Leilane Menezes Rodrigues (Ph.D.)

Education

• Ph.D., Michigan State University, U.S.
• MA, Universidade do Porto, Portugal.
• BA, Centro Universitário de Brasília (UniCEUB), Brasil.

Research interests

• Media and Social Justice
• Digital Journalism
• Alternative & Diasporic Media Ecosystems
• Critical Race Media Literacy (CRML)
• Inclusive Science Communication
• Qualitative Methodologies

Current Research

My research is grounded in two decades of frontline journalism and is driven by a commitment to media as a tool for liberation. I investigate the critical intersections of journalism and social justice, focusing on media representations, social media consumption, and digital harm reduction strategies for historically minoritized groups. A central area of this inquiry explores alternative media ecologies — particularly Black media throughout the global African diaspora — as vital sites of resistance and community affirmation.

Methodologically, I employ qualitative approaches, including critical discourse analysis, participatory action research, and interviews, to explore these themes. This academic work is directly informed by and integrated with my practice. For twenty years, I have worked as an investigative reporter covering human rights violations and producing solutions-oriented journalism, for which I have won 13 journalistic awards. Guided by this practical and academic experience, I am currently developing Critical Race Media Literacy workshops to equip communities in Brazil and the U.S. with tools for critical media education.

Teaching Philosophy

My teaching philosophy is grounded in the transformative principles of Black feminist thought and critical pedagogy, which converge on a central belief: that education is a practice of liberation. I am guided by Paulo Freire’s view of teaching as a social practice essential to resisting dehumanization and by bell hooks’ conception of the classroom as “the most radical space of possibility in the academy.” This theoretical framework manifests in a classroom environment intentionally built on an ethic of care and designed as a collaborative learning space. The ultimate objective of this practice is to empower students to challenge norms, express their creativity, and produce media work that contributes to radical social transformation.

Selected Publications

Peer-reviewed Journal Articles

• Rodrigues, L., Takahashi, B., Tiffany, L. A., Menezes, S., & Valdéz-Ward, E. (2023). Minoritized Scientists in the United States: An Identity Perspective to Science Communication. Science Communication, 45(5), 567-595. (Original work published 2023)
• Smith, M. A., Myers, C. L., Chong, M., Clark, M. D., Lim, S., Rollins, D. D., … Martin, O. (2025). Rooted in White Identity Politics: Tracing the Genealogy of Critical Race Theory Discourse in Identity-Based Disinformation. Political Communication, 1–23. 

Book Chapter

• Rodrigues, L. Rethinking Objectivity & Embracing Intersectional Identities in the Journalism Classroom. In Nathian Shae Rodriguez (Ed.), Instructing Intersectionality. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.