Joshua Vasquez, Lecturer (Film and Media Studies)
New film and media studies faculty member Joshua Vasquez’s early fascination with film originated in his hometown, a little Victorian town with a now disused rail line that ran through it on the eastern edge of Pennsylvania. The town and the creaky house where he was raised fostered his interest in horror and fantasy movies, an interest that advanced his studies in film at NYU and eventually Indiana University, where he received his doctoral degree. His love of not only studying but teaching film brought him to the Department of English at ASU last fall.
While his research around media hasn’t been affected by the pandemic, the original connection to his work has been frustrated since the closure of theaters: “I miss that collective experience when watching a film.”
Fortunately, his habits pre-pandemic are more or less unaffected: he writes and reads widely, enjoying a solitary walk in the woods as a break. He looks forward to being able to travel again, particularly to nearby towns and cities he hasn’t visited or explored—which includes Tempe, since he has yet to sufficiently explore the city in action.
When asked about the pandemic learning environment, Vasquez says, “Teaching over Zoom has proven to be far less detrimental to the pedagogical process than I had feared,” but he adds that there is no substitute to in-person classrooms. When the necessary precautions are alleviated, and it’s safe to return to normal, Vasquez believes everyone will more greatly appreciate in-person teaching and learning in the classroom.
—Nicholas Stewart
Image: Courtesy photo of Joshua Vasquez