LMC Visiting Assistant Professor Madej performs research in the following areas: digital narrative; history of children's narrative; narratives in popular culture: animation, comics, and graphic novels; narrative as maker of meaning; rhetoric of the web; graphic design and museum design.

Here is the abstract for her April 2 talk:For generations narrative rhymes in oral and print contexts have been an integral part of young children’s growing up experience. Inherent in these games is somatic engagement that includes rhyming and/or singing to a range of physical movements. This physical engagement has been difficult to translate into new media because the physical immaturity of young children often limits their interaction with games with which older children have no difficulty. Cognitive and behavioral psychology and current studies in developmental neurobiology substantiate and reinforce the importance of physical activity for young children’s development. As more digital media replaces traditional experiences there is value in considering how well it does so in the context of their development. This talk discusses research on the nature of children’s somatic engagement with narrative rhymes in which characteristics of their interaction in traditional oral and print media are contrasted with their interaction in digital media. It identifies types of physical play that have been consistently reinforced through traditional uses of rhymes and that can be used in evolving a standard of interaction and engagement for young children for digital environments that considers the value of physical play in their growth and development.  To see the entire program of which Madej's lecture was a part, go tohttp://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/education/rke/seminars/cross-institute-seminar-series