Research Interests
Alison’s research focuses on feminist film theory and genre. Her first book, The Female Detective on Post-network Television: Mother, Maiden, Cop, was published by Bloomsbury in 2026.
Her current research focuses on issues of feminism, trauma, and policing in female detective post-network television. Her areas of knowledge include gender, sexuality, and race in media, genre, post-network television, and experimental film and media. Her courses include Media and Society, Film and Culture, LGBTQIA Media, and seminars on horror cinema, crime television, and romantic comedies.
Publications
- The Female Detective on Post-network Television: Mother, Maiden Cop (Bloomsbury, January 2026)
- Academic Advisor for Literature and Criticism entry on “Jane Campion”
- “A Call from Inside the House: Broadcasting the Black Audio Film Collective’s Postcolonial Critiques on Channel 4.” Black Camera, Vol. 11 (2): 106-129.
- — (2019). “The Harder I Swim, the Faster I Sink: Top of the Lake’s Female Detective in the Global Television Economy.” Camera Obscura 101, Vol. 34 (1): 72-101.
- — (2017). “Demarginalizing New Media Maps.” Mediapolis 2.2. http://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2017/06/demarginalizing-new-media-maps/.
- — (2017). “The Black Audio Film Collective’s Fragmented Cities.” Mediapolis 2.2. http://www.mediapolisjournal.com/2017/06/black-audio-film-collectives-fragmented-cities/
- — (2015). “TV Museum: Contemporary Art and the Age of Television by Maeve Connolly.” Millennium Film Journal 62: 51-53.
- — (2014). “Inside the Director’s Studio: Screening Room, Art and Avant-Garde Cinema, and Television’s Pedagogical Impulse.” Millennium Film Journal 60: 38-46.
Presentations
See CV for presentations.
Awards
- Excellence in Scholarship and Creativity Award, University of Wisconsin-Superior, 2026
- Rising Star Award, University of Wisconsin-Superior, 2020
- Ballard and Seashore Dissertation Year Fellowship, University of Iowa, 2013-2014
Education
- 2014 – Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) – Film Studies, University of Iowa
- 2010 – Master of Arts (M.A.) – Film Studies, University of Iowa
- 2008 – Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) – Cinema Studies, New York University