Amy Becker, Ph.D., receives $50,000 grant for research supporting democracy

Amy Becker, Ph.D., professor of communication at Loyola University Maryland, received a $50,000 grant from Public Agenda, a nonprofit research organization dedicated to strengthening democracy. The grant supports Becker’s research studying the role of small-group dialogues in building community.

As part of the research, Becker will partner with LivingRoom Conversations, a nonprofit organization that organizes structured conversations to build connection, trust, and understanding. Becker and fellow researcher and grant-recipient Don Waisanen, Ph.D., professor at Baruch College at The City University of New York, will generate recommendations for increasing participation in small-group dialogue and trust in elections.

Public Agenda dispersed $500,000 in funding to 10 teams of scholars, including Becker and Waisanen, as part of the organization’s Democracy Renewal Project, which supports research on practices and interventions to strengthen American democracy.

Becker received Loyola’s 2023 Distinguished Scholar of the Year Award, which honors a faculty member for outstanding achievement in research and creative activity. Her research has been published in communication and social science journals and examines public opinion toward controversial issues, the implications of new media, public engagement with science, and the political effects of exposure and attention to political entertainment.

In 2023, Loyola promoted Becker to professor in the department of communication. She teaches courses on mass communication, political communication, popular culture, political entertainment, science communication, and travel reporting.