Professor Vicente Berdayes’ passion for the social sciences inspired him to pursue a PhD in communication. Already a sociologist, he was curious about how people relate to the world due to the influence of media. By intertwining sociology and communication, Berdayes could discover how “meanings circulate in a society.” In 12 years at Saint Mary’s, he has shared his ideas with the Communication and Performance Studies department as an associate professor and chair.
Berdayes’ area of expertise is qualitative research, which he incorporates into the classroom. In his “Advertising in Society” class, students analyze advertising and marketing efforts from a communication perspective, presenting their ideas in the format of a Web site. Berdayes grades the assignment on content, like a paper. “The difference,” he clarifies, “is that a web page is non-linear.” Working in groups of four, students imaginatively arrange artifacts such as videos, pictures, and links and justify their arguments by using specific advertisements and quotes from magazines, newspapers, or other materials.
Berdayes’ students have created Web sites, posted their thoughts on a class blog, and collaborated on group projects that examine everything from the use of magic in children’s cereal ads to gender inequality in toy marketing. Both the approach and content of Berdayes’ class left a profound mark on Allison Frane, a 2007 communication studies graduate. “I liked it because we could pick whatever we wanted to do and just run with it. Vince was very open to listening to what we were interested in,” she says.
As faculty advisor for Saint Mary’s College Television, Berdayes can also be found at the Huisking Instructional Technology Center overseeing the production of the SMC-TV news show. He has encouraged students of every major to get involved with the project. “There is something for everything. The TV program is a powerful way to express yourself,” he says.
Berdayes believes that the media affects people in every facet of life, and that we all must learn to respond to the onslaught of information, especially with rapidly developing technology. The message he seems to be conveying is that by viewing media with a critical eye, we can still appreciate its visual innovativeness, creativity, and beauty in today’s society.
—Megan Stokes ’09
