James L. Epps  
UCLA Information Studies Scholar | Portfolio | Teaching Resources

James L. Epps is a multidisciplinary information scholar and artist whose research examines digital religion through the lens of Black feminist technology studies and Black womanist ethics. He is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Information Studies at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). His current work explores the use of counternarrative and critical technocultural discourse analysis to examine the quality of information for and about Black religions in digital media environments. James is a research fellow for the Center for Race & Digital Justice. In addition, James was an archives fellow for Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Community Archives fellowship and earned the UCL A Eugene V. Cota-Robles fellowship to support his research. 

Epps is author of the forthcoming book “A Matter of Radical Pushback: A Political Theopoetics of Black Imagination” (Cascade Books), a collection of essays and poems tracing methods of centering Black art in theology.


Curriculum Vitae


RESEARCH INTERESTS



Critical Archives, Critical internet studies, Algorithmic bias, Black feminist technology praxis, Womanist ethics, Digital Black religion, American studies, Queer studies, Digital media studies, Data justice, Critical computational methods, Digital ethnography, Critical technocultural discourse analysis

EDUCATION


University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)             Los Angeles, CA
Ph.D. Information Studies   
Expected: June 2027
Certificate:  Graduate Writing Pedagogy
Dissertation Title:  “Archives of An Other: Demystifying Black Religious Digital Records”
Advisor: Safiya U. Noble

Claremont School of Theology
Claremont, CA
M.A. Interdisciplinary Studies
2020
Thesis Title: “Valuing Spiritual Narrative in Social Ethics”
Advisor(s): Frank Rodgers and Nicolas Grier 

Union Theological Seminary New York City, NY
M.A. Social Ethics
2017
Thesis Title: “Unplugging from an American Matrix: A Case for Afrofuturism in Theology”
Advisor: Lisa Thompson

St. John’s University
Queens, NY
Bachelors of Science 
Journalism
2013

WRITING, PRESENTATIONS, TALKS, AND  WORKSHOPS  



ARTICLES
Michelle Caswell, Tonia Sutherland, Anna Robinson-Sweet, James L. Epps, “‘No More Basements’: A Qualitative Report on BIPOC-Centered Arts Organizations’ Archival Practices and Needs”, The South Asian American Digital Archive, August 2025. (Link to report)


BOOKS + CHAPTERS
James L. Epps, et al, A Matter of Radical Pushback: Theopoetics of the Black Imagination, Cascade Books (2026).

James L. Epps, “Searching the Forest for Harbor: A Survival-Quality of Black Digital Religion,”  in  The Critical Internet Studies Reader, ed. Stacy E. Wood (2026)The,  Critical Internet Studies Reader,

James L. Epps and LaRisa Anderson,  “At the Crossroads of Wisdom and Power: Expansive Frameworks for Black Women’s Religious and Spiritual Technocultures“  in  Digital Black Religion, eds Erika Gault and Marguerite Guidry,  NYU Press (Forthcoming 2028)


CONFERENCE  PRESENTATIONS
James L. Epps and LaRisa Anderson-Horne, PhD., “Calls from Inside The House: Deepening Digital Hush Harbors in A Data-Driven Society.”  Race and Media Conference, University of Leeds (2026)

James L. Epps and Ngozi Harrison, “Investigating Rupture and Absence: A Conversation between Critical Archival Studies and Critical Data Studies” Association of Internet Research (2025)

James L. Epps, “Searching the Forest for Harbor: Using CTDA to Determine Survival-Quality of Information”, International Communication Association Annual Conference. (2025)

James L. Epps , “To Use and be Used: Religion, Spirituality and the Internet” , peer2peer-a critical internet studies gathering in LA. (2025)

Thuy Vo Dang, James L Epps, Sadaf Malek, Opening Plenary Speaker, Rare Books and Manuscripts Conference (2024)


WORKSHOPS
“Data Double Consciousness” Graduate Panel, UCLA DataX (2026)

“Steal These Ideas, Please! Information Literacy Activities for First-Year Composition” (2024), Creating Connections Symposium, UCLA

“Online as in Heaven” (2019), Office of Advancement, Claremont School of Theology (CST)

“What’s at Stake: Conversations on Anti-Racism” (2019) Lead Facilitator, Claremont Presbyterian Church

 “Re-imagining Religion: New Communication, New Community” (2018) Lead Facilitator, University of Southern California

“Empathetic Tutoring for Undergraduates”, Lead Facilitator, Undergraduate Writing Center  at LU 2013


GRANTS AND AWARDS



UCLA Center of Resilience and Digital Justice Fellowship                 
2023-2026
This fellowship offers opportunities for deepening my expertise in media studies and digital justice within media studies, receiving personalized advising, and networking with other innovative thinkers. 

Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellowship
2021-2025
This competitive fellowship is designed to facilitate the academic career development of students who show potential to become excellent faculty or researchers in institutions of higher education 

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Community Archive Fellowship       
2023-2024
Engaging in vital archival work documenting, appraising, describing, digitizing, and exhibiting community history, as needed by community-run organizations. 

Wasserman Fellowship on Research of Black Life        2023-2024
This fellowship aims to support students at UCLA School of Education & Information Studies (Ed&IS) Ed&IS who have demonstrated service and research/projects related to Black life.

Elaine Walker Scholarship for African-Americans 
2018-2020
This scholarship is awarded annually to a student with outstanding academic achievement and who shows promise as a teacher of Archives, Theological Studies, and Religion. 


UNIVERSITY SERVICE AND AFFLIATIONS




UNIVERSITY SERVICE
  • Lab Manager, Center for Resilience and Digital Justice Lab
  • Planning Committee Member, “Creating Connections” UCLA Writing Program Conference 
  • Student Research Lead, UCLA Black Memory Collective
  • PhD Student Representative, Student Governing Board for Department of Information Studies
  • President, Student Governing Board for Department of Information Studies
  • Student Advisory Board, InterActions: UCLA Journal of Education and Information Studies
  • Information Studies Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, Committee Member

PROFESSIONAL SERVICE, MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS
  • Association of Internet Researchers (AoIR)
  • American Library Association (ALA)
  • International Communications Association (ICA)
  • American Academy of Religion (AAR)