WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Brian J. Gilchrist, assistant professor of speech communication-composition at Pennsylvania College of Technology, delivered his research paper, “A Song of Psychology of Information and a Song of Psychology of Form: A Burkean Analysis of HBO’s ‘Game of Thrones,’” at the Eastern Communication Association Annual Convention, held recently in Buffalo, New York.
The theme of the association’s 116th annual conference was “Contemporary Problems, Creative Solutions,” with programming focused on the communication surrounding contemporary problems and potential solutions in a range of social issues.
Gilchrist’s paper was featured at the event as part of the Competitively Selected Papers for the Kenneth Burke Society. The Penn College faculty member argued that seasons 1-4 of “Game of Thrones” succeeded because the showrunners emphasized a psychology of form based on character development and deliberative storytelling, while the latter seasons failed, especially season 8, because they relied on a psychology of information that focused on exciting visual elements and strange plot twists.
The Eastern Communication Association is a professional organization of scholars, teachers and students of communication studies. Established in 1910, it is the oldest professional communication association in the U.S.
Gilchrist earned his doctorate in rhetoric at Duquesne University, teaching certification in communications 7-12 and English 7-12 for Pennsylvania public schools at Robert Morris University, a master’s in English literature at West Virginia University, and dual undergraduate degrees (English and broadcast news journalism) at West Virginia University.
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