Dr. Darren Valenta joined the faculty in the communication studies and theatre art department at Concordia College in Fall 2021. He serves as an assistant professor of communication studies and director of the speech and debate program. In January 2025, he was appointed the new director of Core Curriculum and First-Year Experience.
Degrees and Education:
Ph.D. in Communication Studies, Southern Illinois University-Carbondale
Research Interests:
His research interests include stand-up comedy, mental health, anxiety and depression, performance studies, critical communication pedagogy, and autoethnography.
Read some of Dr. Valenta’s work:
“Laughing at Pink Ribbon Culture: Tig Notaro’s Comedic Subversion of the She-ro.”
Text and Performance Quarterly
“Comedy Makes me Cry: Seeing Myself in Mediated Disclosures of Mental Illness.”