EDUCATION:
B.A., Virginia Military Institute; M.A., New York University; Ph.D., University of South Carolina
Bio:
Todd Kennedy is the Belle and Leonard Toups Endowed Chair in Cultural Studies in the Department of English, Modern Languages, and Cultural Studies at 杏吧传媒, where he is the film studies program advisor and teaches film and American literary modernism.聽 Kennedy holds a Ph.D. in 20th Century American Literature and Film from the University of South Carolina and a M.A. in English and American Literature from New York University. His book, Anthony Bourdain, Filmmaker, will be released by Wayne State University Press in October of 2026. In it, Kennedy examines Bourdain鈥檚 work within the context of ethnographic filmmaking and claims Bourdain should be remembered as a transformative filmmaker who reshaped genre boundaries and challenged the (typically dominant) Western, male gaze. First known for his work on Sofia Coppola, Kennedy has also published academic articles on the films of Julio Medem, Robert Altman, Ang Lee, Benh Zeitlin, and Gordon Ball, and two articles on Bob Dylan鈥檚 music. His article 鈥溾�極ff with Hollywood鈥檚 Head’: Sofia Coppola as Feminine Auteur鈥� remains on the suggested reading list for both the French and Mexican national cinematheques. In addition to the program in film studies, Kennedy is the Chair of the Fletcher Lecture Series. A native of Lexington, Virginia, Kennedy has been living in Southeast Louisiana since 2005. Prior to his association with 杏吧传媒 State, he was a post-doctoral fellow at Tulane University and was formerly 聽the resident film critic for WhatNow! magazine.
Courses:
English 240 – Introduction to Film
English 368 – Technical & Professional Writing
English 440 – Topics in Film: Body in Film