Faculty/Staff Directory
Dr. Patrick Brennan
478.757.2578
Professor
| Office Hours: | Wednesdays 2:00-5:00pm Thursdays 12:00-5:00pm & TBA |
| Locations: (Campus & Office) |
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| Biography: | Patrick S. Brennan, Ph.D., is a Professor of English in the Department of Media, Culture, and the Arts at Middle Georgia State University (MGA), where he has been employed since 2002. He holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in English with a Film Studies concentration from the University of Florida and a B.F.A. in Film and TV Production from New York University. Professor Brennan's professional experience at MGA includes roles as Interim Coordinator of Media and Communication (2022-2023), Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Studies (2015-2021), and Coordinator of Freshman English (2010-2012). His teaching expertise lies in film history, film analysis, film theory, and cultural studies. His scholarship focuses on topics such as political propaganda in film, the American avant-garde cinema of Kenneth Anger, Jack Smith, and Andy Warhol, and adaptations of literature to film. He has numerous publications and presentations on these subjects. Professor Brennan has held various academic service roles, including Faculty Chair of the MGA Faculty Senate from 2014 to 2016, and has served on numerous university and departmental committees. He is a recipient of the Governor’s Teaching Fellow award and several departmental awards for teaching excellence. |
| Syllabi: |
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| Teaching and Research Interests: | Teaching Interests • Film Studies: Film History, Film Analysis, Film Theory, Perspectives on Society and Film, and Film, Literature, and Culture. • Cultural Studies: Introduction to Cultural Studies. • Writing & Composition: English Composition, Argumentative Writing, Writing through Literature, and Expository Writing. • Production: Principles of Production and Advanced Video Production. • Literature & Humanities: World Literature and Survey of Humanities. Research Interests • Avant-Garde Cinema: American avant-garde cinema of Kenneth Anger, Jack Smith, and Andy Warhol • Adaptation: Adaptations of literature to film. • Film and Politics: Political propaganda in feature film industries and ideology and the state in cinema. • Film Noir: Neo-noir, film noir style, and teaching film noir. • Film Directors & movements: Works by various directors and film movements including neorealism and giallo film. |
| Courses: | Spring 2026: Hybrid NMAC 4002 (Film History I1) Online HUMN 1002 x01 (Perspectives on Society and Film) Hybrid HUMN 1002 x02 (Perspectives on Society and Film) Online HUMN 1002 x05 (Perspectives on Society and Film) |
| Education: (All institutions attended and degrees or credentials earned) | • Ph.D. in English (Film Studies) from the University of Florida. Dissertation: “Underground Homosexualities: Resituating the 1960s Cinema of Kenneth Anger, Jack Smith, and Andy Warhol.” • M.A. in English (Film Studies) from the University of Florida. • B.F.A. in Film and TV Production from New York University. |
| Professional Experience: | Patrick S. Brennan is a Professor of English in the Department of Media, Culture, and the Arts at Middle Georgia State University, a position he has held since 2015. His extensive professional background includes roles as an Associate Professor of English and Assistant Professor of English. Professor Brennan also gained valuable experience as a Teaching Assistant at the University of Florida from 1995 to 2002. This progression through academic ranks demonstrates a deep and sustained expertise in English and film studies. Throughout his career, Professor Brennan has held significant leadership positions, including Interim Coordinator of Media and Communication and Coordinator of Interdisciplinary Studies. He served as the Faculty Chair of the Middle Georgia State University Faculty Senate from 2014 to 2016. His contributions have been recognized with numerous accolades, such as the Governor’s Teaching Fellow award and several departmental awards for teaching excellence from the University of Florida. His scholarly work focuses on political propaganda in film, American avant-garde cinema, film noir, and adaptations of literature to film. Professor Brennan's teaching portfolio is extensive, covering a wide range of courses including Film History, Film Analysis, Film Theory, and Introduction to Cultural Studies. He has also taught courses in video production and various English composition and literature subjects. His involvement in research initiatives includes numerous publications and presentations, and he has supervised undergraduate research and moderated conference sessions. Since 2006, he has served as the MGA Representative for the Macon College Town Film Series. |
| Publications and Scholarships: (Last 5 Years) | Presentations • “Directed Close Readings: Literature to Film.” 2nd Annual School of Arts and Letters Interdisciplinary Faculty Virtual Conference. Macon, GA. March 11, 2022. Invited Talks . “Ace in the Hole: Film Noir’s Jaundiced View of Journalism.” The College Town Film Series. The Douglass Theatre, Macon, GA, January 30, 2025. • “Stages of The Celluloid Closet.” The 2024 MGA Arts Festival: “Reel Lives,” The Douglass Theatre, Macon, GA, March 27, 2024. • “Paper Moon: New and Old Hollywood.” The College Town Film Series. The Douglass Theatre, Macon, GA, January 25, 2024. • “Videodrome, Media, and Mind Control.” The College Town Film Series. The Douglass Theatre, Macon, GA, February 02, 2023. • “Blue Ruin, Revenge, and Indie Cinema.” The College Town Film Series. The Douglass Theatre, Macon, GA, February 10, 2022. Supervised Undergraduate Scholarship Publications • Tompkins, Saxon. “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Launching the Disney Animated Film.” (Knighted, no. 7, 2024) • Tompkins, Sinjn. “The Painstaking Art Process and New Camera Technology in Disney’s Pinocchio (1940).” (2024) • Asher, Rob. “Tron (1982): All This Technology Scares Me.” (Knighted, no. 6, 2023) • Lamendola, Eric. “Tolkien’s and Jackson’s Competing Visions in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” (Knighted, no. 6, 2023) • Asher, Rob. “The Postman Always Rings Twice: The Vulnerable Femme Fatale as a New Threat to Men.” (Knighted, no. 5, 2022) • Riley, Patrick. “Prisoners and the Auteurial Flourishes of Denis Villeneuve.” (Knighted, no. 5, 2022) • Davis, Anjunita. “Identity and Color Motifs in Moonlight.” (Knighted, no. 4, 2021) • Duffey, Garrent. “Invisible Terror: How Continuity Editing Techniques Create Suspense in The Silence of the Lambs.” (Knighted, no. 4, 2021) • Stevens, Sierra Stark. “Queerness as Rebel’s Cause.” (Knighted, no. 4, 2021) • Vinson, Reid. “Blade Runner: The Film that Keeps on Giving” (Knighted, no. 4, 2021) Conference Sessions Moderated • Session Moderator. “Film History: 1927-1940.” (April 12, 2024) • Session Moderator. “Adaptation: Page to Screen.” (April 07, 2023) |
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