She received a PhD and MA in English from University of Pennsylvania. Her work in popular culture and media studies includes research on popular music, television, film, and new media. Edwards is the author of Johnny Cash and the Paradox of American Identity (Indiana University Press, 2009) and The Triumph of Reality TV: The Revolution in American Television (Praeger, 2013). She has also contributed to such books as Geek Chic: Smart Women in Popular Culture (Sherrie A. Inness, ed, Palgrave Macmillan, 2007) and is the author of numerous articles. Edwards was the recipient of a National Mellon Fellowship and has won several undergraduate teaching awards.