EDUCATION
2020-Present: University of Iowa, Communication Studies (PhD)
Dissertation on identity politics and culture wars within superhero fandom
Advisor: Alfred L. Martin, Jr
2018-2020: Drexel University, Communication, Culture, and Media (MS)
Thesis: “Of Superheroes and SJWs: Media and Fans Framing the Impact of Diversity in 2010s Comic Books”
PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS
Griffin, Matt and Hilde Van den Bulck. 2022. "Of Superheroes and SJWs: Media and Fans Framing the Impact of Diversity in 2010s Comic Books." The Journal of Popular Culture, vol. 55, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpcu.13100
2022. "'That moment meant a lot to my daughter': Affect, Fandom, and Avengers: Endgame." Feminist Media Studies, https://doi.org/10.1080/14680777.2022.2098801
INVITED ESSAYS
Forthcoming. "What’s ‘Forced’ About Diversity? Gender Politics in Contemporary American Geek Culture." In Masculinities+ Reader, ed. Dirk Reynders and Hilde Van den Bulck.
March 30, 2022. "'Fill Our Hearts with Tolerance': Progressive Politics in Marvel's Brand." In Media Res. http://mediacommons.org/imr/content/%E2%80%9Cfill-our-hearts-tolerance%E2%80%9D-progressive-politics-marvel%E2%80%99s-brand-1
EDITED JOURNAL ISSUES
Martin Jr., Alfred L and Matt Griffin, eds. 2024. Centering Blackness in Fan Studies. Transformative Works and Cultures, special issue. https://journal.transformativeworks.org/index.php/twc/announcement/view/117
ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
September 17, 2019. "Doug Moench, Moon Knight and the Story Behind the Development of 'The Man of Many Phases.'" SKTCHD. https://sktchd.com/longform/the-man-of-many-phases/
July 1, 2019. "Made in Our Image: A Comparison of Adaptations of Jesus Christ and Spider-Man." Popular Culture and Theology. https://popularcultureandtheology.com/2019/07/01/made-in-our-image-a-comparison-of-adaptations-of-jesus-christ-and-spider-man/
SELECTED PRESENTATIONS
2022. "'Fill our hearts with tolerance': Progressive politics in Marvel's brand management" [on the panel Between fans of color and fan objects of color with Dayna Chatman, Emily Rodriguez, and Erika Chung]. Presented at the 2022 Society for Cinema and Media Studies Conference, online.
2021. “Accidental Audiences? Adult Fans of Children’s Media" [Roundtable Leader]. Presented at the 2021 Fan Studies Network-North America, online.
2021. “’That moment meant a lot to my daughter’: Affect, Fandom, and Avengers: Endgame,” [on the panel All the feels: Toward a fuller understanding of media audiences’ emotions with Jonathan Gray, Adrienne Shaw, and Melissa Click]. Presented at the 2021 International Communication Association, online.
2020. “Who Gets to be a Fan? Identity Politics in Superhero Fandom” [Seminar leader]. Presented at the 2020 Fan Studies Network-North America, online.
2019. "Searching for the Snyder Cut: Conceptions of the Sacred in Superhero Fandom." Presented at the 2019 Mid-Atlantic Popular & American Culture Association, Pittsburgh, PA.
2019. "Leave Our Super Heroes Alone!: Media and Fans' Framing of Marvel Comics' Diversification of Characters. Presented at the 2019 Fan Studies Network Conference, Portsmouth, England.
2019. "Made In Our Image: A Cultural Comparison of Adaptations of Jesus Christ and Spider-Man." Presented at the 2019 Popular Culture Association National Conference, Washington, D.C.
TEACHING
Instructor of Record
Drexel University:
Business Communication (2019-2020)
Technical Communication (2020)
Teaching Assistant
University of Iowa:
Social Scientific Research Methods (2020)
Media & Society (2021)
Drexel University:
Principles of Communication (2019)
Theories and Models of Communication (2019)
Quantitative Research Methods (2019)
Techniques of Speaking (2018-2019)
Business Communication (2018)
MEDIA APPEARANCES
WNUR Podcast, May 11, 2022, https://news-at.castos.com/podcasts/32617/episodes/wed-5-12-22-cast
AWARDS AND HONORS
Graduate Dissertation Fellow, Racial Reckoning and Social Justice through Comics, University of Iowa (2022-2023 Academic Year)
-Awarded year of funding for dissertation research on identity politics and culture wars in comic book fandom
-Will participate in year-long seminar with visiting comics speakers
Graduate Student and Independent Scholar Writing Award, Fan and Audience Studies Scholarly Interest Group, Society for Cinema and Media Studies (2021)
-Awarded $500 for essay "'That moment meant a lot to my daughter': Affect, Fandom, and Avengers: Endgame"
Dean’s Fellowship Award, Drexel University
-Awarded $10,000 merit-based scholarship for "highly qualified graduate students"
SERVICE
Social Media Curator, Fan and Audience Studies Scholarly Interest Group, Society for Cinema and Media Studies (2022-2023 Academic Year)
Graduate Student Representative, Fan and Audience Studies Scholarly Interest Group, Society for Cinema and Media Studies (2021-2022 Academic Year)
Social Media Chair, Communication, Culture, and Media Association of Doctoral Students, Drexel University (2019-2020 Academic Year)