Robin R. Means Coleman (born 1969) is an American author, communication scholar, and educator known for her work in the fields of Afro-American studies,

African studies African studies is the study of Africa, especially the continent's cultures and societies (as opposed to its geology, geography, zoology, etc.). The field includes the study of Africa's History of Africa, history (pre-colonial, Colonisation of Af ...

, and

media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but it mos ...

. She has written on the topic of race in horror films, and in particular representations of Black people in horror films, in her 2011 non-fiction book ''Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present'' (which was adapted into a 2019 documentary film), as well as in the 2023 book ''The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar'', which she co-authored with Mark H. Harris.

Early life and education

Coleman was born in 1969 in

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, Pennsylvania, and earned her Bachelor of Arts in communication at Chatham College. She went on to receive a Master of Arts in communication from the

University of Missouri The University of Missouri (Mizzou or MU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri, United States. It is Missouri's largest university and the flagship of the four-campus Univers ...

, and earned her

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in mass communication from

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...

Bowling Green, Ohio Bowling Green is a city in Wood County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located southwest of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, it is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and ...

Career

In August 2016, Coleman was instated as the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Initiatives at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

's Rackham Graduate School. Prior to her position at the University of Michigan, Coleman held Coleman held academic positions at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

and

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

. In 2018, Coleman was named vice president and associate provost for

diversity Diversity, diversify, or diverse may refer to: Business *Diversity (business), the inclusion of people of different identities (ethnicity, gender, age) in the workforce *Diversity marketing, marketing communication targeting diverse customers * ...

Texas A&M University Texas A&M University (Texas A&M, A&M, TA&M, or TAMU) is a public university, public, Land-grant university, land-grant, research university in College Station, Texas, United States. It was founded in 1876 and became the flagship institution of ...

. In February 2021, Coleman left Texas A&M University to join

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

Evanston, Illinois Evanston is a city in Cook County, Illinois, United States, situated on the North Shore (Chicago), North Shore along Lake Michigan. A suburb of Chicago, Evanston is north of Chicago Loop, downtown Chicago, bordered by Chicago to the south, Skok ...

, in the same roles; in addition to these positions, she also held a faculty role at Northwestern University's School of Communication.

Partial bibliography

* ''African-American Viewers and the Black Situation Comedy: Situating Racial Humor'' (1998) * ''Say It Loud! African American Audiences, Media and Identity'' (2002) * ''Horror Noire: Blacks in American Horror Films from the 1890s to Present'' (2011) * ''The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar'' (with Mark H. Harris, 2023)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Robin R. Means 1969 births Living people 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century American women writers 20th-century African-American writers 21st-century African-American women writers 21st-century American women writers 21st-century African-American writers American film historians Black studies scholars Historians of African Americans Writers from Pittsburgh Bowling Green State University alumni Chatham University alumni University of Missouri alumni New York University faculty Northwestern University faculty Texas A&M University faculty University of Michigan faculty University of Pittsburgh faculty