Rate My Professor Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon is Professor of the Practice in Journalism and Director of the Center for Media Innovation & Social Impact at Boston University’s College of Communication. He earned a PhD in Critical Studies from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California in 2003, an MA from the same department in 1999, and a BA in Sociology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 1994. Prior to joining Boston University, Gordon served as Professor in the Department of Visual and Media Arts and Founder and Director of the Engagement Lab at Emerson College from 2010 to 2024. He has also held positions including Research Affiliate at MIT’s School of Social Science and Humanities, Lecturer at Harvard Graduate School of Design, and Fellow at Harvard’s Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Gordon is core faculty at the Boston University Institute for Global Sustainability and a BU Urbanist with the Initiative on Cities.

Gordon’s research examines civic technology and public participation in cities, technology’s role in democracy and public engagement, and the impact of narrative, data, and algorithms on institutional trust and governance. He specializes in collaborative design processes and has designed civic games to foster democratic participation in the US, Egypt, Bhutan, Romania, and other countries. As an expert advisor, he has worked with local and national governments and NGOs worldwide to develop responsive processes aligned with organizational values. He is the author of The Urban Spectator (Dartmouth, 2010), Net Locality (Blackwell, 2011), and Meaningful Inefficiencies: Civic Design in an Age of Digital Expediency (Oxford University Press, 2020), and co-editor of Civic Media: Technology, Design, Practice (MIT Press, 2016) and Ludics: Play as Humanistic Inquiry (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021). His forthcoming book is Generative Listening: How We Can Leverage New Tech to Build Trust (MIT Press, 2026). Gordon has published over 50 peer-reviewed articles and chapters. His honors include the Fulbright Specialist Award (2017), Games for Change Best Direct Impact Game (2011), and Urban Communication Foundation Research Award (2007).