Chair of the Communication Studies Department
434.544.8600
robinson.m@lynchburg.edu
Schewel 330
Education and Experience
Originally from Annapolis, Maryland, Dr. Robinson earned a BA in radio-television-film and a BS in psychology from the University of Maryland College Park in 1991, an MA in telecommunications from Indiana University in 1994, and a PhD in American culture studies from Bowling Green State University in 2000.
Teaching Areas
Dr. Michael Robinson specializes in popular culture and communications. He regularly teaches “Media and Culture,” “Introduction to Film,” “Media Criticism,” “Culture Industries, Audiences, and the Superhero,” and “Cultural Impact of Popular Media.” He also teaches colloquia for the Westover Honors Program (“Jumping the Pond: British Text, American Context” and “Big Universe, Small Screen: Science Fiction Television and Popular Culture”).
Scholarly Interests
His scholarly interests include audience research, genre studies, science fiction, comic books and superheroes, media history, and criticism. In “The Nerd Factor,” his weekly column for the student paper, The Critograph, Dr. Robinson regularly exorcises his popular culture demons by exploring popular culture topics, usually in a humorous vein. He also contributes to coverage about popular culture for both local and national media.
Personal Information
Dr. Robinson enjoys spending his spare time with his wife, daughter, and son. He constantly struggles to keep up with a mass of recorded television shows. Doctor Who and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are his favorite shows. He also regularly battles a giant, constantly growing pile of unread comic books. He enjoys weekly HeroClix tournaments, where the Avengers are his favorite team to play. He is also owned by one cat.
