Katie Barnett

Dr. Katie Barnett serves as Senior Lecturer in Film and Media Studies within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Chester. She holds the position of Course Leader for both BA (Hons) Film and Media Studies and BA (Hons) Media and Television Production programs, and is recognized as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Her academic career at Chester began as a Lecturer in 2018, advancing to Senior Lecturer in 2021, following previous lecturing experience at the University of Worcester from 2013-2018.

Dr. Barnett's research program centers on representations of family and gender across American screen media, with particular expertise in fatherhood and masculinity in 1990s Hollywood cinema. Her scholarly work extends to examinations of adolescence, gender representation in television, and currently focuses on sibling relationships in contemporary American film (2000s-present). She has established herself as a significant voice in film studies through her monograph Fathers on Film: Paternity and Masculinity in 1990s Hollywood (Bloomsbury, 2020) and her forthcoming work Screening Siblings in Contemporary American Cinema.

Analysis of Dr. Barnett's publication trajectory reveals consistent scholarly contributions across film studies, gender studies, and cultural analysis. Her work demonstrates evolving focus from 1990s Hollywood masculinity to broader examinations of family dynamics, with recent publications addressing representations of twins in Personal Shopper, masculinity in Jurassic Park, and sibling relationships in Into the Wild. This progression reflects her deepening exploration of familial relationships through cinematic representation.

Her scholarly recognition includes:

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Dr. Barnett actively contributes to academic development through research supervision and curriculum design. She supervises MRes and PhD students on diverse topics including film biopics, representations of suicide in Indian media, Wong Kar-wai's films, queer feminist spectatorship, and the impact of #MeToo on Hollywood representation. Her teaching portfolio encompasses undergraduate modules on Hollywood and global cinema, auteurship, and visual media narratives, reflecting her commitment to integrating research with pedagogy.