Andrew F. Wood (Ph.D., Ohio University, 1998) is a professor of Communication Studies at San José State University. Dr. Wood has authored or co-authored several books on urban life, internet communication, reality television, roadside Americana, and the 1939-40 New York World's Fair. His latest book, City Ubiquitous: Place, Communication, and the Rise of Omnitopia, was the 2009 winner of the Jane Jacobs Urban Communication Award. Dr. Wood's peer-reviewed articles have appeared in Critical Studies in Media Communication, Text and Performance Quarterly, Communication Theory, Space and Culture, Communication Education, and Southern Communication Journal. Andy also blogs regularly at Woodland Shoppers Paradise, a mini-mall of media, critique, and commentary. When he's not writing, Andy is either on the road or dreaming of his next highway adventure. Recent trips include a cross-country journey along Route 66 and a tour of New England Diners.
Books
City Ubiquitous: Place, Communication, and the Rise of Omnitopia (2009)
City Ubiquitous is written for students and scholars of the built environment, but it is...
Online Communication: Linking Technology, Identity, and Culture (with Matthew J. Smith) (2005)
Online Communication provides an introduction to both the technologies of the Internet Age and their...
Motel America: A State By State Tour Guide to Nostalgic Stopovers (2004)
A guide to funky, retro, and off-the-beaten-path motels around the United States from the author...
New York's 1939-40 World's Fair (2004)
The 1939-1940 New York World's Fair promised a new age of global communication, nationwide superhighways,...
Road Trip America: A State By State Guide to Offbeat Destinations (2003)
The heightened stress of traveling by air these days has encouraged more and more families...
Articles
Two Roads Diverge: Route 66, ‘‘Route 66,’’ and the Mediation of American Ruin, Critical Studies in Media Communication (2010)
I explore Route 66 as both a material environment and constellation of media texts, highlighting...
“Flex your power”: Energy crises and the shifting rhetoric of the grid (with Anne Marie Todd), Atlantic Journal of Communication (2006)
In response to widespread power outages, rolling blackouts, and ubiquitous energy debates, this essay considers...
“Are we there yet?”: Searching for Springfield and the Simpsons' rhetoric of omnitopia (with Anne Marie Todd S), Critical Studies in Media Communication (2005)
The Simpsons’ visual and textual depiction of Springfield as a typical American city provides an...
“The best surprise is no surprise”: Architecture, imagery, and omnitopia among American mom and pop motels, Space and Culture (2005)
This essay explores the critical role of motels as markers of transition between idiosyncratic locales...
“What happens [in Vegas]”: Performing the post-tourist flâneur in “New York” and “Paris”, Text and Performance Quarterly (2005)
This essay explores Las Vegas as a stage-set for tourist performance. Initially, I outline Walter...