Helena Vanhala, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Media Arts (Media Arts) Department Head, Media Arts (Media Arts)
vanhala@rmu.edu 412-397-6202 phone (M) 412-397-6469 fax Wheatley Center 313

Educational Background

Ph.D. in Communication and Society, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon
M.A. in English Philology, University of Tampere, Finland
B.A. in English Philology, University of Tampere, Finland

Professional Background

freelance journalist
Director, Center for Global Engagement, Robert Morris University, January 2013-July 2014
Chair, International Division, Broadcast Education Association, 2013-2015
Vice-Chair, International Division, Broadcast Education Association, 2011-2013
Assistant Professor of Media Studies, Division of Communication, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point
Education Committee Board Member of the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association
Graduate Teaching Fellow, School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon
Graduate Teaching Fellow, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, University of Oregon
Program Coordinator of North American Studies Program, University of Tampere, Finland

Area of Expertise/Research

terrorism and media
film history and film theory
film and international politics
TV and video production
international communication
international journalism
intercultural communication
critical political economy
cultural studies

Publications

The Depiction of Terrorists in Blockbuster Hollywood Films, 1980-2001. An Analytical Study.
Jefferson, NC & London: McFarland & Company, Inc. Publishers, 2011. ISBN: 978-0-7864-3662-0
"Terrorism no longer sells in Hollywood," guest editorial, Helsingin Sanomat, Finland, 2011 (original in Finnish: "Terrorismi ei enaa myy Hollywoodissa")
"Civil Society Under Siege: Terrorism and Government Response to Terrorism in The Siege," Jump Cut 50, Spring 2008

Presentations

2011 - "The Hollywood Men of Action-Adventure," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2010 - "Studying International Communication and Broadcast Media in Finland: From the Midnight Sun Film Festival and Broadcast Media Visits to Sauna and Santa's Reindeer," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2009 - "Ethics and Hollywood Counterterrorism: Propaganda for Defining Terrorism as War," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2008 - "Hollywood's War on Terror," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2007 - "International News Coverage versus National Security in the Age of Modern International Terrorism," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2007 - "Arab Terrorism versus Northern Irish Terrorism in Hollywood Films," International Association of Mass Communication Research, Paris, France
2006 - "International News: A Commodity of Cultural Convergence," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2005 - "Killing Them Softly? Producing Hollywood Action-Adventure Films for the Global Market," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2004 - "Modern Terrorism: A Western News Commodity," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2004 - "The Concept of Terrorism: War over Meaning," Union for Democratic Communications, St. Louis, MO
2003 - "Fast, Cheap and in Control: DV in Video Field Production Courses," Broadcast Education Association, Las Vegas, NV
2002 - "September 11: When Reality Imitated Fiction," Union for Democratic Communications, State College, PA
2001 - "Hollywood Action Films on Modern Terrorism: From Moneymakers to Too Hot to Handle," Communication & Social Change, Northwest Graduate Student Conference, Eugene, OR
2001 - "Saving the West from the Barbaric Rest: Selling Terrorism in Hollywood Style," Union for Democratic Communications, Ottawa, Canada
2000 - "Terrorism Goes to Hollywood: Representation of Terrorism in the 20th Century Fox Feature Film "The Siege"," Power, Democracy and Communication Conference, Vancouver, Canada

Profile