West campus news Releases Archive
Communication class learns research methods by studying classic punk rock band
Apr. 12, 2005
Students apply critical methods to understand social phenomena
Students taking Associate Professor Majia Nadesan’s class in qualitative/interpretive research methods, in Arizona State University’s College of Human Services, are listening to the beat of a different drummer this semester.
Nadesan’s research explores the intersections between and across economics, culture, and communication and organizational theory. For the spring 2005 session, the students agreed to apply the critical thinking and qualitative research methods they are learning to a real-life phenomenon: the '80s pioneering West Coast punk rock band, Social Distortion.
“The idea was to take a significant cultural artifact, something from everyday life, and apply qualitative research methods in a systematic way in order to understand the phenomenon in its total context,” said Nadesan. “Our goal is to publish an integrated document that brings together the classic communication elements—source, message, receiver and content—and have some fun doing it.”
Formed in the late 1970s, tunes such as "Mainliner/Playpen" and "Mommy’s Little Monster" gained the band a national name in punk circles. In 1982, Social Distortion, along with Youth Brigade and Minor Threat, filmed the documentary “Another State of Mind,” which follows the band’s ramshackle first cross-continental tour. According to Nadesan, the bus tour has become an icon of the band’s stormy, often violent image. “Today, Social Distortion reigns as the last remaining old school punk band,” Nadesan added.
Nadesan’s interdisciplinary research blends organizational communication, cultural studies, political economy/globalization studies and social philosophy. Most recently, she completed a book that explores the social/political/economic construction of autism titled, “Constructing autism: Unravelling the ‘truth’ and understanding the social.”
The Communication Studies Department in ASU’s College of Human Services offers an interdisciplinary approach to the study of message-related human behavior and is designed to explore how oral communication takes place in personal relationships, within national and international organizations, in public forums, and between and within cultures.
Photo: Students in Majia Nadesan’s class get into the punk rock spirit by re-creating an image familiar to Social Distortion enthusiasts—an iconic touring school bus reminiscent of the documentary "Another State of Mind" that follows the band’s stormy cross-continental tour. Nadesan, pictured with her class, is second row, fourth from right in black top.
EDITORS: A 300-DPI PHOTO OF THE SCHOOL BUS IMAGE IS AVAILABLE.
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