Faculty Profile for Jessica Lynn James

profile photo for Jessica Lynn James
Jessica Lynn James
Senior Lecturer — School of Jrnlism & Mass Comm
OM 236C
phone: (512) 245-2656

Biography Section

Biography and Education

Jessica is a senior lecturer in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Texas State University.

She is the faculty advisor for the Texas State Student Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) and the course coordinator for MC1313, Media Writing, the foundational writing course for all journalism and electronic media majors.

Jessica has also served as the co-grant coordinator for the Texas State University MIPPA Project, a federally funded research grant that investigated media habits of Medicare-eligible Texans.

Her master's thesis, “Mobile Dating in the Digital Age: Computer-Mediated Communication and Relationship Building on Tinder,” focused on the gamification of mobile dating and its impact on user behavior. Her research on the topic has been published and cited in "Wired," "Bustle" and other peer-reviewed articles and media, including the book, "Sex in the Digital Age."


Professionally, Jessica worked a city reporter at the Morning Journal in Lorain, Ohio, before moving to Texas. She has written for several newspapers in Northern Ohio, including the Fostoria Review Times and the Sandusky Register.

Jessica received her M.A. in mass communication from Texas State University and her B.S. in journalism from Bowling Green State University in Bowling Green, Ohio.

Teaching Interests

Editing and News Writing

Research Interests

Mobile dating, online dating

Selected Scholarly/Creative Work

  • Higgins Joyce, V. D., James, J. L., & Khani, Z. (2017). TV and Web Cultivating Health Perceptions among older Latinos in Texas.
  • James, J. L. (n.d.). Love at our Fingertips: Exploring the Design Implications of Mobile Dating Technologies. In Sex in the Digital Age. 5 Howick Place, London SW1P 1WG, England: Routledge.

Selected Awards

  • Award / Honor Recipient: Teaching Award of Honor, Texas State University Alumni Association. August 21, 2020 - Present
  • Award / Honor Nominee: Award for Excellence in Online Teaching, Texas State University. October 28, 2023 - January 29, 2024
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching, Texas State University. September 15, 2022 - February 10, 2023
  • Award / Honor Nominee: Presidential Excellence Award in Teaching, Texas State University. 2022
  • Award / Honor Recipient: Society of Professional Journalists Region 8 Program of the Year, Society of Professional Journalists. January 21, 2018 - August 21, 2019

Selected Grants

  • James, Jessica Lynn. SPJ national conference registration, Headliners Foundation, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $910. (Submitted: 2023, Funded: 2023). Grant.
  • James, Jessica Lynn. Texas Tribune Fest, Headliners, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $350. (Submitted: 2023, Funded: 2023). Grant.
  • James, Jessica Lynn (Principal). SPJ Region 8 Conference Mixer, Headliners Foundation, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $1000. (Submitted: October 2, 2023, Funded: April 24, 2023 - April 25, 2023). Grant.
  • James, Jessica Lynn (Principal). SPJ Region 8 Conference, Headliners Foundation, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $1000. (Submitted: March 3, 2023, Funded: March 15, 2023). Grant.
  • James, Jessica Lynn. Media Fest conference registration, Headliners Foundation, Private / Foundation / Corporate, $820. (Submitted: 2022, Funded: 2022). Grant.

Selected Service Activities

Speaker
The Univeristy Star
August 17, 2021-Present
Participant
Bobcat Preview Day
February 2019-Present
Participant
Bobcat Preview Day
November 17, 2018-Present
Member
Special Events Commitee
October 31, 2018-Present
Attendee
Dean's Seminar Mike Devlin
October 9, 2018-Present