Degrees Held
- BA Media and Legal Studies (UKZN)
- BA Hons and Master of Social Science (UKZN)
Area of Study
My area of study includes a multidisciplinary mixture of interests under the umbrella of Media and cultural studies. For undergraduate studies, I majored in Legal studies and Media and cultural studies and post graduate studies, had an opportunity to read into development communication; public health communication and visual anthropology. I hold a Masters of Social Science, where my research study aimed to gain knowledge with issues of ‘authenticity’ in the communication processes in a cultural tourism setting- between host communities and the tourist. My topic was “Questioning notions of Authenticity: Zulu beadwork as cultural tourism”.
Research Interests
- Cultural Tourism Communication
- Urban Communication
- Internal and External Organisational Communication
- Race and Gender in Media
- South African Political Communication
- South African Broadcasting (More focus on Television)
Why UKZN as an employer?
As a UKZN alumnus, teaching at this institution is at the core of academic aspirations. As a young black female, I hope to contribute towards research on issues that are pertinent to the understanding of communicating about socio-political and economic issues to a society where the majority is not politically inclined or economically savvy.
Research Outputs
Doctoral Candidate:
Topic: “Representing urban social space: Media constructions of Ethekwini central business district development”
- Melusi Mntungwa and Luthando Ngema (2018) “He mustn’t be too much”: Exploring notions of internalised homophobia in Date My Family, Agenda, https://doi.org/10.1080/10130950.2018.1485285
- Mary. E Lange and Luthando Ngema. Art as Resource for Reconciliation. WUMEN BAGUNG: Communication for Development and Social Change Bulletin, Edited by Linje Manyozo. December 2016 | Issue 2 | Making Change Together |.ISSN 2206-6179
- Executive Board Member: ARROWSA (http://arrowsa.blogspot.co.za/)
- Organising Committee for INDRA CONGRESS 2018 (http://www.theindracongress.com/)
Conference Membership
- South African Communication Association Member
- International Association for Media and Communication Research
- Consuming the Environment (Hogskolan I Gavle- University of Gavle)
Student Supervision
Currently Supervising Postgrad Projects:
- Kaylyn Gunkel: #MRPMYSTYLE as Branding Identity: Mr Price and Facebook Culture. (Completed, MA MECS, September 2019)
- Nombuso Dlamini: Investigating attitudes and perceptions around service delivery in the Umkhumbane Community Cato Crest and Enkanini: Service Delivery Protest as a Tool for Communication (In progress)
- Melusi Mntungwa: Voicing the Voiceless: Exploring the Attitudes and Perceptions of MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) in the Msunduzi Municipality towards Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (Completed, MA: MECS (Cum laude), June 2019)
- Nqobile Samantha Madondo: Audience reception and Reality Television: An exploration of the two screen culture, a case of Our Perfect Wedding (In progress)
- Similo Gobingca: A TALE OF TWO PUBS: an exploration of the sub-cultural landscape of a thriving post-apartheid African city. (In progress)