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Elfriede Fürsich

  • Associate Professor

Dr. Elfriede Fürsich is Associate Professor of Communication and Media Studies whose research explores media representation, journalism genres, and cultural narratives in a globalized world. Her work critically analyzes how media construct and reinforce discourses of cultural diversity, globalization, migration, and social identity—often shaping public perception, policy, and power structures.

Her research projects focus particularly on popular genres such as travel journalism, food media, and other forms of lifestyle journalism. Dr. Fürsich also studies emerging forms of digital storytelling, such as newsgames, and their potential to foster empathy and engagement with complex social issues.

Through an interdisciplinary and international lens, Dr. Fürsich offers critical insights into the media’s dual role—as both content and creative industry—in shaping global discourse, influencing identity formation, and navigating cultural and political conflict. Her work, published in English and German and translated into Mandarin, Korean, and Portuguese, highlights the evolving dynamics of journalistic narratives and the media’s power to shape how we see ourselves and others in a rapidly changing world.

She is the co-editor of The Political Relevance of Food Media and Journalism (2023), which explores how food media engage with politics and social issues, challenging the notion that they are trivial or apolitical. Another co-edited volume, Travel Journalism: Exploring Production, Impact, and Culture (2014), examines how travel journalism shapes global imaginaries and cultural perceptions. Her research spans diverse topics, including media portrayals of migration, gender, and class, as well as the tensions between journalistic credibility and commercialization. She has also contributed to methodological debates in media studies, advocating for the continued relevance of textual analysis in understanding media impact.

Currently, Dr. Fürsich serves on the editorial boards of Journalism Studies and Global Media Journal. She previously served on the boards of the International Journal of Cultural Studies and Popular Communication.

Before joining the University of Pittsburgh, she taught in the U.S., India, and Germany. She was tenured faculty at Boston College, Visiting Faculty at the University of Hyderabad in India, and held positions in Germany as BCP Visiting Professor of Media and Popular Culture at Freie Universität Berlin and as Visiting Professor at the University of Hamburg’s Erasmus Mundus M.A. Program in Journalism, Media and Globalization. Additionally, she has taught at the Hertie School of Governance in Berlin and Filmuniversität Babelsberg.

At Pitt, Dr. Fürsich is core faculty in the interdisciplinary Film and Media Studies Program and an Affiliate Faculty Member of the European Studies Center, Cultural Studies Program, and the Global Studies Center.

Books

Journal Articles (selected)

Courses

University of Pittsburgh (Department of Communication since 2017)

  • Media Criticism
  • Media Theory
  • Global Media (Special Topics in Mass Communication)
  • Media as Creative Industry (Special Topics in Mass Communication)
  • Creative Industries - Economic, Social and Cultural Dimension (graduate)