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).