Mark Brand

Mark Brand is a Lecturer at the University of Illinois Chicago, specializing in English education and digital literacies. With teaching experience since 2013, he previously served as Assistant Director of the Carsey-Wolf Center at UC Santa Barbara (2018-2019), a leading film and media studies institution. His teaching focuses on research-writing, first-year writing, and courses addressing digital media's societal impacts, including topics like alternative economies, technology's role in relationships, and feminist science fiction narratives.

Education:

• Ph.D. in English, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2017)
• M.A. in Writing & Publishing, DePaul University (2013)

His research integrates creative and critical writing, with a recent collaboration exploring LGBTQ+ themes and empathy in video games and new media. He has been honored twice with the Digital Literacy Teaching Award for integrating video games and digital tools into pedagogy. Mark also serves as a faculty mentor in English 555 and a judge for the UIC Undergraduate Research Forum.

Research interests emphasize digital literacies, media's cultural narratives, and interdisciplinary approaches to education. His work bridges traditional literary studies with emerging media forms like virtual/augmented reality and atmospheric media.