Faculty: Middle Georgia State University

Faculty

Film Division

	Zardosht Afshari Zardosht Afshari is an Iranian filmmaker whose short films have been screened internationally at film festivals in the U.S., Iran, Poland, Croatia, India, and Italy. Professor Afshari has an MA in dramatic literature from the University of Tehran in Iran. In 2019, he moved to the United States and got his MFA in Film and Media Arts from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA where he was a TA, adjunct professor, and instructor of records for film and media courses. Some of his favorite filmmakers include Asghar Farhadi and Richard Linklater. He is a recipient of the 2023 Philadelphia Filmmaker Lab fellowship. His short film, An Endoscopy, premiered at the BlackStar Film Festival – The Academy Awards® Qualifying festival for Shorts – in August 2023 with the opportunity for distribution on the Xfinity channel. Professor Afshari's courses include Introduction to Media Production, Fiction Film Production, and Perspectives on Society and Film.
	Dr. Patrick S. Brennan Dr. Patrick S. Brennan, Ph.D. is the Professor of English (Specialty in Film) at Middle Georgia State University. He earned his B.F.A. from New York University, in Film and TV Production. He then earned his M.A. from the University of Florida, and his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. His research and creative work background/interests include Film History, Film Analysis, Film Theory, Film and Literature, Film and Society, Cultural Studies Theory. Courses taught by Dr. Brennan include HUMN 1002, NMAC 4001, NMAC 4002, NMAC 4481, NMAC 4482, IDS 4030, HUMN 3010. His personal interests include movies, international travel, and all things horror.
	Rebecca Edwards Rebecca Edwards is a Senior Lecturer at Middle Georgia State University. Her educational background includes: B.S. Macon State College; Communication M.S. Florida State University; Media and Communication with graduate certificates in Digital Media/Sports Production. The courses she’s taught include Introduction Media Production, TV News Broadcasting, Sports Broadcasting, Fiction Film Production, Digital Storytelling, Documentary Film Production, Sports Documentary Production, Internships. Professor Rebecca Edwards holds a Master of Science degree in Media and Communication from Florida State University along with graduate certificates in Digital Media/Sports Production. She teaches communication and film production classes on the Cochran campus, oversees student broadcasting internships, and is involved with the Georgia Film Academy. Having lived in Los Angeles, CA and worked in the TV and Film industry for over two decades, she brings hands on experience into her classes like Introduction to Media Production, Documentary Film Production and TV News Broadcasting. She has three sassy cats, enjoys watching movies, collects movie posters and spends her free time watching sports. An avid baseball fan, she is currently working on visiting every Major League Baseball Park and has visited 19 of the 30 MLB parks so far.

Media and Communication Division

	Dr. Sheree' Keith Sheree Keith is a professor of Communication Studies and Associate Dean of the School of Arts and Letters. She holds a BA and an MA in Communication Studies from Texas Tech University and a PhD in Communication Studies from the University of Iowa. Her area of research includes social movements, specifically the suffrage movement, persuasion, and gender studies. She currently teaches Media Criticism, Communication Theory, and a graduate class on Rhetoric. In her free time, she likes to read (Stephen King is her favorite!), and watch movies with her family.
	Dr. Cindy Montgomery A South Georgia native, Dr. Cindy Montgomery spent more than two decades working in marketing and communications for colleges and universities in Georgia, but she began her career as a newspaper journalist in Georgia and Wisconsin. Her areas of interest include: • causes and effects of news deserts on rural communities • communication skills of medical students • using multimedia for creative storytelling • evolution of social media • history of rural newspapers In her free time, Dr. Montgomery enjoys spending time with her husband, Trey, their dog, Jake, and their many cats. They are also the proud parents of an adult son, Evan, and proud pet grandparents of Skippy, a cat.
	Dr. Andre Nicholson Andre Nicholson is a Professor of Media and Communication. He is the program coordinator for the Master of Arts in Public Relations program, and he teaches courses in public relations and journalism, both at the undergraduate and graduate level. Professor Nicholson earned his Ph.D. from Howard University after retiring from the U.S.A.F. He has research interests in the media's influence and portrayal of people of color, particularly in news reporting. He's done research on media ownership, social media use, and media literacy. Dr. Nicholson considers himself a “foodie” and enjoys trying different restaurants whenever possible. He lives by one simple moto: "Sing, like no one is listening; Dance, like no one is watching; and Love, like you've never been hurt."
	Dr. Michael North Dr. North's courses include Mass Communication and News Writing & Reporting at the undergraduate level, as well as Public Relations Foundations and Public Relations Campaigns at the graduate level. He serves as the current Department chair for Media, Culture, and Arts Department. Before joining MGA, Dr. North taught for more than six years at Central Connecticut State University, where he served as department chair. He earned his Ph.D. in Mass Communication at the University of Miami. Dr. North’s “Creating a crisis: An examination of a modern crisis on Twitter” will be published in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing this year. His contributions to social media content strategies, targeting, and writing will appear in a textbook this year as well.
	Dr. Soumitro Sen