Distinguished Scholarly/Creative Activity Awards

Southern Utah University English Department, 2016

Best Scholar Award

Southern Utah University English Department, 2015

Best Teacher Award

This critical examination of the 21st-century zombie phenomenon explores how and why the public imagination has been overrun by the undead horde. McFarland, 2015.

Book Published: How Zombies Conquered Popular Culture: The Multifarious Walking Dead in the 21st Century

Outstanding Contributor to the Honors Program

Tanner Distinguished Faculty Lecturer

This book provides a cultural and critical analysis of the cinematic zombie tradition, starting with its origins in Haitian folklore and tracking the development of the subgenre into the twenty-first century. McFarland, 2010.

Book Published: American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Walking Dead in Popular Culture

International Association of the Fantastic in the Arts

The Threat of the Gothic Patriarchy in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds

Dead Man Still Walking: Explaining the Zombie Renaissance.

The Idle Proletariat:  Dawn of the Dead, Consumer Ideology, and the Loss of Productive Labor.

Technophobia and the Cyborg Menace: Buffy Summers as Neo-Human Avatar

The Sub‐Subaltern Monster: Imperialist Hegemony and the Cinematic Voodoo Zombie

Zombie stories are peculiarly American, as the creature was born in the New World and functions as a reminder of the atrocities of colonialism and slavery. The voodoo-based zombie films of the 1930s and '40s reveal deep-seated racist attitudes and imperialist paranoia, but the contagious, cannibalistic zombie horde invasion narrative established by George A. Romero has even greater singularity.  This book provides a cultural and critical analysis of the cinematic zombie tradition, starting with its origins in Haitian folklore and tracking the development of the subgenre into the twenty-first century. Closely examining such influential works as Victor Halperin's White Zombie, Jacques Tourneur's I Walked with a Zombie, Lucio Fulci's Zombi 2, Dan O'Bannon's The Return of the Living Dead, Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, and, of course, Romero's entire "Dead" series, it establishes the place of zombies in the Gothic tradition.

American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Walking Dead in Popular Culture

Since the early 2000s, popular culture has experienced a "Zombie Renaissance," beginning in film and expanding into books, television, video games, theatre productions, phone apps, collectibles and toys. Zombies have become allegorical figures embodying cultural anxieties, but they also serve as models for concepts in economics, political theory, neuroscience, psychology, computer science and astronomy. They are powerful, multifarious metaphors representing fears of contagion and doom but also i

How Zombies Conquered Popular Culture: The Multifarious Walking Dead in the 21st Century

The Written Dead: Essays on the Literary Zombie (Contributions to Zombie Studies)

Southern Utah University is a caring campus community where students come to explore their interests and prepare for meaningful careers and life experiences. With more than 145 undergraduate programs* and 18 graduate and certificate programs across six academic colleges, SUU proudly offers world-class, project-based learning opportunities where students gain professional experience before entering the job market.

Located in the world’s best backyard, SUU is the University of the Parks thanks to its close proximity to several outdoor recreational areas and its educational partnerships with the National Park Service. SUU’s safe, residential campus allows students - more than 10,000 - to create lifelong friendships along with once-in-a-lifetime outdoor adventures in conjunction with innovative academic endeavors.

Southern Utah University

HONR 1040 Foundations of Honors

HONR 2010 Interdisciplinary Topics

HONR 2040 Honors Inquiry and Analysis

ENGL 2010 Intermediate Writing

ENGL 2023 Screen Aesthetics

ENGL 2130 Intro to Imaginative Literature

ENGL 2150  US Narrative Film

ENGL 3023 Film Theory

HONR 3040 Honors Application and Dissemination

ENGL 3110 Literature and Film

ENGL 3150 US Narrative Film

ENGL 3215 American Literature II

ENGL 3220 American Literature

HONR 4040 Honors Capstone and Independent Study

ENGL 4110 Literary Genres

ENGL 4310 Major Authors

ENGL 4150 Topics in Cinema: Short Form

ENGL 4510 Topics on Literature: Sci-Fi Film

HONR 4990 Honors Capstone and Independent Study

Dr. Kyle William Bishop is a professor of English Southern Utah University. He began teaching at SUU in 2000, and is currently the Academic Coordinator of the Honors Program and teaches film and screen studies, American literature and culture, fantasy/horror literature, and English composition. 

Known for his writing and research regarding popular culture and cinematic adaptation – particularly in the area of zombies – Dr. Bishop has published two monographs including “American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Walking Dead in Popular Culture,” and “How Zombies Conquered Popular Culture: The Multifarious Walking Dead in the 21st Century.” He co-edited a collection of essays on zombie literature titled, “The Written Dead: Essays on the Literary Zombie.” All three are available through McFarland & Co., Publishers.

Dr. Bishop graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brigham Young University with a bachelor’s degree in humanities, emphasis in art history, with minors in music, German, and English. At University of Utah, he earned a master’s degree in English: American studies with emphasis in film studies, and at University of Arizona, a Ph.D. in English. His dissertation addressing the cultural relevance of zombie cinema--composed under the guidance of Susan White, Jerrold Hogle, and Carlos Gallego--was published by McFarland & Co., Publishers as American Zombie Gothic in 2010. His follow-up book, How Zombies Conquered Popular Culture, was published in 2015.

Video Games

Visual Literacy

Saxophone

American Studies

Music

Composition

American Literature

Film and Television Studies

British Gothic Literature

Film Studies

Zombie Literature

German

Meet Our Professors: Dr. Kyle Bishop, English

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Academia

Kyle Bishop

Don’t watch ‘I Am Legend’ right now

(Why) Is Rural America Scarier than Urban America? Experts Weigh in

Unpacking "Abducted In Plain Sight"

Experts debate sex and alcohol in Utah 'Deadpool' case

Zombies take over pop-culture in Utah, Nation

Why we're so obsessed with zombies

Want to understand a generation? Look no further than its zombie movies

‘R’ of ‘Warm Bodies’ isn’t the first zombie romantic lead

Dr. Todd Petersen, a professor of English and the director of Southern Utah University’s project-based learning program, recently published his third novel, It Needs to Look Like We Tried. The novel explores the ways in which our failures work on the lives of others, weaving an intricate web of interconnected stories.

SUU Professor Publishes New Novel

Everyone has a dream, an idea, a goal. But what happens when those desires are thwarted, when dreams and goals fall apart? In his new novel, It Needs to Look Like We Tried, Dr. Todd Robert Petersen, Director of Project-Based Learning at Southern Utah University, explores the ways in which our failures work on the lives of others, weaving an intricate web of interconnected stories.

The novel follows a fastidious man that takes a detour on the way to his father’s wedding, kicking off a series of events that ricochets from the bride to her real estate clients; to a crazed former homeowner and his sister-in-law’s reality TV lover; to a hoarding family whose lives are wrecked by their appearance on the second-rate show. 

“I would say that the book is about failure and life-changing events,” said Dr. Petersen. “But I should add that it’s also a comedic book.”

Dr. Petersen has been writing seriously for roughly 25 years. He published poems and stories in the early 2000s and sold his first book, Long After Dark, in 2007. His next novel, Rift, was released in 2009. Petersen already has plans for his fourth book, Picnic in the Ruins, which is set for release in Spring of 2020.

Dr. Kyle Bishop, Associate Professor of English and Honors Program Academic Coordinator at Southern Utah University thinks everyone should be reading It Needs to Look Like We Tried this summer. 

“It's the latest novel from an SUU faculty member, and it is already generating a lot of critical buzz and praise. He uniquely presents a number of interlinked short stories about unusual people in extraordinary situations.”

Dr. Todd Petersen has worked as a YMCA assistant program director, literary journal editor, and English professor. Currently, he serves as director of an award-winning experiential learning program at Southern Utah University. He is familiar with the media and available for an interview. Simply visit his profile.

A Must-Read this Summer - It Needs to Look Like we Tried

Professor of English

maintaining-a-healthy-relationship-with-fear-why-we-love-horror-films

Chair and Professor of English Department

With post-apocalyptic thrillers like Bird Box rising in popularity in the United States and around the world (according to Netflix, 45 million people streamed the film), we begin wondering what the appeal of these horror genre films is.   Dr. Kyle William Bishop, assistant professor of English and academic coordinator of the Southern Utah University Honors Program, specializes in film and television studies in the areas of popular culture and cinematic adaptation and has a few thoughts on why we love to be scared: “One of the primary functions of art, particularly those that present an audience with a narrative, is to provide people with a cathartic experience, a way to feel proxy emotions such as excitement, love, and fear. The latter has long been a vital emotion in terms of human development and, even, survival.” Dr. Bishop goes on to explain that as a species, we need to maintain a healthy relationship and familiarity with fear, but many real-world experiences that encourage such psychological and physiological responses are potentially dangerous. “Instead, art forms such as horror movies, television shows, and video games can provide people with the same responses but in a safe, simulated fashion. Many people are thus drawn to the genre of horror: it gives them an adrenaline rush, provides an exhilarating emotional experience, and exorcizes repressed fears and anxieties through simulated scenario exploration. In addition, such experiences can be fun!” Known for his writing and research regarding popular culture and cinematic adaptation, particularly in the area of zombies. Dr. Bishop has published two monographs including “American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Walking Dead in Popular Culture,” and “How Zombies Conquered Popular Culture: The Multifarious Walking Dead in the 21st Century.” He co-edited a collection of essays on zombie literature titled, “The Written Dead: Essays on the Literary Zombie.”   Dr. Bishop is familiar with the media and available for an interview. Simply visit his profile. Learn more:   

Maintaining a Healthy Relationship With Fear - Why We Love Horror Films

a-mustread-this-summer-it-needs-to-look-like-we-tried

Traditional and Contemporary Models of Successful Writing

Creative Writing Techniques

Coming-of-Age Storytelling

Project-Based Learning in HIgher Education

Project Management

Fictional Rhetoric

Film Adaptation

Experiential Education

Visual Narrative Theory

Creative Writing

Storytelling

Project Based Learning

Creative Writing in Higher Education

Religious and Inspiration Fiction

Formal Structures of Visual Storytelling

Everyone has a dream, an idea, a goal. But what happens when those desires are thwarted, when dreams and goals fall apart? In his new novel, It Needs to Look Like We Tried, Dr. Todd Robert Petersen, Director of Project-Based Learning at Southern Utah University, explores the ways in which our failures work on the lives of others, weaving an intricate web of interconnected stories.

The novel follows a fastidious man that takes a detour on the way to his father’s wedding, kicking off a series of events that ricochets from the bride to her real estate clients; to a crazed former homeowner and his sister-in-law’s reality TV lover; to a hoarding family whose lives are wrecked by their appearance on the second-rate show. 

“I would say that the book is about failure and life-changing events,” said Dr. Petersen. “But I should add that it’s also a comedic book.”

Dr. Petersen has been writing seriously for roughly 25 years. He published poems and stories in the early 2000s and sold his first book, Long After Dark, in 2007. His next novel, Rift, was released in 2009. Petersen already has plans for his fourth book, Picnic in the Ruins, which is set for release in Spring of 2020.

Dr. Kyle Bishop, Associate Professor of English and Honors Program Academic Coordinator at Southern Utah University thinks everyone should be reading It Needs to Look Like We Tried this summer. 

“It's the latest novel from an SUU faculty member, and it is already generating a lot of critical buzz and praise. He uniquely presents a number of interlinked short stories about unusual people in extraordinary situations.”

Dr. Todd Petersen has worked as a YMCA assistant program director, literary journal editor, and English professor. Currently, he serves as director of an award-winning experiential learning program at Southern Utah University. He is familiar with the media and available for an interview. Simply visit his profile.

Source:   

50+ Shades of Gothic: The Gothic Across Genre and Media in US Popular Culture | Conference Series 

Kyle W. Bishop (Southern Utah University) 
Interviewed by Michael Fuchs (University of Oldenburg) 

PopMeC Association for US Popular Culture Studies: https://www.popmec.com 
PopMeC Research Blog (peer-reviewed, ISSN 2660-8839): https://popmec.hypotheses.org

50+ Shades of Gothic | Kyle W. Bishop: Zombies, Bodies and Boundaries

Helping you choose which major to study and ultimately jumpstarting your college career, SUU is here with the unbiased opinion on each of its majors. This video highlights what an English student will experience in the classroom, what careers are available and what types of student excel from the perspective of SUU professor Kyle Bishop. 

Located in Cedar City, Southern Utah University is in the heart of Utah's color country region. Distinguished above others for its focus on personalized education, SUU prepares its students to achieve excellence in their chosen field and create positive change in the world. 

http://www.suu.edu

Southern Utah University
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Major Decisions: English

Kyle W. Bishop is a professor at Southern Utah University where he teaches American literature an culture, film studies, and fantasy/horror literature. He attended the International Conference of Identity and Emotions in Contemporary TV Series organized by the project 'Emotional Culture and Identity' of the Institute of Culture and Society, funded by Seguros Zurich. Bishop presented his paper and research abuot the zombie culture and the metaphors and anthropology in The Walking Dead.

Kyle W. Bishop, why zombie culture is so popular?

Dr. Kyle Bishop answers a question from NPR host Dan Bammes at the opening Fall Faculty Convocation on August 16, 2011 at Southern Utah University.

A Lincoln Center-SUU Imagination Conversation - Kyle Bishop

Kyle Bishop, author of American Zombie Gothic: The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of the Walking Dead in Popular Culture, guides us through the history of the zombie from its Afro-Carribean roots to its current status as one of the major memes of contemporary culture.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized.* (*Subject to certain rules and regulations)

Produced by: Steve Swift
Cameras: Steve Swift and Dayne Fay

Zombies: an idea worth spreading about how ideas spread: Kyle Bishop at TEDxSUU

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