Current Students
"Recognizing the existence of these areas of study and the theories presented in the master’s program allowed me to move my focus to more specifically research the questions that brought me to graduate school."
-- Justin Kindelt, Ph.D Student
I finished the American Culture Studies (ACS) M.A. and am now heading into the second year of the ACS PhD program here at BGSU. The interdisciplinary aspect of this program cannot be exaggerated. I walked onto campus believing that ACS almost exclusively focused on individual/group direct action or governmental legislation created the US as it exists, but I was way off. Before orientation was over this was clear; I had never read fan fiction, graphic novels, or noticed the different specific aspects that can be pulled from music and film. Recognizing the existence of these areas of study and the theories presented in the master’s program allowed me to move my focus to more specifically research the questions that brought me to graduate school.
The most important and vital part of the ACS program at BGSU is the community the department successfully creates. During my work my epileptic seizures become very prevalent. These caused multiple emergency room visits and hospital stays. Every professor I emailed put aside my questions about class and focused solely on my health and the wellbeing of my wife. Each student in the program checked on me after I returned and asked what they could do, offering everything from sharing notes to dropping off meals. The staff bent over backwards to make sure I had every opportunity to finish the program and continue into the PhD program. At times between the faculty, my fellow students, and the staff I was more being carried toward my degree, as opposed to working towards it. In this program everyone helps make others successful, whether checking on you in the hospital, forwarding an email to a conference you may enjoy, or simply inviting you to lunch. The academic information presented in ACS is amazing, but the community the department builds lets you know you are not alone in the process.
-- Justin Kindelt, PhD Student
Iswat Jinad
Afolasade Ola
Hometown: Sabongida-Ora, Edo State, Nigeria
B.A in English from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria
Research Interests: Feminist Media Studies, Digital humanities and African Cultural Global Influence
Carmen Alvarez ABD
Rene Ayala
Courtney Bliss ABD
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Undergrad/Grad Institutions and Degrees: B.A. ,Speech and Hearing Science, The Ohio State University; M.A., Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University
Research Interests: My research focuses on texts that disrupt the conventions of their form and bring marginalized identities into the spotlight for mainstream audiences. I use an interdisciplinary approach including disability studies, Deaf studies, and fandom studies to explore this in comics, theater, and music, mostly.
Trisha Bonham
Hometown: Saint Joseph, MI
Siena Heights University/Bachelor's in Diagnostic Medical Sonography Southeastern Oklahoma State University/Master's in Native American Leadership
Research Interests: Tribal sovereignty, Indigenous identity, MMIW, violence against women of color
Bryan Bove ABD
Hometown: Long Island, NY
Linfield University - Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a minor in Theatre Arts; Southern New Hampshire University - Master of Arts in English Literature and Creative Writing New York University - Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies
Research Interests: Comics Studies, graphic narratives, popular culture, queer/feminist studies, young adult fiction, television, disability studies, folklore
Taylor Bowles
Hometown: Greenfield, OH
B.A. Media and Culture, Miami University; M.A. Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University
Research Interests: Film and Television Studies, Fandom and Audience Studies, Queer and Disability representation, Sex work and Sexuality in popular culture, Feminist psychoanalysis, Media and Cultural Studies
Katherine Cline
Hometown: Jacksonville, AL
B.A. English and Digital Journalism (2018), Jacksonville State University
M.A. Children's Literature (2020), Kansas State University
Research Interests: Feminism, Gender & Sexuality Studies, Television Studies, Fan/Fandom Studies, Children's & YA literature, popular culture, witches in literature and media, cats in literature and media, music, Taylor Swift
Elizabeth Collins ABD
Hometown: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
B.A., English and Anthropology, University of Northern Iowa, Minors in Creative Writing and Film Studies;
M.A., English, University of Northern Iowa
Research Interests: Film History, Television, Comedy, Local and Public History
Christopher Alanye Covington
Hometown: Detroit, MI
Institutions and Degrees: Michigan State University, BA Media Studies, MA- Media Studies specialization Serious Game Design, Educational Technology
Research Interests: Black pop culture media (film, TV, comics, gaming), representation, underrepresentation, and stereotypes of Black males, Black masculinity. Black male health (mental and physical).
William Daniels ABD
Hometown: Rochester, MI
Undergrad/Grad Institutions and Degrees: B.A., English, Ferris State University; M.A., Literature, Eastern Michigan University
Dissertation Title: Out of Place: Racializing Surveillance in Public Space along the Detroit RiverWalk
Research Interests: Black Studies, Urban Studies, Surveillance Studies, Black Geographies, and Literary Studies
Ericka Findley ABD
Hometown: McDonough/Stockbridge, GA
Clayton State University: M.A.T. in English
Research Interests: Social constructions of normalcy and deviancy in film, television, and other various media, with an interest in how worth, value, and importance are transcribed on various bodies. My dissertation examines the unconventional masculinity and homosociality performed within the Jackass franchise.
Cornelius Fortune ABD
Hometown: Detroit, MI
B.S., Biblical & Educational Studies, Liberty University
M.A., English Literature, Mercy College
Research Interests: Autoethnography, Performance Studies, Black Geographies, Digital Rhetoric and Writing, Modernism
Andrea Freimuth
Hometown: Deshler, OH
B.A. History & American Studies, Valparaiso University; M.A. American Studies, Lehigh University
Research Interests: Public history, the intersection of history and education, gender roles, Colonial America
Marlena Graves ABD
Hometown: Perrysburg, OH
Master's of Divinity, Northeastern Seminary, BGSU American Cultural Studies PhD program
Research Interests: Evangelicalism in the US, race, immigration, and gender - how those intersect and why US Evangelicals who claim to follow Jesus and read their Bibles do not do what Jesus taught. Instead, they often marginalize and oppress the very people Jesus commanded them to love. Collectively, why do U.S. Evangelicals live and vote contrary to what they profess to believe?
Leda Hayes ABD
Shane Weathers
Hometown: Ocoee, FL
B.A. in Humanities with a Concentration in Film Studies, Florida State University and MA in Pop Culture, Bowling Green State University
Research Interests: Genre theory, horror studies, James Bond studies, Buffy Studies, film journalism/criticism
Gizem N. Iscan ABD
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY and Istanbul, Turkey
M.A. English, Brooklyn College, CUNY B.A. American Culture and Literature, Istanbul University
Research Interests: Gender studies, Ethnic studies, migration, Turkish Americans, identity constructions, borders, borderlands, urban geography, femicide(s)
Becky Jenkins ABD
Hometown: Lucasville, Ohio
Undergrad: Miami University: Organizational Leadership / Visual Media Culture
MA: BGSU: ACS and Public History (Certificate)
PhD: ACS and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (Certificate)
Research Interests: My interests lie at the intersection of history and culture, especially those stories that have been erased, white-washed, overlooked, or forgotten because of race, gender, social class, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Dissertation research is a feminist reading of the relationship between women and Major League Baseball, and of baseball as an American cultural institution / mirror of the larger American society.
Kristine Ketel
Hometown: Toledo, OH
St. John's College, Santa Fe, NM (MALA: Master of Arts in Liberal Arts) & University of Toledo, Toledo, OH (Communication, Broadcast Journalism)
Research Interests: Cultural and ethical implications of humanoid robots
becoming our coworkers, caregivers, and companions.
Justin Kindelt
Hometown: Woodland, California
Evergreen State College Tacoma - B.A. American Culture/Political Economy, Bowling Green State University - M.A. American Culture Studies
Research Interests: Authenticity and cultural memory of place and commodities, mostly alcoholic spirits recently. Labor and inequality.
John M. Mora King
Hometown: Kentucky
B.A. Popular Culture Berea College M.A. Popular Culture BGSU
Research Interests: Class Studies
Hali Kivari ABD
Hometown: Holly, MI
B.A., Spanish, B.A., Linguistics, Oakland University
M.A., Spanish, Bowling Green State University
Research interests: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, Gender Studies, Latinx Culture, Critical Race Theory, Post-Colonialism & Decolonization, and US-Latin America Relationships
Taufiq al Makmun ABD
Hometown: Solo, Indonesia
B.A. in American Studies, English Dept, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Solo, Indonesia M.A. in American Cultural Influence, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
Research Interests: American Cultural Global Influence and Media Studies
Dylan Reid Miller ABD
Hometown: Seattle, WA
B.F.A. - Film and Television Production, NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts
M.A. - The Queer Posthumanism of Star Trek, NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study
Research Interests: Science Fiction Studies, Queer and Political Temporalities, Marxist Feminism
Justin Mullis ABD
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
University of North Carolina, Charlotte - BA & MA in Religious Studies
Research Interests: Monster Theory, Cryptozoology, H.P. Lovecraft and related writers, Japanese popular-culture
Jaymen Neff-Stickland
Hometown: Urbana, Ohio
B.A. Film Production, Bowling Green State University; M.A. Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University
Research Interests: Film and television studies, genre studies, teen texts; teen dramas (ex. Teen Wolf), teen sex comedies (ex. American Pie), or YA adaptations (Twilight), rom-coms, alternative viewing methods (ex. movie commentary tracks, film explanations, video essays)... and whatever else excites me on the day!
R. Christian Phillips
Hometown: Knoxville, TN and Columbus, OH
Associates of Arts - Columbus State Community College; Bachelors in History & English Lit - Capital University; Masters in Social Sciences - University of Chicago (MAPSS)
Research Interests: My current research interests delve into Representation and Equitable Treatment as shown in middlebrow mainstream novels of the 19th through middle 20th Centuries. My interests also include 20th Century Dance History, both professional and social and modern British literature and cultural history.
Mohammad Mizan-Rahman ABD
Hometown: Sylhet
Bachelor, English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology Masters, English, Shahjalal University of Science & Technology Masters, English, University of Guelph PhD (in-progress), ACS, School of Cultural and Critical Studies
Research Interests: Environmental Humanities; Cultural and Critical Theory
Dean Richards (They/Them, He/Him)
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
B.A., Sociology with Religious Studies and Ancient Mediterranean Studies Minors, UNC Asheville
M.A., Religious Studies, UNC Charlotte
Research Interests: Gender, sexuality, and trauma in classical receptions. Intersections of race, religion, class, and gender in American popular culture, with a focus on Star Trek and The X-Files.
Jon-Jama Scott
Hometown: Toledo, OH
Bowling Green State University, BLA, MA
Research Interests: People: The rhythm, blues, and glory in all of her stories.
Bowling Green State University, BLA, MA
Haley Shipley
Hometown: Gambier, OH
Kenyon College, BA American Studies. Eventual MA POPC from BGSU
Research Interests: Corn, class studies, video games, ruralness, and again, lots of corn
Allyson Spoering
Hometown: Deerfield, MI
B.A. Anthropology, University of Toledo, M.A. American Studies, Brown University
Research Interests: I am interested in addressing the role of U.S. propaganda and its impact on inter-minority relations throughout U.S. history.
Jenna Sule (She/Her)
Hometown: Elkhart, Indiana
B.A. English Literature and Women and Gender Studies, Indiana University South Bend. M.A. Popular Culture, Bowling Green State University
Research Interests: I have an interest in how the horror genre represents the female body. However I also am interested in how toxic masculinity has imbedded itself into Ice Hockey culture, and of course, Spider-Man!
Auora Taylor ABD
Benjamin Thomason ABD
Hometown: Saint Clair Shores, Michigan
Institutions and Degrees: Bachelor's degree in history from Wayne State University, and Master's in history from Central Michigan University
Research Interests: I study the use of media and popular culture as covert and overt soft power in 21st century US interventions abroad. I engage in the subfield of media imperialism and propaganda studies. I am particularly interested in US interventions in Syria, Venezuela, and Eastern Europe post-Cold War, exploring how these more recent episodes build on previous historical operations. Key words- Media imperialism, hybrid warfare, propaganda, information warfare, geopoliticseconomic dislocations.
William Walton
Hometown: Kingsley, MI
B.A. Communication Studies and Political Science, Western Michigan University; M.A. English, Bowling Green State University
Research Interests: Representations of the Nixon presidency in film and literature, Cultural responses to contemporary capitalism, The history of American libertarianism.
Tyer Wertsch ABD
Updated: 12/04/2023 04:56PM