I am thrilled to share the news that I just defended my dissertation on contemporary German cinema, entitled "Art, Cinema, and the Berlin School.” The Berlin School is a key development in German cinema since 1995. I argue that the four art genres organizing my dissertation--portraiture, landscape, still life, and history--become key categories for analyzing film when descriptive and self-reflexive moments temporarily suspend the flow of the story. My research offers a conceptual framework for thinking the history and aesthetic of the Berlin School through that of art, and, in doing so, lays the groundwork for understanding how narrative film helps to redefine cinema’s relation to the arts.
I would like to thank the Department for its guidance and support over the years and for being a constant source of inspiration. I am fortunate to have received financial support for my studies from the Max Kade Foundation, from the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst, and from the Joff Hanauer Excellence in Western Civilization Endowment. And, of course, I am grateful for my advisor, Eric Ames, whose shared interest in art and cinema contributed immensely to my work.
Upon completing the doctoral program at UW, I served as Lead TA. In this capacity, I provided mentorship to teaching assistants and administrative support to the German language program. Last fall, I presented on the art of portraiture in Christian Petzold's film Barbara at the PAMLA conference in Pasadena. A related article on portraiture is forthcoming in a special dossier on Petzold for the film journal Senses of Cinema this coming fall. After traveling this summer, I am very much looking forward to return to UW's Department of Germanics this fall as Visiting Lecturer.