Professional Profile

Dr. Tara Walker is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Internship Coordinator for the Journalism, Strategic Communication, and Media Studies departments. Dr. Walker has experience teaching at the University of Colorado Boulder, Community College of Denver, Community College of Aurora, the University of Colorado at Denver, and City Colleges of Chicago.

Prior to her time teaching, Dr. Walker worked as a Free-lance Writer, Marketing Assistant, and Professional Resume Writer. She is also a Poet and Artist. Her collection of poetry and drawings, Exquisite Disgust, was published in 2018.

“My teaching philosophy is based on three tenets: it is not about me, it is about me, and it is about them. Teaching is a job of service for the students, yet it should stay interesting to help students take ownership of the course material.”

For Dr. Walker, one of the most rewarding parts of teaching is the opportunity and obligation to keep learning.

Dr. Walker loves being a media/communication scholar because it allows her to be interested in everything. Her main focus is the role of mass communication messages in shaping and reinforcing dominant paradigms regarding mental health. Additionally, she’s interested in the ethical implications of smartphone technology for tracking mental health, and gender/race/class representations in advertising and entertainment media.

Other interests include but are not limited to drawing, painting, bird-and-insect-watching, hiking, and treasure-hunting at thrift stores and flea markets.

Academic Credentials

• Ph.D., Media Research and Practice, University of Colorado Boulder
  • Dissertation title: Ask your Doctor about Chemical Imbalances: Mass-Communicating the Biomedical Model of Mental Illness through the Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
• M.F.A., Writing, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago
• B.A., English and Creative Writing, Coe College