Agustín Zarzosa

Agustín Zarzosa is an Associate Professor of Cinema Studies and Chair of the Cinema and Television Studies program at Purchase College, State University of New York, where he has been a faculty member since 2007. His academic work bridges film studies and philosophy, with a strong emphasis on melodrama and affect.

• BA, Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico)
• MA, New York University
• PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

His research focuses on the philosophical dimensions of cinema, particularly how melodrama functions as an emotional and structural mode across film and television. He explores concepts such as suffering, affect, and spectatorship through a theoretical lens, drawing from continental philosophy and critical theory. His scholarship contributes to ongoing debates about genre, emotion, and meaning in visual media.

Zarzosa is the author of the book Refiguring Melodrama in Film and Television: Captive Affects, Elastic Sufferings, Vicarious Objects (2012), and his essays have appeared in respected journals including New Review of Film and Television, Scope, Discourse, Cinema: Journal of Philosophy and the Moving Image, and Angelaki: Journal of the Theoretical Humanities. While specific article titles are not listed in the source text, his body of work demonstrates a sustained engagement with theoretical and philosophical approaches to moving-image media.

His scientific recognition includes being named the Juanita and Joseph Leff Distinguished Professor for 2022–2023, a testament to his scholarly impact and teaching excellence.

As Chair of the Cinema and Television Studies program, Zarzosa plays a key role in academic leadership, curriculum development, and faculty coordination. Though no formal advising or grant information is provided, his position and publication record suggest active mentorship and research supervision. He is likely involved in shaping the intellectual direction of the program and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue within the School of Film and Media Studies.

Zarzosa is affiliated with the Cinema and Television Studies unit within the School of Film and Media Studies, contributing to a vibrant academic environment that emphasizes critical analysis, transnational perspectives, and theoretical rigor in the study of screen media.