Department of Human & Community Development, University of Illinois

Gerry Walter

 

Education

Ph.D. 1989, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Mass Communications

M.S. 1981, Iowa State University, Journalism/Mass Communications

B.S. 1972, Michigan State University, Economics/Sociology

 

Research Interests

Construction and reception of ideology and gender in mass media content; production and use of information; applied communication issues, especially in agriculture, food and nutrition, environment, and community development.

Much of my research has been oriented toward solving communication problems in the development of more sustainable food production, distribution, and consumption systems.

My most recent research involved a series of studies examining the ideological nature of images of farmers, farm women, and farming in the farm press, and their consistency with readers' own images. My analyses of national farm magazine content have shown that the demographics and management styles of the farmers portrayed as successful differ markedly from those of the average commercial farmer, that romantic agrarian depictions of farmers tend to be more prevalent during downturns in the agricultural economy, and that women are largely marginalized in farming success stories. I've also examined the way women's roles on the farm have been portrayed in stories directed at women, as well as their changing depiction of domestic economy on the farm. Another branch of my research has involved farmers in developing practical, accurate, and meaningful measures of soil quality.

 

Selected Publications

Walter, G. (1997). Images of the successful farmer: How Illinois farmers look at farming success. Rural Sociology, 74 (1): 48-68.

Walter, G., Wander, M., & Bollero, G., (1997). A farmer-centered approach to developing information for soil resource management: The Illinois Soil Quality Initiative. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 12 (2): 64-72.

Walter, G. (1996). The ideology of success in major American farm magazines, 1934-1991. Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, 73 (3): 594-608.

Walter, G. & Wilson, S, (1996). Silent partners: Women in farm magazine success stories, 1934-1991. Rural Sociology, 61 (2): 227-248.