Department of Communication

Contact and Overview

Email Address

jorgeharris@appstate.edu

Office Hours

Tuesday: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Thursday: 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm and 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Make an Appointment

Education

Ph.D., Communication, University of Oklahoma
M.A., International Communication, St. John's University
B.S., Mass Media and Journalism, Universidad de Manizales

Teaching

Currently Teaching (Fall 2026)

COM 3300 Media & Society
COM 3341 Communication Ethics

Recent Publications

• Restrepo Garcia, J. M., & Pineda Reyes, C., & Santofinio Sanchez, J. (2026). From Activist to Candidate: Francia Elena Márquez Mina’s Instagram Discourse on positive Blackness and whiteness in the Colombian political arena. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 13678779261429535. https://doi.org/10.1177/136787792614295 
• Meeks, L., Restrepo Garcia, J., Ebohon, E. B., & Hossain, Z. (2026). Get on board: Examining news coverage of school board elections, 2021–2023. Communication and Democracy, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/27671127.2026.2626060
• Restrepo Garcia, J. M. (2026). Polarized views: Political communication from Washington to Latin America. In K. Coe & D. Zulli (Eds.), Teaching political communication. Edward Elgar Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4337/9781035347780.00016
• Restrepo Garcia, J., Meeks, L., & Montoya Castaño, M. A. (2025). Intersectional Activism: Examining How Francia Márquez Mina Championed Environmental, Racial, and Feminist Activism in Colombia. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/17475759.2025.2559010
• Restrepo Garcia, J., & Meeks, L. (2025). From the margins to center stage: Examining the news media coverage of Francia Márquez during the 2022 Colombian presidential elections. Journal of International and Intercultural Communication, 18(4), 361–383. https://doi.org/10.1080/17513057.2025.2561621 
• Munoz Suarez, E., Restrepo-Garcia, J., & Meeks, L. (2025). Being Hispanic Matters? Ethnicity as Predictor of Vote Preference in the Arizona 2024 U.S. Senate Election. American Behavioral Scientist, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/00027642251341815 
• Restrepo García, J. M. (2022). Power and gender: Antagonist construction in times of “The Crown”. Escribanía, 20(2), 102-108. https://doi.org/10.30554/escribania.v20i2.4757 
• Restrepo García, J. M. (2021). State of the Art in Communication Research: The Social Communication and Journalism Program at Universidad de Manizales (1998–2003). Escribanía, 18(2), 71-78. https://doi.org/10.30554/escribania.v18i2.4018
• Restrepo, J. (2019). Colombian conflict: A sociological view of a gendered society. Journal of Vincentian Social Action, 4(2), 52-57. https://scholar.stjohns.edu/jovsa/vol4/iss2/8

Reseach Interests

Political communication, media representation, and digital activism, with a focus on how media and emerging technologies, including AI, shape group identity, intergroup communication, and civic engagement of minorities. 

Recent Awards

• Muñoz Suárez, E., Restrepo-García, J., & Meeks, L. (2026). Article Award, Social Sciences category, for “Being Hispanic Matters? Ethnicity as Predictor of Vote Preference in the Arizona 2024 U.S. Senate Election.” Latin American Studies Association (LASA), Latinx Studies Section.