 (DSMC Theories) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2025 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: 07 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-3301 (Fundamentals of Newswriting) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6055 (SocMed,Pop Culture, Postmodern) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6600 (DSMC Theories) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2025 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: E04 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6055 (Collect IDs in Digital Culture) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2025 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: 02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6600 (DSMC Theories) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2024 Sections
- COMM-2254 (Media Ethics) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4402 (Feature Writing) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2024 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: E03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6055 (Coll Ident & Digi Culture) Section: E02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2024 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6600 (DSMC Theories) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2023 Sections
- COMM-3301 (Fundamentals of Newswriting) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6600 (DSMC Theories) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2023 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: E03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6055 (Collctv Idntities n Digtl Cltr) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2023 Sections
- COMM-3301 (Fundamentals of Newswriting) Section: 02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4402 (Feature Writing) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2022 Sections
- COMM-3301 (Fundamentals of Newswriting) Section: 02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-6600 (Digt & Soc Med Comm Theories) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2022 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: E03 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2022 Sections
- COMM-3301 (Fundamentals of Newswriting) Section: 02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4402 (Feature Writing) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2021 Sections
- COMM-3302 (Public Affairs Reporting) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-5585 (Soc Media, Pop Cultr, Postmdrn) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Summer 2021 Sections
- COMM-1154 (Intro to Mass Communications) Section: E05 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-3302 (Public Affairs Reporting) Section: E01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Spring 2021 Sections
- COMM-3301 (Writing & Reptg for Newspapers) Section: 02 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4402 (Feature Writing) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
Fall 2020 Sections
- COMM-3301 (Writing & Reptg for Newspapers) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4421N (Practicum-The West Georgian) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
- COMM-4455 (Critical Issues in Mass Comm) Section: 01 external Syllabus via Concourse External Resource
“We (Don’t Really) Mean it, Man! Or Do We?” In Schofield, J., Graves-Brown, P. and Gelain, G. (Eds.), The Routledge Handbook of the Sex Pistols. Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK: Routledge, 2026.
“Don’t Call me Bro and Don’t Call Me Cis: Fat Mike’s Queer(ed) Punk Performativity.” In Bernhard, E., Morello, S., and Pearson, D. (Eds.), NOFX: Forty Years of “Problematic” Punk Provocations. New York: Bloomsbury Academic, 2025.
“‘Problems’: Johnny and Donny’s Iconoclastic Pop Populism. Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies 20.1 (Spring 2024) 1-12.
“‘Workin’ on a Mystery’: Tom Petty, Postmodernism, Post-Structuralism and Who We Are(n’t).” In Volpert, M. (Ed.), Tom Petty and Philosophy. Chicago: Open Court Publishing, 2019. [View Publication (PDF)]
“The Singular They and How it works: A (More or Less) Structuralist Explanation of Transgender’s Poststructuralist, Pronominal Revolution.” In Manning, J., and Dunn, J. C. (Eds.), Transgressing feminist theory and discourse: Advancing conversations a [View Publication (PDF)]
“‘Becoming Rather than Being’: Queer’s Double-Edged Discourse as Deconstructive Practice.” Journal of Communication Inquiry, 38.4. 291-307. [View Publication (PDF)]
“‘Becoming Rather Than Being’: Queer’s Double-Edged Discourse as Deconstructive Practice. Sage Video: Media, Communication and Cultural Studies Collection, August, 2015. http://sk.sagepub.com/video/becoming-rather-than-being-queers-double-edged-dis
“Numinous Fortune and Holy Money: Dave Ramsey’s Cruel Optimism.” In Meyers, M. (Ed.), Neoliberalism and the Media. New York: Routledge, 2019. [View Publication (PDF)]