A University of Arkansas at Little Rock alumnus and artist will discuss how hip hop studies and popular culture are used to analyze communicative acts and lived experience during a lecture Thursday, Feb. 20.

Dr. Marquese McFerguson, a graduate of the Applied Communication Department, will give his talk, “Between Hip Hop, Communication, and Community Building at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 20 at UA Little Rock Downtown Center, 333 President Clinton Ave.

McFerguson’s upcoming leadership lecture creatively explores how certain communication practices can help individuals nurture interpersonal relationships, build bridges of understanding across cultures, and foster the co-creation of positive and affirming communities. Ultimately, this session invites audience members to examine the ways in which they express and interpret differences and create community in their professional and personal lives.

McFerguson earned his master’s degree in interpersonal and organizational communication from UA Little Rock. He recently received his Ph.D. in communication from the University of South Florida.

McFerguson’s research examines black masculinity and contemporary black popular culture. In particular, his scholarship about black popular culture explores the relationship between media representations and everyday life. His research also analyzes how racialized gender and class representations are produced by media makers and interpreted by media audiences to make sense of blackness.

McFerguson is also an award-winning slam poet and teaching artist who has performed at academic institutions and performance venues throughout the United States and the United Kingdom.

The lecture is part of the Applied Communication Leadership Lecture Series. The lecture is $20 for general admission or $5 for UA Little Rock employees and students.