Darnel Degand
Assistant Professor
Darnel Degand joined the School of Education as an assistant professor in July 2017. He studies the various ways media and society influence the development of social success skills by exploring the social processes that exist within media production environments and media consumption experiences. His research also involves the design and development of educational media products and experiences.
Before joining UC Davis, Professor Degand amassed nearly two decades of professional experience as an interactive media producer. A sampling of his resume includes roles as a multimedia designer at the City University of New York’s Queensborough Community College, as a game designer/developer for Sesame Workshop and as a technical development manager for an online advertising firm acquired by Amazon.
Research Interests
Social Success, Comics & Graphic Novels, Games, Interactive Narratives, Educational Technology & Media, Culturally Relevant Media Production
Education
Ed.D. (2013) Teachers College Columbia University
Instructional Technology & Media
M.S. (2002) New York University
Digital Imaging & Design
B.S.E. (2000) University of Pennsylvania
Mechanical Engineering & Applied Mechanics
Publications
Journal Articles
Degand, D. (2022). An arts-based inquiry-inspired rubric for assessing college students’ comic essays. Multimodality & Society, 2(4), 386-409. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/26349795221124811
Degand, D. (2022). Comics, emceeing, and graffiti: A graphic narrative about the relationship between hip-hop culture and comics culture. Studies in Comics, 12(2), 239-248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1386/stic_00064_3
Degand, D. (2022). Unsilenced Pasts Present in Afrofutures: The Potential of Arts-Based Inquiry and Critical Race Theory. Journal of Futures Studies. 26(3), 7–23. DOI: http://doi.org/10.6531/JFS.202203_26(3).0002
Degand, D. (2022). Traditions, graffiti, identities, and the future: An interview with comic artist Dawud Osaze Kamau Anyabwile, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, 13(5) 783-799. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2021.1999293
Degand, D. (2022). Golden legacy versus trivialising tropes: An examination of The Saga of TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE and the Birth of Haiti, Journal of Graphic Novels and Comics, 13(2), 255-269. DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/21504857.2021.1880952
Degand, D. (2020). Introducing critical race media literacy in an undergraduate education course about technology and arts-based inquiry. International Journal of Multicultural Education, 22(3), 96-117, DOI: http://doi.org/10.18251/ijme.v22i3.2461
Degand, D. (2020). Brotherman, parents, & legacies: Recognizing the contributions of African American independent comic book writers and artists. The Comics Grid: Journal of Comics Scholarship, 10(1), 1-21, DOI: http://doi.org/10.16995/cg.203
Degand, D. (2019). Stereotypes vs. strategies for digital media artists: The case for culturally relevant media production, Theory Into Practice, 58(4), 368-376, DOI: http://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2019.1626617
Degand, D. (2015). A phenomenological multi-case study about social success skills, aspirations, and related media experiences. The Qualitative Report, 20(6), 872-900. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2015.2168
Additional Publications
Degand, D. (in press). “I don’t fit in anywhere”: Undergraduates’ experiences with avatars and games in an Education course. In GLS 2022 Conference Proceedings. Carnegie Mellon University ETC Press.
Degand, D. (2021). Tackling Stereotypes: Portrayals of Black NFL athletes on The CW’s The Game and HBO’s Ballers. In Brackett, L. (Eds), Working While Black: Essays on Television Portrayals of African American Professionals. North Carolina: McFarland Press. https://mcfarlandbooks.com/product/working-while-black/
Degand, D. (2017, March 1). Black Women Doctors in the World of Comics. Comics, Race, and Society series. African American Intellectual Historical Society. https://www.aaihs.org/black-women-doctors-in-the-world-of-comics/
Vikaros, L. & Degand, D. (2010). Moral development through social narratives and game design. In K. Schrier & D. Gibson (Eds), Ethics and Game Design: Teaching Values through Play (pp. 197-215). Hershey, PA & New York, NY: Information Science Reference. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/moral-development-through-social-narratives/41320
Courses Taught
University of California, Davis
Research on Response to Culturally Diverse Literature
Culturally Relevant Media Experiences & Teaching
American Society, Media, & Perspectives on Social Success
Learning in the Digital Age
Teachers College Columbia University
Advanced Theory & Programming of Interactive Media
Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology
Design, Drawing, & Aesthetics
3D Animation with 3DStudio Max
Intermediate Adobe Photoshop
Introduction to 3DStudio Max
Introduction to Adobe Photoshop
Introduction to Flash
Funded Research
Governor’s Office of Planning & Research – California Education Learning Lab. Improving Retention in Engineering: E-Games for Active Training in Engineering Design. 2019-2022. (Co-PI, with collaborators: PI Angelique Louie (UC Davis), Co-PI Jennifer Choi (UC Davis), Co-PI Joshua McCoy (UC Davis), Co-PI Will Davis (American River College), and Co-PI Hong-Yue (Ray) Tang (CSU Sacramento). [Amount: $500,000]
Hellman Foundation. Challenging Deficit Discourses in Multimodal Arts-Based Education with Counter-Stories from Media Industry Professionals. 2021-2022. [Amount: $15,000]
University of California, Davis School of Education - Dean’s Research Excellence Award. The Social Success Mediation Framework Project: Identifying Skills and Traits that Enable Disadvantaged Individuals to Succeed. 2018-2020. [Amount: $5,000]
Professional Academic Affiliations
American Educational Research Association (AERA)
National Art Education Association (NAEA)
Professional Experience
SIZMEK (DG/MEDIAMIND/UNICAST), New York, NY
(01/2014 –
05/2017) Technical Development Manager / Project Manager
(03/2012 –
12/2013) Scrum Master / Team Lead
(06/2009 –
03/2012) Senior Flash Engineer
SESAME WORKSHOP, New York, NY
(02/2008 – 03/2009) Flash Game Developer
CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK, QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Bayside, NY
(05/2005 – 02/2008) Multimedia Designer / Higher Education Assistant
INSTITUTE FOR SCHOOLS OF THE FUTURE, New York, NY
(10/2003 – 03/2006) Consultant
BERLIN PRODUCTIONS, White Plains, NY
(03/2004 – 02/2005) Creative Director, Multimedia
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER, New York, NY
(02/2003 – 08/2003) Graphic Design Consultant
AMC COMPUTER CORPORATION, New York, NY
(10/2000 – 05/2001) Creative Director / Application Specialist
MOBERG RESEARCH, Moberg Multimedia, Ambler, PA
(05/1999 – 12/1999) 3D Artist
AVNI PRODUCTIONS, New York, NY
(06/1999 – 12/2010) President / Multimedia Developer
