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Nirenberg, R. (2001). Modes of Constructing the Masculine Body: An autoethnographic journey into competitive bodybuilding. M.A. Thesis. The Annenberg School for Communication, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.

• This is a study of male bodybuilding using an autoethnographic perspective to capture men's identity transitions as they enter into and increase investment in the subculture and practices of bodybuilding. Through interviews, field observations, and a personal journal in which the author examines his own journey in becoming a bodybuilder, commonalities are found in how bodybuilders understand and explain their perceived changes in identity, physicality, and investment. In addition, the study considers the dialogue about masculinity in which the subculture and society participate. By exploring bodybuilding practices and media, including a case study of four Weider "muscle magazines," the author finds that, on one hand, traditional and sometimes violent notions of masculinity are being supported and instructed, while on the other, they are being inverted by the rituals of the subculture. The study also attempts to debunk the psychological deficiency perspective of bodybuilding that academic and nonacademic writers have tended to adopt.

Nirenberg, R. (2000). "Build This Body!": An analysis of male bodies as memorials of violent masculinity and the case of Weider publications. Written for the Annenberg School for Communication. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.

• Understanding the ideal male body culture and the way it is propagated in contemporary media is critical for the growing corpus of research on men and masculinity. Although new media are often pushing aside older forms of communication, in the business of building muscle, magazines serve an increasingly significant function. This paper brings to the forefront the case of muscle magazines and the methods in which they instruct men to idealize (and recreate) a body type that is both potent and symbolically violent. These magazines teach men how to build, display, and use their muscle; they teach men how to look, feel, and "be men." Four Weider publications, Flex, Muscle & Fitness, Men’s Fitness, and Men’s Health are discussed in terms of their editorial and advertising content.

Nirenberg, R. (2000). Sports death: An analysis of sports retirements as death rituals. Written for the Annenberg School for Communication. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.

• When athletes retire, they not only leave the field, they leave their lives as athletes. For sports communities, retirement is a natural process in which players exit the group and room is made for new ones to enter. Essentially, then, sports retirement is ritual of death. In this analysis, I present the common patterns, content, and structures found in sports retirement rituals as they relate to real death ritual. These media events present the group with death, and thus, require death rituals to enable separation from the dead and the introduction of new members.

Nirenberg, R. (1999). The trialectics of stadia: A spatial analysis of spectator spaces and places in sports. Written for the Annenberg School for Communication. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania.

• This analysis describes the benefits of studying space, particularly spectator space in sports. A trialectics perspective of stadium will be used in order to discover the social (and spatial) construction of identity and the meaning of space itself. By examining how stadia space is designed and used, assertions about the construction of the fan and sports space will be made.

Nirenberg, R. (1997). Messing with metabolism: Offsetting equilibrium of the human body. Written for Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

• The human body is a system that seeks equilibrium. Muscle and fat affect and are affected by metabolism, and organ function is intricately connected to all three. Therefore, the news-making pill which claims to speed metabolism directly is either a fluke or extremely dangerous (it does not change body chemistry or physical makeup). Organs, such as the heart, brain, and liver, depend on stable metabolism. Drastically offsetting these relationships could have devastating effects.

Nirenberg, R. (1997). PowerBar: Cornering the energy bar market. Written for Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

• This is an analysis of how PowerBar cornered a growing market by making its name nearly synonymous with energy bars. Several branding strategies are discussed.

Nirenberg, R. (1996). War rhetoric in American football. Written for Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

• Perhaps Vince Lombardi said it best: "[Football] is a symbol, I think, of what this country's best attributes are; namely, courage, stamina, and coordinated efficiency. It is a spartan game, and I mean by that, it requires spartanlike qualities in order to play it . . ." (O'Brien, 203). Football is war.

Nirenberg, R. (1996). MTV: They want rebellion, so give it to them. Written for Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

• Because of its commercial origin, MTV was bound partly to the dominant culture like other networks. Although contradictory, MTV remains an outlet of rebellion and dominant ideology; MTV is a commercial product that feigns authenticity and demonstrates artificial rebellion.

Nirenberg, R. (1996). Telvision's influence on family communication: A summary of the field and research. Written for Trinity University, San Antonio, TX.

• The university of television researchers is one of the largest in family communication. James Lull, Margaret J. Haefner, and Ellen Wartella lead a list of scholars that continues to grow. Although previous research has focused on the way television texts and ideologies affect families (mass-cultural and pragmatic perspectives), the importance of context has been increasingly acknowledged by scholars. Future research should combine this ecological perspective with old techniques. As a result, broader understandings of television's role within the family can be realized.