{"id":119,"date":"2015-08-31T11:24:55","date_gmt":"2015-08-31T15:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/profile\/stephanie-kelley-romano\/"},"modified":"2026-02-03T16:39:59","modified_gmt":"2026-02-03T21:39:59","slug":"stephanie-kelley-romano","status":"publish","type":"faculty-profile","link":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/profile\/stephanie-kelley-romano\/","title":{"rendered":"Stephanie Kelley-Romano"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Stephanie Kelley-Romano earned her undergraduate and MA degrees at Emerson College in Boston.\u00a0 Her Ph.D. in Communication Studies was earned at The University of Kansas.\u00a0 Her research and teaching interests include gender and media, myth and narrative, conspiracy, political rhetoric, and substance (mis)use disorder\/addiction.\u00a0 Kelley-Romano received the Kroepsch Teaching Award for excellence in teaching in 2019.\u00a0 Her scholarship has appeared in <i>The Journal of Hate Studies, Communication Quarterly, Journalism Studies, <\/i>and <i>The Journal of UFO Studies <\/i>among others<i>.\u00a0 <\/i>She is often sought after for podcasts on political or paranormal topics, and her public scholarship has appeared in <i>Newsweek.com <\/i>and <i>The Conversation.<\/i>\u00a0 In 2020 Kelley-Romano was part of the Mellon cohort of Periclean Faculty Leaders where she further systematized community engaged learning and partnerships into her teaching and research.\u00a0 Recently, she has lectured about conspiracy theories to political groups, medical professionals, and the wider community.<\/p>\n<h3>Education<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ph.D. &#8211; Communication Studies, May 1999, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS<\/li>\n<li>Dissertation: The Myth of Communion: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Narratives of Alien Abductees<\/li>\n<li>M.A. &#8211; Political Communication, 1994, Emerson College, Boston, MA<\/li>\n<li>Areas of Emphasis: Rhetorical Theory and Practice; Political Communication<\/li>\n<li>B.S. &#8211; Communication Studies, 1993, Emerson College, Boston, MA<\/li>\n<li>Graduated with honors: Cum Laude<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Publications<\/h2>\n<h3>Academic Publications<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Kelley-Romano: S. (2024). \u201cA Man \u2018unjustly accused\u2019 by a \u2018seemingly credible\u2019 Woman: Conspiracy, Confirmations and Fox News Coverage.\u201d Conspiracy Theories and Misinformation Collection. Routledge Open Research.<\/li>\n<li>Bradfield Douglass, Amy and Stephanie Kelley-Romano.\u00a0 \u201cMemory Distortion in a Social Judgment Paradigm: People who Report Contact with Aliens are More Susceptible.\u201d\u00a0 to be submitted: <i>The Reliability of UFO Witnesses<\/i> Ed by Vicente-Juan Ballester Olmos. Anticipated publication January 2023.<\/li>\n<li>Joseph, Lori J. and Kelley-Romano, S. (2022).\u00a0 \u201cWomen of \u2018Dignity and Grace\u2019: Politics of Respectability in Alcoholics Anonymous.\u201d in <i>Mental Health Rhetoric Research: Toward Strategic Interventions<\/i>. Routledge. Ed. by Catherine Molloy.<\/li>\n<li>Greer, Meredith L. &amp; Kelley-Romano, S. (2019). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/scholarship.claremont.edu\/jhm\/vol9\/iss2\/4\/\">Engaging Crisis: Immersive, Interdisciplinary Learning in Mathematics and Rhetoric<\/a>.\u201d Journal of Humanistic Mathematics<\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S. &amp; *Carew, K. L. (2019). <a href=\"https:\/\/jhs.press.gonzaga.edu\/articles\/abstract\/10.33972\/jhs.123\/\">Make America Hate Again: Donald Trump and the Birther Conspiracy.<\/a>\u00a0[Special Issue &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/jhs.press.gonzaga.edu\/1\/volume\/14\/issue\/1\/\">Interrogating the Place of Hate in the 2016 Presidential Campaign<\/a>&#8220;]. <i>Journal of Hate Studies <\/i>Volume 14 Issue 1, pp.33-52.<\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S. (2016). \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/tcjournal.org\/vol6\/kelley-romano\">Biopower in Space: Technology, Reproduction, and the Alien Agenda.<\/a>\u201d <i>Technoculture: An Online Journal of Technology in Society <\/i>Volume 6.<\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S. (2008). \u201cTrust No One: The Conspiracy Genre on American Television.\u201d Southern Communication Journal 73, 2, p.105-121.<\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S. &amp; *Westgate, V. (2007).\u00a0 \u201cBlaming Bush: An Analysis of Political Cartoons Following Hurricane Katrina.\u201d Journalism Studies, Vol. 8 Issue 5, p755-773.<\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S.\u00a0 (2007).\u00a0 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/Sith_Slayers_Stargates_Cyborgs\/SXbn5IenBgkC?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=Makin%E2%80%99+Whoopi:+Race,+Gender,+and+The+Starship+Enterprise&amp;pg=PA170&amp;printsec=frontcover\">Makin\u2019 Whoopi: Race, Gender, and The Starship Enterprise<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 (Chapter 9) Siths, Slayers, Stargates, and Cyborgs: Modern Mythology in the New Millenium. Edited by David Whitt and John Perlich.\u00a0 Published by Peter Lang.<\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S. &amp; *Westgate, V.\u00a0 (2006).\u00a0 \u201c Drawing Disaster: The Crisis Cartoons of Hurricane Katrina.\u201d\u00a0 Texas Speech Communication Journal.\u00a0 Volume 31 Issue 1.<\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S.\u00a0 (2006).\u00a0 \u201c\u2019The Modern Mythmaking of Alien Abductions.\u201d\u00a0 Communication Quarterly.\u00a0 Vol. 54 Issue 3, p383-406.<\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S.\u00a0 (2006).\u00a0 \u201cA Report on the Demographics of Alien Abductees\/Experiencers.\u201d\u00a0 Journal of UFO Studies.\u00a0 Volume 9. <i>* = Bates Student<\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Public Scholarship<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Great Falls Forum (February 2022) <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_OZVB9p2mnY&amp;t=32s\">Conspiracy Theories<\/a><\/li>\n<li>April 2021. <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/1-RKPuPu9sA?t=11\">COVID Conspiracies: Contextualizing &amp; Countering False Beliefs<\/a>. Presentation at Grand Rounds for CMMC Pediatrics Department<\/li>\n<li>Rocque, M. &amp; Kelley-Romano, S. (February 19, 2021) <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/why-do-mass-shootings-spawn-conspiracy-theories-155017\">\u201cWhy do mass shootings spawn conspiracy theories?\u201d<\/a> <em>The Conversation.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Kelley-Romano, S. (August 1, 2019) <a href=\"http:\/\/If the Democrats Master This Single Strategy, They Can Defeat Trump in 2020 | Opinion\">&#8220;If the Democrats Master This Single Strategy, They Can Defeat Trump in 2020 | Opinion&#8221;<\/a> Newsweek<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Interviews and Media Appearances<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>June 2025. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chronicle.com\/podcast\/college-matters-from-the-chronicle\/course-catalog-decoding-and-fighting-conspiracy-theories\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">College Matters Podcast<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> \u00a0<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em>Chronicle of Higher Education, <\/em><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Interviewed about <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conspiracy Rhetoric <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">course<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><em>.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/li>\n<li>December 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy\/390309\/maha-rfk-make-america-healthy-again-slippery\">&#8220;The slippery appeal of RFK Jr.\u2019s Make America Healthy Again movement&#8221; <\/a><em>Vox Media.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>July 2024. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/rhetoric-film-screen-studies\/files\/2024\/07\/pressherald.com-Maine-political-scholars-see-no-precedent-for-divisive-unpredictable-presidential-race.pdf\">&#8220;Maine political scholars see no precedent for divisive, unpredictable presidential race<\/a>&#8221;\u00a0<em>Portland Press Herald.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>May 2022. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.grid.news\/story\/misinformation\/2022\/05\/26\/after-the-uvalde-school-shooting-a-familiar-lie\/\">After the Uvalde school shooting, a familiar lie: Why people believe <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.grid.news\/story\/misinformation\/2022\/05\/26\/after-the-uvalde-school-shooting-a-familiar-lie\/\">mass shootings are \u201cfalse flag\u201d operations<\/a>.\u201d <i>Grid news.<\/i><\/li>\n<li>February 2021. <strong> &#8220;<\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/search.proquest.com\/docview\/2489101834?accountid=8505\">Vulgarity in Politics<\/a>&#8221; <em>Lewiston Sun Journal<\/em>. Comments on vulgarity in politics.<\/li>\n<li>July 2020. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/2020\/07\/14\/just-8-new-cases-in-maine-no-additional-deaths\/\">Maine CDC Reports 8 new COVID-19 cases, announces 18 \u2018swab and send\u2019 testing sites.<\/a>\u201d <em>Portland Press Herald. <\/em>Quoted re: Maine Calling appearance.<\/li>\n<li>June 2020. Topic: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainepublic.org\/post\/face-coverings-how-has-mask-wearing-become-polarizing-what-are-mainers-attitudes-toward-masks\">Face Coverings: How Has Mask-Wearing Become Polarizing &amp; What Are Mainers\u2019 <\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainepublic.org\/post\/face-coverings-how-has-mask-wearing-become-polarizing-what-are-mainers-attitudes-toward-masks\">Attitudes Toward Masks?<\/a> Guest: <em>Maine Calling<\/em> with Dr. Nirav Shah, director, Maine Center for Disease Control.<\/li>\n<li>May 2020. Topic: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mainepublic.org\/post\/conspiracy-theories-what-do-some-people-believe-what-makes-these-theories-take-hold-society\">Conspiracy Theories: What Do Some People Believe &amp; What Makes These Theories <\/a>Take Hold in Society?\u00a0Guest: <em>Maine Calling<\/em> with *Dr. Ryan Neville-Shepard and *Tim Kaplowitz<\/li>\n<li>October 2019. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imaginaryworldspodcast.org\/\">Imaginary Worlds Episode 129: From Outer Space<\/a><\/li>\n<li>October 2018. \u201d\u2019<a href=\"http:\/\/www.sunjournal.com\/wicked-interesting-2nd-district-debate-for-bates-rhetoric-professor\/\">Wicked Interesting\u2019 2nd District Debate for Bates Rhetoric Professor<\/a>\u201d \u00a0<em>Lewiston Sun Journal.<\/em><\/li>\n<li>November 2017. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usnews.com\/news\/best-states\/maine\/articles\/2017-11-18\/bates-prof-knows-a-thing-or-two-about-alien-abductions\">Bates Professor Knows a Thing or Two About Alien Abduction.<\/a>\u201d\u00a0<em>Associated Press\/ US News and World Report<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>October 2017. \u201c<i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt8151416\/\">Abducted New England<\/a><\/i>\u201d Documentary by Brock, Bill<\/li>\n<li>June 2017. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/megyn-kelly-alex-jones\/\">The Psychology of Why Interviewing Alex Jones is Such a Bad Idea<\/a>\u201d <em>Wired.com<\/em> by Dreyfuss, Emily<\/li>\n<li>June 2017. &#8220;The Psychology of a Conspiracy Believer\u201d <em>ESV Times<\/em> by Blair, Scott<\/li>\n<li>November 2016 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/news\/2016\/11\/04\/slideshow-presidential-politics-vs-not-real-smallpox-crisis\/\">Slideshow: Presidential Politics vs (not real) Smallpox Crisis Hour by Hour.<\/a>\u201d\u00a0 <em>Bates Web Page <\/em>by Jay Burns<\/li>\n<li>October 2016. &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pressherald.com\/2016\/10\/31\/at-bates-college-these-students-get-mock-star-treatment\/\">At Bates College Students Feel the Heat of Presidential Campaign<\/a>&#8221; <em>Portland Press Herald<\/em>.<\/li>\n<li>June 2016. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.inverse.com\/article\/17508-what-are-alien-abduction-believers-really-talking-about-sex-and-social-norms\">The Message from Alien Abductees<\/a>\u201d <em>Inverse.com<\/em> by Sloat, Sarah<\/li>\n<li>November 25, 2015. \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.tahlequahdailypress.com\/news\/local_news\/chasing-bigfoot-a-former-tdp-staff-writer-recalls-local-lore\/article_042413f2-938e-11e5-9488-df7fda2a0f83.html\">Chasing Bigfoot: A Former TDP Staff Writer Recalls Local Lore and Tales of Sightings<\/a>.\u201d <em>Tatahlequah Daily Press<\/em> by Glenn, Eddie<\/li>\n<li>January 2015. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.csicop.org\/si\/show\/crazy_beliefs_sane_believers_toward_a_cognitive_psychology_of_conspiracy_id\">Crazy Beliefs. Sane Believers: Toward a Cognitive Psychology of Conspiracy Ideation\u201d<\/a>\u00a0<em>Skeptical Inquirer<\/em> Volume 39.1 by Bost, Preston R.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Courses Taught<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>What is Rhetoric?<\/li>\n<li>Rhetorical Criticism<\/li>\n<li>Television Criticism<\/li>\n<li>The Rhetoric of Women&#8217;s Rights<\/li>\n<li>The Rhetoric of Alien Abduction<\/li>\n<li>Presidential Campaign Rhetoric<\/li>\n<li>Conspiracy Rhetoric<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"author":633,"featured_media":572,"template":"","class_list":["post-119","faculty-profile","type-faculty-profile","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","expertise-genre-studies","expertise-myth-and-narrative-in-popular-and-political-culture","expertise-rhetorical-theory-and-criticism","expertise-specific-feminist-approaches-to-politics-and-television","expertise-specific-genre-studies-of-conspiracy-and-captivity","expertise-specific-mythic-and-narrative-construction-of-alternative-belief-systems","expertise-specific-television-genres","what-i-teach-argument-theory-and-criticism","what-i-teach-classical-rhetorical-theory","what-i-teach-genre","what-i-teach-intersectional-categories-and-television","what-i-teach-rhetoric-and-public-address","what-i-teach-television-criticism","what-i-teach-u-s-political-communication","what-i-teach-specific-gender-on-television","what-i-teach-specific-genre","what-i-teach-specific-history-of-rhetoric","what-i-teach-specific-narratives-in-popular-culture","what-i-teach-specific-rhetorical-criticism-as-social-action-and-critique","what-i-teach-specific-television-theory-and-criticism","what-i-teach-specific-the-american-dream-myth-in-u-s-culture","what-i-teach-specific-women-in-u-s-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faculty-profile\/119","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faculty-profile"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/faculty-profile"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/633"}],"version-history":[{"count":33,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faculty-profile\/119\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7652,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/faculty-profile\/119\/revisions\/7652"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bates.edu\/faculty\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}