Department of Anthropology
Bio
Anthropology Students Comic Book Showcase: features student works from several past courses utilizing comic books or graphic novels to explore class topics
Students Video Showcase: features work by students in Anthropology and the Cinema (2008)
2011 Mashup Contest: Two of the four winners in the 2011 student video contest sponsored by the Weigle Information Commons (Van Pelt Library) were students from the "Anthropology and the Cinema" course. Their winning projects were class assignments. Julia Silva won first place and Jayson Weingarten won the People's Choice Award.
The use of video production projects in anthropology classes was documented in a video by the Weigle Information Commons. See it at: Nurturing Student Creativity in Anthropology
Courses: Anthropology and the Cinema, Mythology and the Movies, The Anthropology of World's Fairs
Education
PhD in Anthropology, University at Albany; MA in Educational Media, University of Connecticut; BA in Anthropology, University of Connecticut
Office Hours
Research Interests
Media, Film, Fan Culture, Popular Culture, Worldbuilding, Comic Books and Graphic Novels, Virtual Worlds, Narrative, Metaphor and Symbolism, Gaming and Gambling, Digital Media, Ritual, World's Fairs, Miniaturized and Scaled Worlds.Researching topics in Anthropology and the Media, including symbolic systems, narrative, metaphor, discourse, and ritual behavior in contemporary media cultures. Research also includes the analysis of movies as mythology and as alternative universes, participatory fan culture, cosplayers, and the rituals of merchandising, and gaming in cross-cultural perspective. Experience producing creative learning opportunities for students through the use of new media, participatory research, and media production based in anthropological principles. Extensive experience in communicating academic research through digital media. Skilled in media production including graphics design, video editing, website design, interactive media design, digital and traditional photography, image processing, graphic novels, 3D modeling, and animation.
Selected Publications
Affiliations
Consulting Scholar, Penn Cultural Heritage CenterAffiliated Faculty, Cinema Studies