She joined the faculty in 2002 and conducts research on local and global social movement media, human rights and other subjects. A former Fulbright scholar, Brooten has published works in a number of books and professional journals. Brooten earned bachelor's degrees at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School (economics) and its Annenberg School of Communications in 1986. She earned her master's and doctorate degrees at Ohio University in 1997 and 2003, respectively.