Molly Schneider received her PhD from the Screen Cultures Program at Northwestern University. Before earning her doctorate, she received an MA in Critical Studies at the University of Southern California and a BA in Performance Studies at Northwestern.
She is primarily a media historiographer, combining an interest in media history and archives with an interest in cultural discourses surrounding media texts and industries. Her dissertation was a cultural history of the midcentury American television anthology drama, with a particular focus on the ways the format intersects with notions of “Americanness.” She is currently pursuing a new project tentatively titled “Cautionary TV”, which explores the ways television has historically served as both an advisory and portentous force in the United States. Her teaching focuses on media history, theory, and criticism in a cultural context.
Selected Publications
- “Television’s Tortured Misfits: Authenticity, Method Acting, and Americanness in the Midcentury ‘Slice of Life’ Anthology Drama” Journal of Film and Video 68.3-4 (Fall/Winter 2016).
- “Playhouse 90 at 60: A Giant Step and a Last Gasp.” Invited essay, in conjunction with the screening series “From Television City in Hollywood…Playhouse 90” at the UCLA Film & Television Archive.