About Me
I am a scholar of film and media studies, focusing on the philosophical, cognitive, and emotional dimensions of the moving image. As an early pioneer of cognitive film theory, I have worked to integrate cognitive psychology and analytic philosophy to deepen our understanding of film. I was a foundational contributor to Post Theory: Reconstructing Film Studies and have explored documentary film theory, film emotions, and ethics through my books, including Rhetoric and Representation in Nonfiction Film (1997), Moving Viewers: American Film and the Spectator’s Experience (2009), and Screen Stories: Emotion and the Ethics of Engagement (2018). My current research, funded by the Templeton Religion Trust, examines how film narratives and character engagement promote moral understanding. My upcoming book, Narrative/Character Engagement and the Moral Imagination, continues this exploration into how films shape ethical views., continues this exploration into how films shape ethical views.
Education
I hold a B.A. in Philosophy from Calvin College and an M.A. in Communication (Film) from the University of Iowa. I earned my Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where I studied under David Bordwell and Noël Carroll.
Background
Previously, I was the Arthur H. De Kruyter Chair of Communication at Calvin University, where I am now a Senior Research Fellow in Film and Media Studies. Before Calvin, I taught at Hollins University from 1988 to 2000.
Leadership
I served as President of the Society for Cognitive Studies of the Moving Image (2010–2013) and have been on the Editorial Board of Projections: The Journal for Movies and Mind since 2017.
