Our Faculty - Communication Studies

Dr. Jabbar Al-Obaidi is Professor of Media Studies and Communication Technologies. Currently, Professor Al-Obaidi serves as the Academic Director of Global Programs in the Dr. Minnock Institute for Global Engagement at Bridgewater State University (BSU). Previously, he served as the Chairperson of the Communication Studies Department and the Director of the Center for Middle East Studies. In addition to his extensive teaching and administrative experiences in the US, he taught in Iraq, Jordan, Yemen, United Arab Emirates and China. Professor Al-Obaidi ‘s administrative contribution, scholarly work, and teaching cover curriculum and programs, management and leadership, assessment, pedagogy, online learning communities, instructional technology, intercultural communication, and media in the Middle East. He also produces and hosts a television program and documentary films. He organized and participated in numerous workshops and training sessions in the area of intercultural communication, professional development, curriculum assessment, online learning and teaching, and institutional strategic development. Dr. Al-Obaidi initiated and facilitated the implementation of academic international partnership with many universities in the Middle East. He led study abroad programs, undergraduate research, and internship in various countries including Jordan, Morocco, the UAE, and Qatar. He also works closely with student clubs to promote collaboration and diversity integration, and intercultural communication.

Jessica Birthisel, PhD, is an associate professor who teaches and researches in the areas of journalism, newswriting, multimedia storytelling, digital media, popular culture and representations of gender, race, sexuality, and class in the media. A former journalist, she's always loved writing, and in addition to her academic scholarship in feminist media studies, she continues to write journalistic articles and also self-publishes contemporary romance novels. When not teaching, writing or engaging in campus service, she's likely to be hanging out with her husband and four sons, taking (or teaching) a Zumba class, cooking, baking, crafting, staying up way too late reading, or adding washi tape and stickers to her planner.

Bjorn Ingvoldstad is Associate Professor of Communication Studies. His teaching focuses upon film, video, and media studies, in terms of both critical studies and creative works. He received a Fulbright fellowship in 2015 to Lithuania, and has published several pieces on Lithuanian media and media audiences.

Professor Meek teaches courses in digital media production, film studies, screenwriting, and gender studies. She is an award-winning writer and film director, with her most recent film, Imagine Kolle 37, having screened at the ICA Boston, Independent Film Festival of Boston, and others. She edited the book Independent Female Filmmakers: A Chronicle through Profiles, Interviews, and Manifestos with Routledge in 2019, and she has published in Literature/Film Quarterly, Girhood Studies, and the Journal of Popular Film and Television.

In addition, her successes as a media entrepreneur have been profiled by NPR, the Boston Globe and Inc. Magazine. She founded NewEnglandFilm.com, an online magazine, directory and film festival website that has become a leading resource for filmmakers in the region, and she led the transition of the 30-year-old magazine The Independent Film and Video Monthly to the nonprofit organization Independent Media Publications, where she remains a board member. She regularly serves on film festival juries and advisory boards, including Stowe Story Labs, Women in Comedy Festival, Salem Film Fest, and others, and she currently serves as Co-Chair of the Children’s and Youth Media and Culture Scholarly Interest Group for the Society of Cinema and Media Studies. For more information, see her website at http://www.michelemeek.com. 

Nick Pirelli teaches Strategic Communication, Business and Professional Communication, Public Speaking, Visual Communication, Group Communication and Decision Making, Organizational Communication and Public Relations Case Studies. He also serves as the faculty advisor for the Public Relations Student Society of America and is a member of the Community-Engaged Teaching and Scholarship Advisory Board. 

Throughout his career, Professor Pirelli has distinguished himself as a visionary, innovative and entrepreneurial educator committed to diversity, social equity and inclusion.  He brings experience from public, private, two-year and four-year higher education realms, as well as local government. He has held positions as Director of Student Involvement and Leadership, Assistant Dean of Graduate Studies, Deputy Director of Parks and Recreation, Director of Public Safety and Facilities Management, Director of Emergency Management, and Special Assistant to the President for Strategic Initiatives.  Professor Pirelli is a Certified Park and Recreation Professional, Certified Emergency Manager, and Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.

Professor Pirelli is a strong advocate for reinventing higher education.  He has spoken both locally and nationally on a range of issues related to civic engagement, marketing, and municipal government. He is a member of Public Relations Society of America, National Recreation and Park Association, International Association of Emergency Managers, and National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. 

Professor Pirelli is an active member of his community, where he sits on the Stoughton Finance Committee and is an elected Town Meeting Representative.

Dr. Shin teaches strategic communication, organizational communication, communication theory, and research methods in the Department of Communication Studies. He employs strategic communication for local community development and civic engagement. As a communication researcher and a teacher, he has learned that the ultimate power of communication is to make us open ourselves to one another and to realize the truth that we are not different but the same as human beings.