Dr Robyn Muir
Academic and research departments
Department of Sociology, Innovations in methodology, Inequalities and diversities, Families and the life course.Biography
Hello! I am a Lecturer in Media and Communication in the Department of Sociology at the University of Surrey.
I am a feminist media scholar, interested in how identity is constructed and interpreted within cultural phenomenon. Currently, my research focuses on the images of femininity in the Disney Princess Phenomenon. I have explored princess films, merchandise and consumer experiences through facet methodology and a range of methods to provide a holistic understanding of the princesses and their wider representations within society.
Areas of specialism
University roles and responsibilities
- Academic Integrity Officer
My qualifications
Research
Research interests
My interdisciplinary expertise lies within exploring images and constructions of femininity within cultural phenomenon. Currently, I am focusing on the images of femininity within the Disney Princess Phenomenon, however my interests span across the entire Walt Disney Company from Marvel, Star Wars, Disney Theme Parks, Merchandising and Marketing.
More widely, I am interested in media literacy, feminist media studies, media and communication theories, feminist theory, sociological understandings of identity and youth culture, and politics.
My methodological expertise spans across qualitative methods including interviews, focus groups, autoethnography, participant observation, content analysis, film analysis, textual analysis and social media analysis. As a facet methodologist, I am interested in how methods can be creatively combined to shine a light on unseen elements of a complex phenomenon. More specifically, I use facet methodology to explore multiple facts of the Disney Princess Phenomenon to widen our understanding of the role of Disney Princesses in girl culture, focusing on the facets of film, merchandising and consumer experiences as ways for consumers to make meaning.
In my public engagement work, I focus on using my research on the Disney Princesses to facilitate and co create media literacy tools with consumers of princess culture. I use online tools such as Padlet, as well as drawing to explore how consumers interpret the Disney Princesses.
Research projects
I explore the image of femininity within the $1.686bn Disney Princess Phenomenon, mapping the representation of women onto feminist cultural history and providing an original contribution to Disney Studies, Feminist Media Studies and Media and Communications by closely analysing marketing, merchandising and consumer experiences. I use facet methodology to investigate different elements of the phenomenon and provide an innovative methodological contribution through a transferable film analysis framework.
I am currently writing my first monograph, The Princess as the Political with Bristol University Press, that will provide a holistic understanding of the Disney Princess Phenomenon.
My teaching
I teach on both undergraduate Media and Communications and Sociology programmes, in addition to supervising undergraduate dissertations.
This academic year, you will find me teaching on:
Semester 1
Contemporary Issues in Sociology (SOC0001)
Living Sociology (SOC1053)
Current Sociology (SOC1037)
Semester 2
Current Issues in Digital Societies (SOC1045)
Public Relations in the Digital Age (SOC3081)
I use a range of teaching methods and tools to enhance my student's learning experience and understanding. My sessions include Padlet, polls, group posters, debates, case studies, role play, group discussions with employability and transferable skills embedded throughout.
I am very passionate about research led teaching, and regularly use my research to situate concepts and ideas, as well as popular culture to enhance further engagement and understanding.