Antoinette Winstead, MFA

Professor of Mass Communication and Drama
Drama Program Coordinator
Main Building, Room 227E
210-528-6706
awinstead@ollusa.edu

Curriculum Vitae

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’s 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’ll 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."