Dannagal G. Young
Education
- Ph.D. – Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania
- M.A. – Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania
- B.A. – University of New Hampshire
Biography
Dannagal Goldthwaite Young (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, 2007) is a professor in the Department of Communication at the University of Delaware. Her research interests include political media effects, public opinion, political satire and the psychology of political humor.
In addition to her books Irony and Outrage and Wrong, Young's research has been published in numerous journals including Media Psychology, Political Communication, International Journal of Press/Politics, Journal of Broadcasting and Electronic Media, and Mass Media and Society.
Young has appeared on CNN, NPR, and various national and international podcasts. Her 2020 TED talk explaining how our psychology shapes our politics has been viewed 2 million times.
Awards
Excellence in Teaching Award, 2014, University of Delaware
Distinguished Research Fellow of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, 2013, University of Pennsylvania
Courses Taught
COMM245: Mass Communication and Culture
COMM418/618: Special Topics: Entertainment and Politics
COMM452/652: Communication and Persuasion
COMM408: New Media Project Development
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The Super Bowl Halftime Show Was Tailor Made to Trigger MAGA
February 11, 2025 | Written by The Daily BeastThe New Abnormal hosts ponder whether there was more than meets the eye in Kendrick Lamar’s halftime Super Bowl performance. -
Trump policies sow chaos, confusion across scientific community
February 06, 2025 | Written by Joel Achenbach and Carolyn Y. Johnson of The Washington PostU.S. scientists, unaccustomed to shock-and-awe political assaults, are reeling from President Donald Trump’s executive orders on DEI, gender and other subjects. -
How populist leaders like Trump use ‘common sense’ as an ideological weapon to undermine facts
February 06, 2025 | Written by Dannagal Young“Common sense” is what’s known to scholars as a “lay epistemology,” or how regular people make sense of the world. We don’t rely on statistical evidence or expert research while we’re buying lettuce or driving in traffic. Instead, we’re guided by direct experience, emotions and intuition.
