Brian Johnston is an Assistant Professor of Communication in the Department of Language and Literature. He specializes in rhetorical and (auto)ethnographic approaches to the study of media and media audiences, organizational culture, public memory, and civic discourse. His research appears in the Journal of Communications Media Studies, "Haunted Spaces,” which theorizes a new appreciation for memory-making as ephemeral embodiment, and the Journal of Autoethnography, “Breathe,” a reflexive dive into grief, loss, and redemption. His book chapter proposing documentary production as qualitative inquiry and critical community engagement appears in The Routledge International Handbook of Organizational Autoethnography (Routledge), and his forthcoming chapter, Executive Leadership and Governing by Twitter, appears in The Trump Years (State University of New York Press). He is co-author, with Susan Mackey-Kallis (Villanova University), of Myth, Fan Culture, and the Popular Appeal of Liminality in the Music of U2 (Lexington Books), a meditation on the complexity of love and social justice. Brian and Susan's second book, Wounded Masculinity and the Search for (Father) self in American Film (Lexington Books) is a psychoanalytic-mythic analysis of cinematic projections featuring father-quest stories as sites for wounding and healing. Dr. Johnston's current book project, Memorial Art in Rhetorical Discourse, brings together scholars from around the country to explore how art impacts public memory.

Dr. J directs and coaches GSU's Pioneer Debate team. He serves on the editorial board for the Journal of Autoethnography and is also passionately committed to open education resources.

Books

Johnston, B. (under contract) Memorial Art in Rhetorical Discourse. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Johnston, B. & Mackey-Kallis, S. (2024). Wounded masculinity and the search for (father) self in American film. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Johnston, B., & Mackey-Kallis, S. (2018). Myth, fan culture, and the popular appeal of liminality in the music of U2: A love story. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books.

Department of Communication. (2016). Introduction to public communication. Open Resource Textbook for Communication 101. Johnston, B.: Project manager, editor, and contributing author. Terre Haute, IN: Indiana State University.

Articles in Refereed Journals

Johnston, B. (2021). Breathe: Pathways to healing where “peace is every step.” Journal of Autoethnography, 2(2).

Johnston, B. (2015). Haunted spaces: An examination of alternative memorialization practices via live performances of U2’s, “Sunday, Bloody Sunday.” Journal of Communications Media Studies, Vol. 7, 29 – 46.

Book Chapters

Holt, D.H. & Johnston, B. (In Press). Executive leadership and governing by Twitter. In The Trump years. Eds. Watson, R., Brattebo, D., and Lansford, T. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press.

Johnston, B. (2020). Framing stories from the academic margins: Documentary as qualitative inquiry and critical community engagement. In The Routledge international handbook of organizational autoethnography. Ed. Andrew Herrmann. New York, NY: Routledge.

Documentary Productions & In-progress Productions

Johnston, B. (In Development). Square Pegs: Cruising the Christian Rock Aesthetic at Cornerstone Festival.

Johnston, B. (2012). The Real Johnnie Gray. Screened: Iola, KS.

Recent Presentations

Conference Presentations

Johnston, B., & Mackey-Kallis, S. (2023). Moonlight: “Who is you man?” National Communication Association Convention, National Harbor, MD.

Johnston, B. (2022, November). Cash in chaos: An intergenerational family communication autoethnography. For: National Communication Association Convention, New Orleans.

Johnston, B. (2022, February). ACA-hack: Framing identity, carving a niche from the margins of academic employment. International Symposium on Autoethnography and Narrative Inquiry.

Johnston, B. (2020, October). From “Cave” to classroom. Heartland: U2’s Looking for American Soul. (Virtual Conference).

Johnston, B. (2020, May). Documentary as qualitative research and critical community engagement. 16th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry, Champaign, IL. (Event cancelled, March 2020)

Johnston, B., & Mackey-Kallis, S. (2019, October). Wounding and healing: Toxic masculinity, masculine fragility and the search for father (Self) in contemporary culture. Organization for the Study of Communication, Language, and Gender (OSCLG) 42nd Annual Conference, Cincinnati, OH.

Johnston, B. (2016, April). Linking soft skills training to the Communication Basic Course: Information literacy and communication fluency in the “Job Application Portfolio” assignment. Central States Communication Association (CSCA) Convention, Grand Rapids, MI.

Invited Presentations

Invited Presenter, Little Kanawha Reading Series, "Wounding and Healing in American Film," Glenville State University, 2024.

Invited Presenter, “The Writing Process,” Communication 5977: Personal Narrative, East Tennessee State University, 2022.

Invited Presenter, “Blood and Oil,” Communication 3390: Search for Self in American Film, Villanova University, 2021.