C.V.

Education

Pennsylvania State University, Middletown, PA

  • Ph.D. in American Studies (ABD; graduation expected May 2016)
  • Subfields: Corporate History and Culture; Popular Culture and Media
  • Dissertation: The Grey Lady, the Peacock, and the Mouse: Corporate Media Influence in American Popular Culture

Pennsylvania State University, Middletown, PA

  • M.A. in American Studies (December 2009)
  • Thesis: One Man is an Island: Woody Allen and New York City

La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA

  • B.A. in American Studies (May 2008)
  • Concentration in American History
  • Honors Project: One Day, One Million Stories: Psychology, Oral History, and 9/11, Five Years Later

Areas of Specialization

Corporate history and culture; Popular culture and media; Consumer culture; Film; American politics; American History (20th and 21st century); Television; New York City; Walt Disney; American disasters and culture; Musical theater; Presidential history; Philadelphia

Honors and Awards

  • Simon J. Bronner Graduate Paper Award, Eastern American Studies Association, “All the Clues That are Fit to Solve: The New York Times Crossword Puzzle as Pivotal Text,” (2014)
  • Teaching Assistantship, Penn State Harrisburg (2012 – 2014)
  • Robert W. Graham Endowed Graduate Fellowship, Penn State Harrisburg (2008 – 2009 & 2012 – 2013)
  • Graduate Assistantship, Penn State Harrisburg (2008 – 2009)
  • General University Honors, La Salle University Honors Program (2008)
  • Deans List, La Salle University (2005 – 2008)
  • Founder’s Scholarship, La Salle  University (2004 – 2008)

Teaching Experience

Pennsylvania State University, Middletown, PA (2012 – 2014)

Lecturer in American Studies, English, & Communication

  • English 015 – Freshman Writing Seminar (Fall 2012)
  • English 015S – Freshman Writing and First Year Seminar (Fall 2012)
  • American Studies 100 – Introduction to American Studies (Topic: American Television) (Spring 2013)
  • Communication 457 – Media Audiences (Spring 2013)
  • American Studies 104 – Women and the American Experience (Fall 2013)
  • Communication 150 – The Art of the Cinema (Spring and Summer II 2014)

La Salle University, Philadelphia, PA (2010 – 2012)

Adjunct Professor of American Studies & History

  • History 155 – Introduction to American History (Spring 2010 – Summer 2012)
  • American Studies 400 – Seminar, American Sitcoms (Spring 2012)

Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA (2010 – 2011)

Adjunct Professor of English Composition

  • Writing Seminar I with Freshman Seminar Component (Fall 2010 – Spring 2011)

Research Experience

Graduate Assistant, Pennsylvania State University (August 2008 – May 2009)

  • Transcribed the work of Paul B. Beers, a columnist at the Harrisburg Patriot-News, for Michael Barton’s City Contented, City Discontented
  • Copyedited academic articles on modern art and body cultures.
  • Transcribed portions of the Mac Barrick Collection of Folklife and Regional History, which was compiled using the AskSam database.

Teaching Assistant, Pennsylvania State University (August 2012 – May 2014)

  • Performed coding of debates and speeches from the 2012 Presidential primary, which investigated the use of rhetorical devices associated with propaganda.
  • Transcribed Civil War-era letters for a future faculty publication.

Service and Leadership Experience

Instructor, Jump Street Harrisburg (October 2014 – December 2014)

  • Supervised students during archives digitization process, while also teaching best archival and research practices
  • Developed projects to bring the archives to life for Harrisburg residents

Interim Regional Representative to the American Studies Association, Eastern American Studies Association (November 2014)

  • Attended national meeting of the American Studies Association (ASA) to represent the Eastern American Studies Association (EASA)
  • Reported on the state of EASA to the other ASA regional reps

Graduate Student Representative, Eastern American Studies Association (September 2013 – Present)

  • Represents the graduate students to the board of the Eastern American Studies Association, a group that seeks to serve the interests of the graduate student population of the mid-Atlantic region

President, American Studies Student Association, Penn State Harrisburg (April 2013 – May 2014)

  • Acted as liaison between the club and the university administration
  • Coordinated activities and fundraisers
  • Hosted bi-weekly meetings, keeping club business running smoothly
  • Securing full funding for travel, fees, and lodging at the Eastern American Studies Association 2014 conference

DayONE Host, La Salle University (May 2007 – August 2007)

  • Acted as a student leader during summer freshman orientation, which included giving tours, answering parent & student questions, and discussing the realities of college life and its responsibilities
  • Organized activities and worked as a resident assistant for summer resident students

Vice President of Alumni Relations and Records, Masque of La Salle University (February 2006 – May 2008)

  • Compiled, organized, and maintained club records and archival materials (programs, tickets, advertising, ephemera)
  • Planned alumni social events around each club production
  • Acted as parliamentarian at club meetings, ensuring that the organization abided by the club charter and university by-laws

Officer, La Salle University American Studies Student Association (January 2005 – May 2008)

  • Served as an officer in each academic year
  • Coordinated historical children’s activities for the annual reenactment of the Battle of Germantown
  • Composed lectures on women in American culture for students at Little Flower High School, after which we spoke to the students about college life and La Salle University

Academic Presentations

  • “American Character Before and After 9/11.” Guest speaker at the Masque of La Salle University’s Recent Tragic Events Symposium. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. February 2009.
  • “American Political Dynasties: The Unwanted Child of American Democracy.” Paper presented at the annual Penn State Harrisburg Student Symposium. Middletown, Pennsylvania. March 2009.
  • “American Political Dynasties: The Unwanted Child of American Democracy.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Mid-Atlantic American Studies Association. Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. March 2009.
  • “The Broadway Melody of 2009: Have Hope for the American Musical.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association / American Culture Association. New Orleans, Louisiana. April 2009.
  • “One Man is an Island: Woody Allen’s Manhattan and Nostalgia.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Mid-Atlantic American Studies Association. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. March 2010.
  • “Walt Disney World and Public Heritage: The Magic Kingdom.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern American Studies Association. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. April 2011.
  • “One Man is an Island: Woody Allen’s Manhattan and Nostalgia.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Mid-Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. November 2011.
  • “This Revolution IS Televised: Homosexuality in Network Television Sitcoms.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern American Studies Association. New Brunswick, New Jersey. March 2012.
  • “The Divided House of Mouse: The Vacillating Popularity of Disney Animated Feature Films.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern American Studies Association. Harrisonburg, Virginia. March 2013.
  • “The Divided House of Mouse: The Vacillating Popularity of Disney Animated Feature Films.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association. Washington, D.C. March 2013.
  • “The Grey Lady, the Peacock, and the Mouse: Corporate Media Influence in American Culture.” American Studies Association Students’ Committee Lightning Talks Panel at the annual meeting of the American Studies Association. Washington, D.C. November 2013.
  • “All the Clues That Are Fit to Solve: The New York Times Crossword Puzzle as Pivotal Text.” Paper presented at the annual conference of the Eastern American Studies Association. Philadelphia, PA. March 2014.
  • “All the Clues That Are Fit to Solve: The New York Times Crossword Puzzle as Pivotal Text.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the Popular Culture Association and American Culture Association. Chicago, Illinois. April 2014.
  • “All the Clues That Are Fit to Solve: The New York Times Crossword Puzzle as Pivotal Text.” Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Studies Association. Los Angeles, California. November 2014.
  • “The Artist in His Theme Park: The Tradition of Rational Amusement from Charles Willson Peale to Walt Disney.” Paper accepted to the annual meeting of the Eastern American Studies Association. Glassboro, New Jersey. March 2015.

Publications

  • “Governor Samuel Pennypacker Recalls Events at Gettysburg and at Fort Washington on the West Shore in 1863,” ed. Nancy Jones, Megan McGee, and Michael Barton, Susquehanna Heritage – Central Pennsylvania’s Personal Civil War, published by the Historical Society of Dauphin County (PA), Vol. 6 & 7, 2008 – 2009.
  • Beers, Paul B. City Contented, City Discontented: A History of Modern Harrisburg. Ed. Michael Barton with American Studies Graduate Students at Penn State Harrisburg. Harrisburg, PA: Midtown Scholar Press, 2011.
  • “Catholic Schools.” Youth Cultures in America. Ed. Simon J. Bronner. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO (Submitted) Expected publication: 2015 (Electronic and Print).
  • “Celtic Youth Groups.” Youth Cultures in America. Ed. Simon J. Bronner. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO (Submitted) Expected publication: 2015 (Electronic and Print).
  • “Television.” Youth Cultures in America. Ed. Simon J. Bronner. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO (Submitted) Expected publication: 2015 (Electronic and Print).

 

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