The Department of Communication's undergraduate program provides a comprehensive understanding of the nature of human communication. Specialties covered include interpersonal communication, organizational communication, mass media, digital media, and international and intercultural communication. The program is oriented toward liberal arts and sciences. However, courses in the media professions are also offered.
Media effects and persuasion; Misinformation, conspiracy theories, and extremism; Computational social science; Health and science communication; Political communication
Yotam Ophir (PhD, University of Pennsylvania, 2018) studies political and science communication (media effects, persuasion, misinformation, conspiracy theories and extremism), using mixed-method approaches, including computational text mining, network analysis, experiments, and surveys. Dr. Ophir’s work was published in journals such as the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), American Journal of Public Health (AJPH), Journal of Communication (JOC), and Communication Methods and Measures (CMM). His coauthored book, “Democracy amid Crises: Polarization, Pandemic, Protests, & Persuasion” was published in 2022 by Oxford University Press. His sole-authored book “Misinformation & Society” is expected to be published in 2025. Dr. Ophir is the head of the Media Effects, Misinformation, and Extremism (MEME) lab, is a member of UB’s Center for Information Integrity, and is a distinguished fellow at the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania. In 2023, he received the “Exceptional Scholar: Young Investigator Award” from UB.
Educational Background
Recent Courses
Current Research
Selected Publications
Ophir, Y., Walter, D., Jamieson, P., & Jamieson, K. H. (2023). Factors Assessing Science's Self-Presentation (FASS model) and their Effect on Conservatives' and Liberals' Support for Funding Science. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2213838120
Walter, D., & Ophir, Y. (2024). Meta-Theorizing Framing in Communication Research (1992-2022): Towards Academic Silos or Professionalized Specialization? Journal of Communication. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqad043
Ophir, Y., Pruden, M. L., Walter, D., Lokmanoglu, A. D., Tebaldi, C., & Wang, R. (2022). Weaponizing Reproductive Rights: A Mixed-Method Analysis of White Nationalists' Discussion of Abortions Online. Information, Communication, and Society, 26(11), 2186-2211. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2022.2077654
Ophir, Y., Walter, N., Walter, D., Velho, R. M., Lokmanoglu, A. D., Pruden, M. L., & Andrews, E. A. (2022). Vaccine Hesitancy Under the Magnifying Glass: A Systematic Review of the Uses and Misuses of an Increasingly Popular Construct. Health Communication. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2022.2054102
Ophir, Y., Walter, D., Arnon, D., Lokmanoglu, A., Tizzoni, M., Carota, J., D’Antiga, L., & Nicastro, E. (2021). The framing of COVID-19 in Italian Media and its Effects on Community Mobility: A Mixed Method Approach. Journal of Health Communication, 26(3), 161-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/10810730.2021.1899344
Note: All incoming Freshmen and Transfer Students should contact the College of Arts and Sciences for advisement. They can be reached at 275 Park Hall, (716) 645-6883