Isabel Pinedo

Isabel Pinedo is a Professor in the Department of Film and Media at Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY), where she has taught media studies since 1993. Holding a PhD in Sociology from CUNY Graduate School and University Center and an MA from the University of Chicago, she maintains an office in Hunter North 501-D and can be reached at ipinedo@hunter.cuny.edu. Her academic work bridges sociology, gender studies, and media studies through her teaching and research on popular culture and visual media.

Pinedo's research centers on the relationship between popular culture, gender, and social theory, with particular focus on horror film and television drama. She examines how visual media constructs complex female subjectivity, analyzes 1960s camp television as an alternative genealogy for contemporary television, and investigates the politics of torture depictions in post-9/11 television. Her scholarly approach combines close textual analysis with broader social theory to understand how television narratives reflect and shape cultural values and political discourse. She has contributed significantly to understanding how gender politics operate within serial television narratives and how horror films engage with contemporary social issues.

Pinedo's extensive publication record reveals consistent scholarly engagement with television history, gender representation, and the cultural politics of visual media. Her work demonstrates a progression from early studies of horror film audiences to more recent analyses of complex female characters in television drama and the cultural significance of camp aesthetics. Across her publications, she maintains a critical perspective on how media representations intersect with power structures, particularly regarding gender and race. Her research on torture in television shows like 24 and Battlestar Galactica exemplifies her ability to connect media analysis with pressing political questions.

Pinedo is deeply committed to public education and currently teaches Television Culture, Complex Television Narratives, Women and Television, and The Horror Film at Hunter College. She previously taught courses including Television Genres, Representations of Race in Film and Media, Media and Society, and Social Movements and the Media. Her teaching philosophy emphasizes critical media literacy and the importance of understanding popular culture as a site of ideological struggle and cultural production. Her academic website at https://isabelpinedo.net provides further information about her work and publications.