Dr. Joshua Barbour

Professor

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Biography

In 2018, Joshua Barbour founded the Automation Policy Research Organizing Network (APRON), aimed at building a community of scholars, practitioners, and policymakers to advance communication research focused on the future of data-intensive, automated work. His research explores the assumption that institutional structures—including regulations, laws, and cultural norms—create opportunities, constraints, resources, and contradictions that both empower and challenge practitioners in solving communication problems. He sheds light on the strategic efforts of practitioners as they navigate these structures. Joshua's studies center on communication design, emphasizing the choices made by actors regarding messages, communication tools, formats, and systems of interaction. His scholarship identifies the institutional constraints faced by local actors and examines the rhetorical sophistication of their communicative strategies. Success in these efforts often relies on the creativity involved in reconceptualizing communicative situations and negotiating competing ideals and contradictions in practice.

Research Interests

Requirements for University of Illinois

Master Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3
IELTS
Listening
Required:7
Reading
Required:7
Writing
Required:7
Speaking
Required:7
Overall
Required:7.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:17
Reading
Required:19
Writing
Required:21
Speaking
Required:20
Total
Required:103
GRE General
Prerequisites
Mathematical background Linear Algebra Calculus
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • 3 Letters of Recommendation
  • Academic Statement of Purpose
  • Resume/CV
Specialization Notes

GRE is optional for admission to all graduate programs in Statistics. Full status admission requires higher language scores than limited status.