James J. Hodge

James J. Hodge is an Associate Professor of English and member of the graduate faculty at Northwestern University, affiliated with Art History and Screen Cultures. He holds a Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. His research focuses on digital media aesthetics, media theory, and critical theory, particularly exploring how artistic forms express the incoherence of lived experience. His book Sensations of History: Animation and New Media Art (2019) examines animation in the digital age, while his current project Ordinary Media: An Aesthetics of Always-On Computing analyzes digital artworks reflecting the psychological impacts of constant connectivity.

Teaching and Collaboration: Hodge teaches courses on digital aesthetics, media theory, and film, including future courses on Jordan Peele, American horror film, and classic Hollywood genres. He collaborates across disciplines, co-organizing events on media aesthetics with Communication Studies, Asian Languages, and the Humanities Institute. Notable collaborations include co-curating Paul Chan's exhibition at the Block Museum and co-editing Oxford Bibliographies in Cinema and Media Studies.

Research Interests: Explores network visualization, digital mental health (anxiety/depression), meme aesthetics, and the materiality of digital art. His work bridges philosophy (phenomenology/psychoanalysis) with contemporary media practices, emphasizing tactile experiences of technology and the entanglement of human/machinic creativity.