Alum Shares Dissertation Research

Alumna, Megan Foster (MA, ‘20), visited the department on September 24th. She met with MA students for an informal pizza lunch to discuss her experience as a PhD student in the Department of Communication at UNC Chapel Hill.

Afterwards, she joined Dr. Bibi Reisdorf’s class, COMM 6011: Special Topics in Communication Research Methods: Research with Marginalized Communities. In this class, Megan introduced her research on what she describes as techniques of terror deployed by the state against people of the Black diaspora and how these techniques manifest in the carceral state, public welfare programs, and the child welfare system. The class also talked about her performance “Fight Like Hell,” which is based on her ethnographic dissertation work with Black women who experienced pregnancy and/or birth during incarceration.

Dr. Reisdorf says, “During the session, Megan answered all of the students’ questions, who truly enjoyed having such an impressive scholar in our class. It was an honor to host Megan, and we hope that her performance will come to Charlotte in spring 2026.”