Eric Freedman

 

 

Eric Freedman
Dean of the School of Media Arts
33 E. Ida B. Wells Drive
Chicago, IL 60605
efreedman@colum.edu
312-369-8222

 

 

Eric Freedman, PhD, is the dean of the School of Media Arts (SMA) and professor in Cinema and Television Arts at Columbia College Chicago. As dean, Freedman provides direction to academic departments with focused attention to academic curriculum, planning, budgeting, goal setting, fundraising, community and industry partnerships, and interdepartmental collaboration. As a member of the Academic Affairs senior leadership team, he serves as a change leader to build and support college-wide activities and external initiatives that strengthen and connect academic programs, and further the work of students, faculty, staff and alumni. Additionally, Freedman oversees the development of new programs and partnerships that place an emphasis on community building, civic media and engagement, and the region’s interrelated media and information ecosystems, while realizing the college’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Freedman maintains a strong external presence for the college in Chicago’s media, technology, culture, education, and municipal sectors.

A nationally respected scholar, Freedman is the author of Transient Images: Personal Media in Public Frameworks (Temple University Press, 2011). His most recent essays include “Software” (Routledge, 2018), “Resident Racist: Embodiment and Game Controller Mechanics” (Pearson, 2012) and “Technobiography: Industry, Agency and the Networked Body” (Peter Lang, 2012). He also serves on the editorial board of the Journal of e-Media Studies.

Freedman is an accomplished media artist and has been an active public access producer engaged with community media practices; his creative work has been exhibited at notable venues in the United States and abroad, including the Museum of Contemporary Art in Miami, the American Film Institute, MIX New York, and Ars Electronica.

Freedman received a PhD in Critical Studies from the School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California (USC), an MA in Art History from USC, and a BA in Art History from Cornell University.

Areas of Research
New Media, Public Policy and New Technologies, Video Game Studies, Television Studies, Film Studies, Documentary and Experimental Video, Community Media