Mary Ann Allison
Mary Ann Allison is an interdisciplinary scholar at Hofstra University who uses media theory, sociology, and complex systems theory to study the ways in which individuals, communities, and institutions are changing.
Dr. Allison teaches a series of courses in media studies, including media theory, research, and mass media in contemporary society. With a special interest in fostering research at the undergraduate level, she develops assignments that harness student work to address real-world problems and supervises independent study courses and honors theses. In addition to teaching media studies in the School of Communication, she conducts research for The National Center for Suburban Studies at Hofstra University® and the Urban Communication Foundation.
Her study of social evolution received the Harold A. Innis Award for Outstanding Dissertation in the Field of Media Ecology.
An author, researcher, lecturer, and consultant on societal and community evolution and the application of complexity science to group effectiveness, Dr. Allison co-wrote The Complexity Advantage: How the Science of Complexity Can Help Your Business Achieve Peak Performance (McGraw-Hill, 1999), which The Wall Street Journal described as follows: “Anyone who grasps the concepts in The Complexity Advantage will have the power to change a business in startling ways. ... These are big ideas.”
Outside academia, Dr. Allison’s experience includes internal and external management, strategic planning, and product development and delivery. She was with Citibank for 16 years, where she worked with emerging technologies on a global basis. Her first book, Through the Valley of Death (Doubleday, 1983), is a murder mystery co-written with her husband, Eric Allison. She is listed in Who’s Who and is a New York City artist in residence for poetry.
YouTube FourSquare Flickr RSS