True Crime Storyteller Nancy Grace Shares Insight Into the 24/7 Media Era

Renowned for her insightful and hard-hitting dedication to exploring true crimes, Grace met with first year students of the seminar led by David Resha, associate professor of film and media.

“We were so honored to have Nancy Grace join us on campus for this insightful seminar,” Resha explained. “We are studying the true crime genre across different media, including literature, podcasts, television, documentary film, graphic novels, and streaming shows.” For the seminar’s television section, “Nancy shared the compelling story of her interest in pursuing a career as an English professor. After the murder of her fiancé, she turned her attention towards studying the law and her interest in victims' rights,” Resha said. With insight into the changing nature of the television industry, “She noted a generational shift away from linear television and towards other forms of media, including streaming services.”

Students asked Grace about the effect of immersing herself daily in crime, and she shared how it made her more conscientious and more protective towards her personal health and strategies for coping when her daily work involves trauma. Oxford student Carly Weiss was inspired by how Grace spoke with deep emotional conviction. “Her personal background with the loss of her fiancé made her true crime stories more passionate and authentic,” Weiss shared. 

Grace said meeting with students at Oxford was “an incredible time. Thank you for inviting me. Being with the Emory students was a breath of fresh air and their questions were new and varied.”

Bridgette Gunnels, Oxford associate dean and director for the Oxford Center for Pathways & Purpose (CPP), shared how leaders like Nancy Grace “enrich our student experience by offering a global perspective on vital issues that impact our world.”

“The Impact Lab sponsored this speaker as part of our Fall 2024 focus: Pathways in Film, Media & Business,” Gunnels said. “Dr. Resha served as the faculty liaison to the Impact Lab for this semester, and his class centered the work of Nancy Grace from an academic standpoint.”

The CPP’s guiding purpose is to bridge class to career. “Getting a speaker of this caliber to engage with Oxford students illustrates the innovative organization of the CPP that is centered in direct connections from academic content (true crime documentary/docuseries) to real life stories/pathways/careers (Nancy Grace),” Gunnels explained. “We close the loop by facilitating other conversations with industry specific professionals (the Professionals in Residence in the Impact Lab) that serve as jumping off points for industry networking, internships, skill building, and so much more.”

Students participating in Oxford Discovery Seminars learn how to find and use evidence to questions, analyze, interpret, and create new knowledge. Capped at 16 students per seminar, the topics covered are diverse, including deep dives into data mining, the Anthropocene, metaphors, and the intersection of science and society. Seminar faculty mentors become student academic advisers during their two years at Oxford. Learn more about these enlightening seminars for first-year students.