Margaret Murray, PhD

Associate Professor of Communication
Margaret Murray
College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters
Language, Culture, and the Arts
[email protected]
3039 College of Arts, Sciences, and Letters Building | 4901 Evergreen Road | Dearborn, MI 48128
schedule Mondays 10:00-11:00am & by appointment
link LinkedIn page

Teaching Areas:

Communication, Public Relations

Research Areas:

Communications, Cultural Studies / History

Biography and Education

I am a Michigander who has returned home and am thrilled to be at UM-Dearborn. Before joining UM, I was a consultant at a narrative strategy firm in Seattle and a communications strategist for the University of Washington.

I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder in Organizational Communication and Cultural Studies. Now I administer the Public Relations program within LCA. 

My current research focuses on parenting norms in the U.S. 

Teaching Interests

Public Relations, Public Speaking

Additional Research Interests

Public relations, social construction of technology, AI in the classroom, parenting

Selected Publications

Murray, M. A., “Calm in the storm: Emily Oster’s parenting newsletter during COVID-19,” Women’s Studies in Communication, 2022. 10.1080/07491409.2022.2025531

Bauer, J., Murray, M. A., and Ngondo, P. S. "Who's missing out? The impact of digital networking behavior and social identity on PR job search outcomes," Public Relations Review, 2023
 

Murray, M. A. & Desrayaud, N. “Female fashion as leisure and labor on Reddit,” Journal of Communication Inquiry, vol. 45, no. 4, 2020, pp. 301-318.

Murray, M. A., “White, male, and bartending in Detroit: Masculinity work in a hipster scene,” Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, vol. 49, no. 4, 2020, pp. 456-480.

Popular Press

Stateside with April Baer. Michigan Public. 2025, July 23. https://www.michiganpublic.org/podcast/stateside-on-air/2025-07-23/stateside-wednesday-july-23-2025

Murray, M. A. “Guest commentary: Smartphones don’t belong in schools.” Bridge Michigan, 2025, July 14. https://www.bridgemi.com/guest-commentary/opinion-smartphones-dont-belong-schools

Murray, M. A. “School smartphone bans reflect growing concern over youth mental health and academic performance.” The Conversation, 2025, July 10. https://theconversation.com/school-smartphone-bans-reflect-growing-concern-over-youth-mental-health-and-academic-performance-259962

Awards and Recognition

Vansant-Spoiden Presentation Award (LCA department) - 2023
Outstanding Student Organization Advisor Award (campus wide) - 2023