Jocelyn Horner

Jocelyn Horner studies the relationship between creative self-expression and positive development among young people. Her dissertation research focuses on digital storytelling as an engagement strategy for youth engagement, examining how young women in New Orleans use personal narratives and stories to construct and share positive gender, racial and cultural identities. She is also interested in macro social work, community-engaged scholarship, feminist and participatory research methods, educational policy and the role of the arts in social justice.

A proud native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Jocelyn holds a Bachelors degree in sociology and urban studies from the University of Pittsburgh, and a Masters degree in urban geography and environment from the London School of Economics. Prior to returning to school, Jocelyn worked for over five years in the non-profit sector in Pittsburgh, focusing on organizational development, youth & community engagement, and project design and evaluation. During that time, she held positions at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh, The Sprout Fund and Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab. 

Jocelyn was a 2004 Truman Scholar and most recently a graduate fellow at the Arts Council of New Orleans. She currently directs the HerStory NOLA program, an initiative that uses narrative storytelling and digital media to assist young women in the city of New Orleans in documenting the stories of their lives and communities.

Research Interests

Narrative Methods, Youth Development, Critical Ethnography, Digital Storytelling, Action Research

CV

Area Exams

Youth, Media and Technology: Beyond the Digital Native Paradigm, Narrative in Theory and Practice: Applications in the Lives of Youth

Dissertation

Storytelling as Self-Advocacy: Digital Media Strategies for Engaging Young Women in Positive Development

Selected Publications & Presentations

- Digital Storytelling as a Service Learning Tool in New Orleans Schools. To be presented at 15th Annual Conference for the International Association for Research on Service-Learning and Community Engagement. Boston, MA: November 2015.

- Takin' it to the Streets: Successful Models for Museum Outreach. Invited Co-panelist for webinar. American Alliance of Museums. April 2015

- Mayer, Vicki and Jocelyn Horner. "Student Media Labor in the Digital Age: MediaNOLA in the Classroom and the University." Routledge Companion to Labor and Media, Richard Maxwell, ed. 2015