Bringing breath back to black faculty: Dr. Eric Pierson, Ph.D., professor of communication studies

Eric Pierson, Ph.D., speaks on his long standing career in the College of Arts and Sciences, his family, work, and life experiences as a “Black academic”.

Riley Weeden/Asst. Feature Editor/The USD Vista

The longest-standing Black faculty member in the College of Arts and Sciences, Eric Pierson, Ph.D., has been a professor of communication studies for 21 years. As a film and media critic, actor, and past screenwriter, Pierson is a versatile and unique professor. 

Pierson is teaching Communication Criticism and Real Science versus Reel Science this fall. 

His love for film began at a young age.

“I had always been an untrained student of film,” he said. “Film wasn’t just a film and a television show wasn’t just a television show.” 

Rather, for Pierson, it was a form of expression and of perspective. 

Growing up in Chicago, he attended the University of Illinois for his undergraduate degree. He referred to himself as “a statistical outlier,” as he was the first in his family to get his Bachelor’s degree and get an advanced graduate degree. In Illinois, he received his degree in theatre for acting and soon after graduating moved to California to attend the Motion Picture, Film and Television program at the University of California, Los Angeles. 

After moving to Los Angeles, Pierson settled down, had a family, and decided to spend time working and practicing screenwriting. His wife encouraged him to pursue his doctorate that he had always dreamed of getting. 

After ten years of working, he and his wife quit their jobs and headed to graduate school.

The University of San Diego was always his first choice to work as a professor. 

At the university, Pierson jumped into a class that led him to the career he has today: Film and Cultural Politics. 

Since his first class he has created a Sundance Class, where students attend the film festival during Intersession and analyze various films, curated the film studies minor, and also designed a documentary film class.

Reflecting back to his time working apart from academics, he says it improved his teaching.

“I had a renewed appreciation of school when I finally got to go back to it,” Pierson said. His appreciation and “real-world” experience allowed him to focus on the knowledge he wanted to share with his students. 

Pierson acknowledged his identity as more than just his profession.

“I’m past the point of calling myself an academic because I will always be a Black academic,” he said.

Being a Black academic comes with certain expectations from students.

“When I go to teach a class, the first thing they see is I am Black,” Pierson said. “If they have any preconceived notions about what that is, then they have to deal with those.”

Because of the lack of diversity at USD, especially when he started teaching, he has always felt an added pressure to be a leader and advisor to Black students because of this.

“There weren’t a lot of us and the few Black students that were on campus were looking for mentors,“ Pierson shared.

Many of his non-Black students had never had a Black professor before.

“I tend to be over prepared because there might be people in the class (who associate) lack of preparation or a lack of professionalism as … somehow reflective of my Blackness,” he said.

He has worked hard to be a great professor, despite the prejudice that he has experienced.His classes involve subjects within media like class, race, and other social contexts. He noted his teacher evaluations from students have often described his teaching as too racialized. After the first student addressed this, he edited his curriculum and left out content that addressed race directly and focussed on class and socioeconomic status. Even after this change, he received the same critique from another student. 

“When I say poverty, they see Black or they hear Black,” he said. “The lightbulb went on that for some students, no matter what discussion you’re having, there’s always a racial component.”

Dr. Pierson has advice for Black allies. 

“Start at home. Start with the person in the mirror,” Pierson said. 

He compared his experience with one of a woman in a male-dominated job.

Pierson mentioned an example in his own life, of an experience with doubt because he was flying with a female pilot. At first, Pierson doubted her ability because of her gender, but after a quick self-reflection realized her gender actually made him have more faith in her flying ability.

“If she has overcome a system that hasn’t let her fly the plane, then in a lot of ways, I am better off with her,” Pierson stated.

He uses this example comparatively to him and his Black peers. If Black leaders, like Pierson, can overcome a system that oppresses them and holds them back, then they must be the best for the job. 

As for his main goals for the school, he says the Black student retention is his first priority. 

“Getting people here is not the same as creating an environment where they succeed and excel,” Pierson said.

Throughout his 21 years at the University of San Diego, Black students have always had a lower graduation rate than their peers.

“It’s the (goal) that drives me, but it’s also the thing that most infuriates me,” he added.

Black students are the lowest graduating demographic. According to the university’s website averages from the past four years, the graduation rate for Black students is 61%, while their white peers’ graduate at a rate of about 80%.

Overall, he says he is “cautiously optimistic.” After the Black faculty letter was sent, he says USD has always been good at verbal support but not necessarily following them up.

“USD has always been good about saying the right things,” he notes, “but change has to happen.” He hopes that after this, the university does not go “back to business as usual.”The momentum that has been gained since the strengthening of the Black Lives Matter movement was something no one could ignore. The murder of George Floyd hit home for him because of his own experience being taught how to interact with police. 

“I’m a Black person with a Ph.D., I could have easily died that day,” he said. “It was about power, and that this Black man’s life was less valuable than other people’s. That’s the power of these moments.”

“As (someone in) the media, the power of that visual (is) you can’t act like you didn’t see what you just saw,” Pierson added. “You don’t get to doctor the narrative.”

Speaking on behalf of himself, Black faculty and the Black community, he said “all we want is a better outcome.” He hopes for an outcome that includes Black lives being valued and advocated for. With the spread of the Black Lives Matter movement, outrage from the media in response to the violent crimes against Black men and women, the letter sent from both the Black Student Union and Black faculty, Pierson hopes “the fire does not (burn) out.”