Nancy Van Leuven is a strategic communication activist who explores issues in global
communication, health, and the environment, with a focus on women and tribal and indigenous
populations.
PUBLICATIONS IN REFEREED JOURNALS
2021 “Mechanical Time/Ceremonial Time: Land Connections as a Time Continuum of American
Indians.” Climate Change and Journalism: Negotiating Rifts of Time, (Routledge, 2021) The danger of climate change is real, especially for indigenous
populations in North America that are disproportionately affected (United Nations,
2019). But many American Indian tribes are resisting a Western hourglass that’s
running out of sand; instead, their collective memory is of a heart beating in the
landscape, sometimes faint, sometimes with a thundering pulse. This study looks at
how media covers the relocation of Louisiana’s Isle de Jean Charles Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw
Indians (the first instance of government funded resettlement because of climate
change erosion and flooding) that depict the dialogue between the historical construction
of the environment – that which was built and experienced through the years by both
indigenous and colonizing cultures—and the gradually altered representation of time
by both. First author.
2020 “Science is the New Fiction: Divisive Discourse on Climate Change in the United States.
The Sustainability Communication Reader. (Springer, anticipated Oct., 2020) Why is climate change so highly contested in
the U.S. public arena? Many point to the effects of media we consume, including
exposure to fake and conflicting information on social media (Iyengar, Sood & Lelkes
2019; Williams, 2016). Frameworks for this study rely on, framing, media studies,
and the role of credible experts amidst journalistic “objectivity” -- including the
work of scientist Bruno Latour -- to understand media’s role in public understanding
and resistance. The study is also designed to note the strength and effectiveness
of any calls to action about climate change which can be seen as takeaways to be
applied to larger issues of sustainable development. First author.
2019 “Collaboratively Connecting: Public Polling as a Foundation for Transportation Decision-Making Networks.” California State University Transportation Consortium, Mineta Transportation Institute,
2019. peer reviewed and revised/resubmitted. Over the past few years, there have
been notable trends in the areas of tracking public opinion, especially in public
issues such as transportation. Such powerful processes continue to be a critical
(and often mandated) component of the democratic process as they help policy makers
connect with affected constituencies. This study explores travel trends and transportation
preferences of a sample of adults in the California Central Valley of Fresno, an
increasingly congested region that is also heavily agricultural and regarded as an
expected launching pad for California’s first high-speed rail system. P.I. and First
Author.
2019 “Walking the Walk or Just All Talk? College Faculty and Students’ Perceptions of
Universal Design for Learning in the Classroom.” The Online Journal of New Horizons in Education . 9 (3) Using a quantitative, causal comparative framework, findings indicate student
and faculty agreement with statements about the importance of universal design (UD)
strategies/practices is overwhelmingly higher than respondents’ agreement with statements
about the implementation of those strategies/practices in their classrooms. Findings
highlight the challenges that still face faculty and students; benefits to students
of expanded professional development opportunities for faculty to support the changing
needs of diverse learners are identified, and practical UD applications in the college-classroom
are presented. Second author.
2018 “Love Me, Follow Me, Do As I Do: Celebrity Impact on the Rising Waters of #Hurricane
Harvey and #Hurricane Irma” Star Power: The Media Effects of America’s Celebrity Culture, November, 2018, Roman & Littlefield. This chapter begins with a case study about
how celebrities used Twitter in August and September 2017 to reach their followers
after Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma made landfall. It then identifies communication
theories that explore how star power intersects with cyberspace savvy, especially
in meaningful and/or successful outcomes for the organizations they intended to assist.
The chapter also creates a replicable model for classroom studies of web culture.
First author.
