Geraldine E. Forsberg, PhD

Senior Instructor

About

Geraldine E. Forsberg is a Senior Instructor in the Department of English at Western Washington University, where she has dedicated more than two decades to teaching, mentoring, and scholarship. Her work reflects a deep commitment to undergraduate education, language and communication, and the study of how media and technology shape human thought, culture, and community.

Dr. Forsberg teaches a wide range of writing and communication courses, including professional and technical writing, organizational communication, ethics, media literacy, and writing studies. She brings to the classroom a strong commitment to student mentoring and to helping students think critically, write clearly, and engage thoughtfully with contemporary cultural and technological issues.

Her scholarship examines the intersections of media ecology, language, literacy, technology, religion, and culture. She has published extensively in media ecology, English education, and communication studies, with particular attention to Jacques Ellul, Neil Postman, Marshall McLuhan, Alfred Korzybski, media literacy, and the role of the Word in human formation and higher education. Her recent work includes essays on theological anthropology, technological society, narrative art and text, and the contemporary crisis of language, truth, and human meaning.

Dr. Forsberg earned her PhD from New York University’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, with an emphasis in media ecology, media literacy, and language studies. Her dissertation, Critical Thinking in an Image World: Alfred Korzybski’s Theoretical Principles Extended to Critical Television Evaluation, reflects her long-standing interest in the relationship between words, images, media environments, and critical thinking. She also holds master’s degrees in biblical literature and higher education administration, along with a graduate certificate in nonprofit management.

Beyond teaching and research, Dr. Forsberg is active in several professional and scholarly communities. She currently serves as Co-President of the International Jacques Ellul Society and has been a member of its Board of Directors since 2017. She is also a member of the Media Ecology Association, the National Communication Association, and the Religious Communication Association. In addition, she serves on the Editorial Board of New Explorations: Studies in Culture and Communication, the Board of Directors of Second Nature: Critical Thinking about Media and Technology, and the Board of Directors of the Christian Communication Studies Network.

At Western, Dr. Forsberg continues to support students in developing the habits of careful reading, ethical communication, critical inquiry, and thoughtful engagement with the cultural and technological forces shaping contemporary life.

Research Interests

  • Geraldine E. Forsberg’s research examines media ecology, language, literacy, technology, religion, and culture, with attention to how communication technologies shape human identity, education, moral reasoning, and public discourse.

Selected Publications

Forsberg, Geraldine E. “Narrative Art and Narrative Text: Media Ecology Principles for Education.” Explorations in Media Ecology 24, no. 2 (2025): 179–197.

Forsberg, Geraldine E. “Jacques Ellul on Being Human in a Technological Society: A Theological Perspective.” In Questioning Technology with Jacques Ellul, 461–484. Wipf & Stock, 2025.

Forsberg, Geraldine E. “Jacques Ellul’s Influence on Neil Postman.” Explorations in Media Ecology 20, no. 4 (2021): 407–418.

Forsberg, Geraldine E., and Stephanie Bennett. “Marshall McLuhan and Jacques Ellul in Dialog.” The Journal of Communication & Religion 43, no. 4 (2020).

Forsberg, Geraldine E. “Media Ecology and Theology.” Journal of Communication & Religion 32, no. 1 (2009).

For a fuller list of publications, see Dr. Forsberg’s Google Scholar profile.