Welcome new faculty to Appalachian State University's Department of Communication! Read to learn about our new faculty members.
Dr. Twange Kasoma
Dr. Twange Kasoma is a native of Zambia and a naturalized American citizen – whose specialty is in journalism and media studies is elated to be joining the Department of Communication as an associate professor of digital journalism. She earned her doctorate from the University of Oregon, and also holds a master's and a bachelor's degree from Arkansas State University and the University of Zambia respectively. Dr. Kasoma kicked off her academic career at Emory & Henry, a small liberal arts college in southwest Virginia, where her legacy was establishing a journalism study abroad program to Zambia. She proceeded to Radford University and taught in both the undergraduate and graduate programs in the School of Communication, and served as the faculty adviser for the student newspaper, The Tartan. Her most recent stint was serving as a visiting professor in the School of Media and Communication at Northern Kentucky University, teaching among other courses Data Journalism, Media Ethics and Issues in News Media Diversity. Scholarly-wise, her areas of research interest include journalism professionalism, media regulation and international and development communication.
Dr. Evan Ringel
Evan Ringel is a media law and First Amendment scholar and proud North Carolina native. He joins Appalachian State from the Hussman School of Journalism and Media at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he earned his Ph.D. in media and communication. Evan also holds a J.D. from the University of North Carolina School of Law. His research sits at the intersection of the First Amendment, civil rights, emerging technologies, education, and state-level government regulation. He is a two-time winner of the Top Faculty Paper Award in the Law and Policy Division at the Association of Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) National Conference and has published and presented on issues such as academic freedom, tech transparency, false political speech, augmented reality gaming, critical race theory, and facial recognition technology. Before entering law school in 2017, Evan worked as a professional musician, earning a B.M. in Jazz Trombone from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He has taught jazz trombone at The University of North Carolina at Charlotte and maintains an active career as a trombonist, fiddle player, and vocalist.