Reed Van Schenck

Reed Van Schenck is an interdisciplinary scholar investigating the culture and politics of the Internet. Before coming to Spain, Reed studied rhetorical theory and criticism in the United States while competing as an intercollegiate debater. He earned his PhD in Communication at the University of Pittsburgh. Reed believes that college is the ideal time for growing minds to encounter unfamiliar points of view, and he designs his classes to give students space to safely challenge themselves and each other.

Dr. Van Schenck’s current research concerns the relationship between digital platforms and reactionary networks in liberal democracies. He applies frames from communication and media studies to understand how, why, and to what effect anti-democratic political ideologies spread online. 

Academic Experience

• Assistant Professor of Communication, IE University, 2024 - Present

• Teaching Fellow, University of Pittsburgh, 2021 - 2024

• Teaching Assistant, University of Pittsburgh, 2020 - 2021

Academic Background

• Ph.D in Communication, University of Pittsburgh, United States, 2024

• MA in Communication, University of Pittsburgh, United States, 2021

• BA in History, Wake Forest University, United States, 2019

Selected Publications

• Van Schenck, R., Venter, E. (2024). “Digital Platforms and Agency.” Forthcoming in Lateral: A Journal of the Cultural Studies Association

• Van Schenck, R. (2024). “Defining Hate Speech as Constitutive Rhetoric.” In Di Fátima (Eds.). Hate Speech and Social Media (Volume 3). Beira: LabCom Books (University of Beira Interior) and EdiPUCE (Pontifical Catholic University of Ecuador)

• Van Schenck, R. (2024). “’America First is Inevitable’: The Triumphalist Rhetoric of Nicholas Fuentes.” Forthcoming in Conner and MacMurray (Eds.). Extremism and Conspiracy Movements: From The Alt-Right to QAnon, Lanham, MD: Lexington Books

• Van Schenck, R. (2023). “’Remaking the World Memetically’: Interrogating White Nationalist Subject Formation through the Circulation of the ‘Wagecuck’ Meme”. Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies, 20(3): 375-395