Professor
Communication, School of
CHBS Building 2102
PO Box 6932
Teaching and research interests: Media production, Interdisciplinary studies, comedy, semiotics, film and video production and editing.
Matthew Turner earned his B.A. in Communication and B.A. in English at Virginia Tech, and earned his M.A. in Telecommunication and Ph.D. in Interdisciplinary Arts both at Ohio University. He also enjoys teaching interdisciplinary classes, such as a course he originated on Brazilian arts and media. Matthew Turner’s dissertation “Signs of Comedy: A Semiotic Approach to Comedy in the Arts” looks at how comedy creates and subverts meaning in a variety of art forms. He has presented at numerous national and international conferences in interdisciplinary studies, theater, art history, philosophy, English, popular culture, and film. He has also published articles and book chapters on comedy Westerns, “Weird Al” Yankovic, and the Marx Brothers. He has worked as an editor and consultant to Jonesfilm Group Ltd. and has edited several documentary films for them. Matthew Turner’s travels and interest in international education have led him to teach students on five continents.
“Rubrics Cubed: A Tripartite Approach to Teaching, Assessing, and Learning with Rubrics.” Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy Proceedings. 2015. Co-Authored with Robert L. Turner III, Ph.D. and Scott A. Turner, Ph.D.
“It’s No Vacation: Assessing Learning Objectives in Study Abroad Programs.” Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy Proceedings. 2015. Co-Authored with Scott W. Dunn, Ph.D.
“A String in the Labyrinth: A Strategic Approach to Using Technology in Education.” Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy Proceedings. 2014. Co-Authored with Scott A. Turner, Ph.D.
“The Last Marx Brothers’ Film.” Global Cinema.eu (Formerly, Jura Gentium Cinema. (June 2013).
“Entering the Hallowed Halls of Cyberspace: Developing Strategies for Teaching, Interacting, and Delivering Information Online.” Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy Proceedings. 2013. Co-Authored with Scott A. Turner, Ph.D.
“Performing Pop Parody: Lady Gaga, ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic, and Parodied Performance.”
The Performance Identities of Lady Gaga. Ed. Richard J. Gray II. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Co., 2012.
“Goodnight Goodnight Moon: A Semiotic Analysis of Berkeley Breathed’s Goodnight Opus.” Interdisciplinary Humanities 29.1 (Spring 2012).
“Arrr!!!: Performing Piracy and the Origin of International Talk Like a Pirate Day.” Popular Culture Review 23.1 (Winter 2012).
“Comedy in the Classroom: Creating a More Enjoyable and Inclusive Atmosphere through Humor.” Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy Proceedings. 2012. Co-Authored with Scott A. Turner, Ph.D.
“Orpheus in Brazil: Culture, Race, and Representation in Three Retellings of the Orpheus Legend.” Hogar, Dulce Hogar: Ideologies of Home and the Latin American, Latino/a Experience. (Accepted. Manuscript in circulation.)
“Black Sheriffs and Villains in White Hats: The Image of the Hero in Western Parodies.” American, British and Canadian Studies Journal. v17 (December 2011).
“Undisciplined: Interdisciplinary Teaching in a Disciplinary World.” Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy Proceedings. 2011.
“Black Sheriffs and Villains in White Hats: The Image of the Hero in Western Parodies.”
Society for the Interdisciplinary Study of Social Imagery and Colorado State University – Pueblo. The Image of the Hero in Literature, Media, and Society 2010 Conference Proceedings. 2010.
'Working in the Newsroom: A Collaborative Problem-Based Learning Approach.” Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy Proceedings. 2010.
“Signs, Slapstick, and Silence: The Transformation of Semiotic Meaning in the Comedy of Harpo Marx.” A Century of the Marx Brothers. Ed. Joseph Mills. Cambridge Scholars Press. 2007.
“Cowboys and Comedy: The Simultaneous Deconstruction and Reinforcement of Generic Conventions in Western Parody.” Hollywood's West. Eds. Peter C. Rollins and John E. O'Connor. Lexington: UP of Kentucky, 2005. (This anthology was winner of the 2005 Ray and Pat Browne Annual Book Award of the Popular Culture Association).
“Cowboys and Comedy: The Simultaneous Deconstruction and Reinforcement of Generic Conventions in Western Parody.” Film & History 33.2 (2003).