The Dickinsonian sat down with Assistant Professor of English Greg Steirer to discuss his past experiences, his research projects, and a word of advice for the new students.

The Dickinsonian: Could you tell us a little about your background?

Professor Steirer: This is my third year as a professor here. I got my doctorate at the University of Pennsylvania, where I specialized in film and media studies, while still in the English Department. And after graduating, I moved to LA and did research there, taught at a film school… And now I’m here!

TD: What classes are you teaching this year?

PS: This semester I’m teaching two courses: “The American Sitcom” and a senior seminar. The English Department at Dickinson requires seniors to take a two-semester seminar and write a big thesis. So I’m teaching those two. Next semester I’ll also be teaching a class called “The Video Game.”

TD: Are you working on any research or projects at the moment?

PS: Yes, I am working on two books. One of them I’m co-authoring with a professor at the University of Texas at Austin, and that is called “Hollywood and the American Comic Book Industry.” This is about how a comic book industry and Hollywood have become more integrated over the past ten or fifteen years. It explains things like why there are Avengers movies and why Disney owns Marvel.

The other book is about fictional products that get marketed, or sold, in a lot of ways—things that are properties or franchises, more than they are single texts. For example, like Spiderman or Star Wars, with their games, toys and stickers. The book looks at the history of how those developed, because a hundred years ago we didn’t have such things. And it also looks at how they were shaped by changes in business law, business markets and also intellectual property law—like copyright and trademark.

TD: What’s your favorite thing about being a professor?

PS: I really love teaching. I love sharing what I’m excited about with you guys. And since I work on contemporary media, I learn a lot from you, too. A student at Dickinson introduced me to Snapchat. I knew what it was, but I’d never used it. I didn’t know what Tinder was until students told me. And I didn’t really have an Instagram account until students taught me how to have one.

TD: Any advice for current students?

PS: Be open to more subject matters than you might think you’re interested. Students often feel the pressure to have to choose what they want to know really fast, but try to avoid that. I regret not having taken more economics or sociology classes as an undergraduate, as I had to teach myself those things as a grad student, and as a professor. Remember that you should take a variety of courses. That’s the point of a school like Dickinson; you’re supposed to be able to explore. So take advantage of that.