Education

Ph.D., University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa – Department of Communication Studies,

July 2004.

Dissertation Title: Spin-sters: Women, New Media Technologies, and Electronic/Dance Music. Advisor, Kembrew McLeod

M.A., Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan – Department of Communication Studies, May

2000.

B.A., University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada – Honours Communication Studies and

English, June 1998.

Research Interests

Critical/Cultural Studies Popular Music Studies

New Media Technologies Women’s Studies

Digital Media Production Ethnography

Academic Positions

Assistant Professor, Western Michigan University, School of Communication (August 2004-

present)

Graduate Instructor, Teaching Assistant, University of Iowa, Department of Communication Studies (August 2000-May 2004)

Publications

Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals

Farrugia, R. (2007) Traversing sonic and cyber scapes: On becoming a tech geek girl. Canadian Woman Studies 26(1): 93-96.

Farrugia, R. & Swiss, T. (2005). Tracking the DJs: Vinyl records, work and the debate over new technologies. Journal of Popular Music Studies 17(1): 30-44.

Farrugia, R. (2004). Sisterdjs in the house: Electronic/dance music and women centered spaces on the net. Women’s Studies in Communication 27(2): 236-262.

Invited Articles

Farrugia, R. (in press). High tech soul: the creation of techno music, a film by Gary Bredow. Journal of the Society for American Music.

Farrugia, R. (2007). Sampling and copyright in the digital age. Vague Terrain. [web based quarterly publication], Available: http://www.vagueterrain.net/content/archives/journal07/journal07.html

Farrugia, R. (November 2002) “Experimental literature was really the first kick: An

interview with Scanner.” Iowa Review Web [On-line serial], 4 (7). Available: http://www.uiowa.edu/~iareview/mainpages/tirwebhome.htm

Manuscripts Under Review

Farrugia, R. (2007, revise and resubmit). From San Francisco to cyberspace to SisterUSA: Exploring a women-centered DJ collective. Feminist Media Studies.

Farrugia, R. & Swiss, T. (2007, revise and submit) Producing producers: Women talk about electronic/dance music. Women and Music.

Farrugia, R. & Gobatto, N. (2008, submitted) The Commodification of the bootleg: Tori-philes,

fandom, and subcultural capital. Popular Music and Society.

In process

Weise, D. & Farrugia, R. “It’s complicated”: Speaking like a Facebook queen.

Grant Activity

Faculty Research and Creative Activities Support Fund, Western Michigan University, 2005-2006. Amount awarded: $9840

The Faculty Research and Creative Activities Support Fund (FRACASF) encourages excellence among faculty engaged in scholarly research, scientific inquiry, inventive technology, and original artistic activity. This competitive program offers grants for project-related expenses.

Independent Television Services (ITVS) Open Call Grant. Open Call provides finishing funds for single public television programs on any subject, from any viewpoint and in any genre. Amount applied for: $15,160.50 Grant denied.

Gilmore Emerging Artist Grant, Greater Arts Council of Kalamazoo. The Irving S. Gilmore Emerging Artist Grant program provides up to $4,000 in financial support to serious artists who are committed to advancing their own work and professional artistic careers. Amount applied for: $2000. Grant denied.

Creative Work

Full Length Documentaries

Farrugia, R. & Machiorlatti J. (producers). (in post production). 40 minutes.

Copyright and Creativity in the Digital Age.

Shorts

Farrugia, R. & Machiorlatti, J. (2007). 5 minutes. Copyright, culture (remixed): Volume 4: Borrowing and Stealing for Art’s Sake.

Screenings: Invited

Vague Terrain (June 2007) Available: http://www.vagueterrain.net/content/archives/journal07/journal07.html

Farrugia, R. & Machiorlatti, J. (producers). (June 2006) 10 minutes. Copyright, culture (remixed): Volume 3: Illegal Art.

International Distribution

Forthcoming (2008) as an accompanying short/DVD extra to be released with the documentary F®eedom of expression: Resistance and repression in the age of intellectual property. Produced by Kembrew McLeod and the Media Education Foundation (MEF).

Founded in 1991 by University of Massachusetts Communication professor and media scholar Sut Jhally, MEF produces and distributes documentary films and other educational resources to inspire critical reflection on the social, political and cultural impact of American mass media.

Screenings/Selections: Juried

Dallas Video Festival, Dallas, TX, August 2007.

Waterfront Film Festival, Saugatuck, MI, June 2007.

Hawaii International Conference on Arts & Humanities, Honolulu, HI, January 2007.

Selected for premiere of DocuPyx.com, a documentary broadband channel, December 2006.

Additional Screenings:

Indie Can Film Festival, Toronto, Canada. May 2007.

Annual meeting of the University Film & Video Association, Orange, CA, August 2006.

Farrugia, R. & Machiorlatti, J. (producers). (May 2006) 5 minutes. Copyright, culture (remixed): Volume 2: Outsider/Outside Her.

Screenings:

Indie Can Film Festival, Toronto, Canada. May 2007.

Farrugia, R. & Machiorlatti, J. (producers). 5 minutes. Copyright, Culture (remixed): Volume I: Artists and Fair Use

International Distribution

Additional Production Work

Audio supervisor. A Wastewater Miracle. Produced by Boiling Water Productions (2006), 28

minutes.

Producer. Machiorlatti, J. & Farrugia, R. “Outsider/Outside Her: A feminist travelogue.” Multi

media installation presented at the annual meeting of the University Film & Video Association, Chicago, IL, August 2005.

Audio engineer for voiceover commentary. The Clinging Vine [motion picture]. Voice over

provided by Heather Addison. Release date: May 2006. Distributed by: Image Entertainment.

Assistant Editor. Train Station (A history of the Detroit Central Train Station). (2004) 24 minutes. Produced by Gary Glaser (2004), 24 minutes.

Premiered at the Detroit Documentary Film Festival, Detroit, MI, November 14, 2004. http://www.detroitdocs.org

Competitively Selected Convention Papers

Farrugia, R. and Gobatto, N. (April 2008). Shopping for ‘legs and boots’: The cost

of Tori-phile fandom in the oughts. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the

International Association for the Study of Popular Music—United States, Iowa City, IA.

Farrugia, R. (November 2007). Teaching gender beyond gender and communication. Panel

Presentation. National Communication Association, Chicago, IL.

Weise, D. & Farrugia, R. (October 2007). “It’s complicated”: Speaking like a Facebook

queen. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association for Internet Researchers, Vancouver, CA.

*Farrugia, R. (April 2007). From San Francisco to cyberspace: DJs, DIY culture,

and corporate logic. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music, Boston, MA.

*Farrugia, R. (June 2006). Even Greg burns his Cds Tori: The commodification of the bootleg.

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Canadian Communication Association,

Toronto, Canada.

*Farrugia, R. (November 2005). Coming together to achieve great ends: A practical

approach to graduate education. Panel discussion presented at the annual meeting of the

National Communication Association, Boston.

*Farrugia, R. (July 2005). Mediated DJ culture: music, magazines and gender roles. Paper

presented at the biannual meeting of the International Association for the Study of

Popular Music, Rome, Italy.

*Farrugia, R. (October 2004). Beyond the dance floor: Women and the production of

electronic/dance music. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International

Association for the Study of Popular Music—United States, Charlottesville, VA.

*Farrugia, R. (May 2004). Dancewhores, sisterdjs, and pinknoises: Gendered discourse in

E/DM. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication

Association, New Orleans, LA.

*Farrugia, R. (May 2004). More than just a trend: Female fighting for a place in popular music.

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International Communication Association,

New Orleans, LA.

*Farrugia, R. (May 2003). Sisterdjs in the house: Electronic/dance music and women centered

spaces on the net. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the International

Communication Association, San Diego, CA.

*Farrugia, R. (May 2003). From Midnight to Broad Daylight: The constructive capabilities of

techno and the Detroit Electronic Music Festival. Paper presented at the annual meeting

of the International Communication Association, San Diego, CA.

*Farrugia, R. (November 2002). Tracking the DJs: Vinyl records and the debate over new

technologies. Paper presented at Transparencies: Technology, Culture,

Communication, Austin, TX.

Farrugia, R. (April 2002). Digital jockey vs. disc jockey: Reasons for resisting the

(r)evolutionary. Paper presented at Craft, Critique, Culture, Iowa City, IA.

*Farrugia, R. (October 2001). Mid-west raves as a case study of online community. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Association of Internet Researchers 2.0, Minneapolis, MN.

*Farrugia, R. (September 2001). Representation and the construction of collectivity: Women

and the electronic dance music art world. Scheduled to be presented at the annual meeting of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music-US, Iowa City, IA. (Conference was cancelled after September 11^th.)

*Farrugia, R. (November 2000). Embracing the postmodern track: Raves, youth, and electronic

music culture. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Seattle, WA.

*Farrugia, R. (November 1999). Spice persuasion: A rhetorical analysis of the Spice Girls.

Paper presented at the annual meeting of the National Communication Association, Chicago, IL.

Courses Taught

Western Michigan University

Communication Contexts in the Digital Era

Popular Music, Gender, and Youth Culture

Freedom of Expression

Introduction to Telecommunication

Radio/Audio Production

University of Iowa

Communication and Cyberspace

Gender, Sexuality, and the Media

Television Criticism

Introduction to Radio Production

University of Iowa, Teaching Assistant

Rise of Electronic Media

History of Electronic Media

Popular Music in American Culture

Introduction to Media Production

Wayne State University, Graduate Instructor/Assistant

Introduction to Public Speaking

Introduction to Master’s Studies

Masters Theses

2007 Shaver, Carrie. “Watching Satan's Daughters: A Visual Analysis of Lesbian Pulp Fiction Cover Art, 1950-1965,” School of Communication, Western Michigan University. Projected completion, April 2008.

2007 Teal, Lauren. “Banish Belly Bulge and chisel your bi’s: A semiotic analysis of gender in fitness magazine advertising.” School of Communication, Western Michigan University.

2006 Glassco, Michael. “Democracy, Hegemony, and Consent: A critical ideological analysis of mass mediated language.” School of Communication, Western Michigan University.

Undergraduate Honors Theses

2006 Beauford, Casey. Committee Member. Honors Thesis: Idlewild: An audio

documentary.

2007 Gruner, Allison. Committee Chair. Honors Thesis: The History of WIDR FM:

An audio documentary.

2007 Magiera, Anthony. Committee Member. Honors Thesis: Screenplay title to be announced.

Additional Teaching Related Activities and Workshops

2007 “Investigating the appeal of popular cyberspaces: Top undergraduate student research papers from COM3050: Communication contexts in the digital era,” research brown bag panel organizer and advisor to presenters.

2006 “Graduate advising and mentoring.” Attended workshop led by communication scholar Sonja Foss, sponsored by the Graduate College, WMU.

2005 “Teaching observation workshop.” Attended workshop on peer teaching observation techniques, sponsored by the American Association for University Professors.

2005 “Assessment.” Attended workshop on grading and assessment, sponsored by the Office of Teaching and Learning, WMU.

2004 “Teaching large lectures.” Attended workshop on strategies for teaching large lecture classes sponsored by the Office of Teaching and Learning, WMU.

Honors and Awards

Ramona Tomlin Mattson Fellow, University of Iowa, Department of Communication Studies, 2003-2004. This is one of two major awards for graduate students in the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Iowa. This awards is based on academic progress and teaching excellence. Recipients of the fellowship show promise in terms of dissertation research and demonstrate a strong commitment to undergraduate teaching at the university level.

Top Paper, Transparencies: Technology, Culture, Communication. University of Texas, Austin, TX, November 2002. “Tracking the DJs: Vinyl Records and the Debate Over New Technologies. Transparencies is a bi-annual student run conference at the University of Texas at Austin which seeks the explore the implications of both historically significant and recently emergent technologies from a critical and cultural perspective.

Robert Olney Sound Research Travel Fellowship, University of Iowa, Department of Communication Studies/Department of Cinema and Comparative Literature, 2002-2003. This grant is awarded to PhD candidates to help fund dissertation research expenses.

University of Iowa Student Government Research Grant, 2003. This monetary award is given to qualified applications to help fund dissertation research expenses.

Media Appearances

2007 Pyxnet: Connecting artists with audiences. Insider’s Interview: Copyright, Culture (Remixed). Available at:

http://www.pyxix.net/index.php?option=com_myblog&Itemid=171

2007 WINFM 98.5, Battle Creek, MI. Guest commentator on the release of Halo 3. September 25, 2007.

2007 Western Herald. “Waterfront Film Festival brings captivating

entertainment to Saugatuck.” Brandon Henderson. 6/11/07.

2007 WMUK 102.1 (NPR member station). Interview/short feature for

Copyright, culture (remixed): Vol. 3: Illegal Art. June, 2007.

2006 Echopedia: Voices from the generation after X, Minneapolis, MN magazine. “Your Space.” Neil Munshi.

2005 Vue Magazine, Michigan media production trade magazine. “Outsider

outside/her artists.” (Nov/Dec 2005)

Editorial Boards

Journal of Popular Music Studies

December 2004—

Journal of Mass Communication at Francis Marion University

February 2007—

Service

National

Programming and planning committee member for International Association for the Study of Popular Music—US, 2007-2008

Manuscript Reviewer

Student Section, National Communication Association, 2003

Journal of Communication Inquiry, 2002-2003

Western Michigan University

WMUK (NPR affiliate), High definition planning committee member, 2007 to present

WIDR-FM College Radio Station, faculty liaison and station board member, 2004 to present

Freshman liaison contact, 2007

School of Communication, WMU

Graduate Committee, member, 2007—present

Lambda Pi Eta Faculty Advisor, 2006-2007

Undergraduate Committee, member, 2006-2007

Comprehensive Exams for Master’s Students committee, member, 2006-2007

Comprehensive Exams for Master’s Students committee, Chair, 2005-2006

University of Iowa

Cultural Diversity Committee Chair, Dept of Communication, 2003-2004.

Graduate Student Senate, Department Representative, 2002-2003.

Judge for the Graduate Student Senate James F. Jacobson Annual Forum, 2003.

International Student Representative, Coalition to Organize Graduate Students (COGS)

Invited Lectures

Women DJs in electronic/dance music culture: Still on the margins. Department of Women’s

Studies, University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada (March 2007).

Exploring copyright and fair use. COM 6450: Media Theory. School of Communication

Studies, Western Michigan University (March 2007).

Cultural Studies (not a) methodology. COM 6010: Introduction to Communication Inquiry. School of Communication, Western Michigan University (October 2006).

Analyzing discourses on Internet mailing lists: Notes on methodology. Popular Literatures:

The Rhetoric of Popular Music. Department of English, University of Iowa (June 2004).

Spin-sters: an ethnographic approach to the study of women DJs. Department of Communication Studies, University of Iowa (Spring 2004).

“Sisterdjs in the House: Electronic/dance music and women centered spaces on the net.”

Popular Literatures: The Rhetoric of Popular Music. Department of English, University of Iowa (October 2003, May 2003).

Production Workshops

Farrugia, R. & Glaser, G. (November 2004). “Copyright & the Shrinking Public Domain: A producer’s perspective.” Workshop conducted at the annual Detroit Documentary Film Festival, Detroit, MI.

Professional Association Membership

National Communication Association

University Film and Video Association

International Association for the Study of Popular Music – US Chapter

Association for the Organization of Internet Researchers