![Associate Professor of Rhetoric, Film, and Screen Studies Stephanie Kelley-Romano who teaches rhetorical theory and criticism, wrote her doctoral dissertation on “The Myth of Communion: A Rhetorical Analysis of the Narratives of Alien Abductees,” in which she drew from 130 interviews with people who believe they’ve been abducted by aliens. One of her conclusions is that people who believe they’ve been abducted have woven a collective myth that acts as a kind of religion.
Kelley-Romano poses in her second-floor Pettigrew office which contains a multitude of books and objects depicting aliens and abductees, many of them gifts from current and former students.](https://www.bates.edu/news/files/2018/11/181030_Stephanie_Kelley-Romano_Aliens_0007-200x133.jpg)
What I mean when I say: ‘Myth,’ with Stephanie Kelley-Romano
When Stephanie Kelley-Romano, associate professor of rhetoric, says the word “myth,” she means:
“An overarching, ideological system of beliefs that runs our lives, somewhat unbeknownst to us. Religions, political ideologies or things we think are ‘natural’ are actually beliefs and socially constructed systems. These myths allow us to feel as though we are participating in a life that is predictable and safe.”
The series “What I Mean When I Say” explains terms and phrases used by professors of Bates College in their teaching and research.
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