Ph.D., The University of Texas at Austin 1991
M.A., The University of Texas at Austin, 1983
B.A., Baylor University, 1970
Background Research Newton’s scholarship explores the impact of visual culture on society, on our ways of knowing, and on the integrity of the self. Her research employs methods ranging from ethnography to experimental design in cultural settings ranging from a small town in Mexico to metropolitan newsrooms. Her creative scholarship seeks the authenticity of the human spirit through photography and writing. Newton’s work, which has been published and exhibited widely, includes the book, The Burden of Visual Truth: the Role of Photojournalism in Mediating Reality.
Newton’s experience as a journalist, artist and researcher provide a unique base for the blend of ideas and skills she seeks to impart and evoke in her students. Newton joined the SOJC after 15 years as a faculty member at UT Austin, where she headed the photojournalism program and won The College of Communication Teaching Excellence Award.