Jason Mittell

Jason Mittell is a Professor of Film & Media Culture at Middlebury College, where he has taught since 2002. He holds a Ph.D. in Media & Cultural Studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a B.A. in English and Theater from Oberlin College. His research focuses on television history and criticism, narrative theory, digital humanities, and videographic criticism. Mittell has authored several influential books, including Complex Television and Television and American Culture, and co-edited How to Watch Television. He leads initiatives like the Digital Liberal Arts Initiative and the NEH-sponsored workshop 'Scholarship in Sound & Image', promoting video-based scholarly methods.

Education: Ph.D., Media & Cultural Studies, University of Wisconsin (2000); M.A., Media & Cultural Studies, University of Wisconsin (1996); B.A., English and Theater, Oberlin College (1992).

Research Interests include seriality, media convergence, and the poetics of contemporary TV storytelling. His videographic essays, such as How Black Lives Matter in The Wire, explore race and representation through innovative digital criticism. Mittell’s work bridges traditional scholarship with experimental media practices, emphasizing interdisciplinary approaches to media studies.

Grants & Leadership: Mellon Foundation-funded Digital Liberal Arts Initiative (2014); NEH Digital Humanities Workshop (since 2015).

Labs/Teams: Co-leads [in]Transition, a journal of videographic criticism, and mentors students in advanced media projects through Middlebury’s Film & Media Culture department.