Margaret E. Foster (Maggie) is a PhD student in Communication at Cornell University. Her research examines how media and technology facilitate queer relationality, identity expression, and constructions of queer spaces. Maggie works with qualitative methods and takes a critical-cultural approach to studying gender and sexuality. Her dissertation project, co-chaired by Dr. Katherine Sender and Dr. Brooke Erin Duffy, explores how literary spaces, like indie bookstores and social media platforms, produce, promote, and protect queer literary counterpublics.
Prior to Cornell, Maggie studied hashtag activism (particularly #MeToo) at UNC Chapel Hill, where she completed her Master’s degree. She remains a proud affiliate of the Center for Information, Technology, and Public Life. Maggie also served as National Research Coordinator for the Next Generation Science Exemplar (NGSX) Program for Professional Learning, a professional development project dedicated to epistemic justice in K-12 science education. As an undergraduate at Clark University, she studied Spanish literature and critical pedagogies. Maggie’s background in education inequality fuels her passion for social justice and her love of teaching.
Education
B.A., Clark University (Worcester, MA): double-major in Cultural Studies & Communication (CSAC) and Spanish Language, Literature, & Culture. Minor: Women's and Gender Studies.
M.A., University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Chapel Hill, NC): Media and Communication (Theory & Research Track)
Sender, K., Rodrigues, B., Foster, M. E., Chen, T., & Wang, H. (2026). Strategic methodological essentialism: An approach to transnational LGBTQ+ audience research. Media, Culture & Society, 48(3), 427–443. https://doi.org/10.1177/01634437251375351
Foster, M. E. (2025). “He said she’s a bisexual gold-digger”: Biphobia and epistemic injustice in news coverage of the Depp v. Heard divorce and defamation trial. Feminist Media Studies, 25(2), 250–266. https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2024.2358087
May 6, 2026 Check out our final COMM Updates for the 2025–2026 academic year—and what a year it’s been! We’ll be back at the beginning of the fall 2026 semester. Awards Graduate student Margaret (Maggie) Foster received the Christine Ye...
February 11, 2026 Awards Professor danah boyd was selected as a Non-Resident Fellow by the Center for Democracy & Technology, an honor recognizing leading scholars who contribute expertise on technology policy, civil rights, and democratic...