Antoinette Winstead, MFA
Professor of Mass Communication and Drama
Drama Program Coordinator
Main Building, Room 227E
210-528-6706
awinstead@ollusa.edu
Areas of Expertise
My areas of expertise are film and television production, history, theory, and criticism; film/theater/television directing; screenwriting/playwriting; broadcast/television writing; and media literacy. My primary research interests are in horror film, television, and literature, specifically the portrayal of race, gender, and social class in horror and how this genre reflects cultural changes and societal anxieties. Another area of research, related to my former fellowship of the Zoryan Institute at the University of Toronto, is the study of genocide and human rights violations as presented in the media, specifically film and television.
Teaching Philosophy
Higher Education is about learning to think for oneself; therefore, my goals is to create life-long, inquisitive learners and critical thinkers, and to encourage students to find and develop their own unique voices and perspectives, and to be able to articulate their point of views convincingly, and confidently, with facts and rational arguments.
To achieve this goal, students must be given the opportunity to express their ideas in an open, safe, environment where ideas can be presented and critiqued following guidelines that allow objective feedback, meant to encourage further exploration and development.
Because students process information differently, it鈥檚 important that their ideas be assessed using a variety of methods, helping students develop communication and critical thinking skills that they can use in the classroom, and in future careers.
Using these methods, I believe students will become active, engaged learners who鈥檒l enjoy and love learning for the rest of their lives.
Outside Interests
I am an author, poet, and playwright. My short stories and poetry have been published in journals and anthologies and my plays have been performed at various theaters including The Jo Long Theater, The Little Carver, and The San Pedro Playhouse/Cellar. While my primary interests are writing and film, I also enjoy directing and acting for theater. I have directed over two dozen plays, including "Fences," "Fat Pig;" "Oleanna;" and "Doubt." And as an actor, I have appeared in various plays, including a one-woman show I was commissioned to write titled, "Artemisia Bowden: The Savior of St. Philips."
Certifications and Memberships
-
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Certification, Cornell University (2022)
-
Dramatists Guild (since 2008)
Awards
- 2022 Pushcart Prize Nominee (poetry)
Education
- MFA - Film, Columbia University
- Master of Arts - English Literature, Our Lady of the Lake University
- Bachelor of Fine Arts - Film/Television Production, New York University