Jason Henson

Why did you choose the Film & Television Studies (MFA) program?

I chose the Film & Television Studies MFA program because after working for a few years after undergrad, I was ready to do something different. I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in academia and that I wanted to study my first love, film. As I applied, I liked the welcoming environment of COM and I appreciated the smaller size of the program, which I felt would ensure that I developed good relationships with my fellow students and the faculty. I particularly appreciated the feedback and assistance that Grad Admissions and faculty members Roy Grundmann and Deborah L. Jaramillo provided in making choosing BU’s program an easy choice to make.

How did your time at COM help prepare you for your life post-COM?

The classes I took at COM provided me with a deeper set of critical skills for writing thoughtful, intellectually rigorous analysis and thinking about film and television beyond what is on the surface. Having a cinema minor from undergrad and a lifelong interest in film, the classes I took on television with Deborah L. Jaramillo and Charlotte Howell (whom I TA’d for) were especially important and helpful in expanding my knowledge and critical skills into a different medium. This multimedia approach allowed me to extend my understanding of how media and culture interact and inform one another, which has been important to both my former and current research projects.

What internships and/or activities did you participate in while you were a student at COM?

One of my favorite experiences at COM was my summer study abroad/internship in Sydney. This program was an absolute delight for someone like me: not only did I get to spend the summer in Australia, where I got to attend the Sydney Film Festival and take a course in Australian cinema, but I also had the opportunity to intern for the Sydney Film Festival as they prepared for their year-long Traveling Film Festival series. It was a truly remarkable experience that allowed me to make valuable connections and friends, study a national cinema that is uniquely positioned within the global film industry, and see the world in a different way.

What have you been up to since you graduated?

I am still in Boston: I am currently enrolled in BU’s American & New England Studies doctorate program and just completed my first year. I chose this program because my career goals are to enter academia as a professor and researcher, and AMNESP proved to be a unique fit for my research interests. My research extends beyond the study of films themselves, considering their place in both national and global cultural contexts: currently, my interests lie in the construction of US nationalism in superhero films and the films’ function as culturally imperialist products. Of course, the program requires significant work, but what makes it exciting is having the opportunity to take classes in a number of other disciplines, including intellectual history, modernist literature, and intersectional identity theories. Moreover, like COM, the faculty of the program are welcoming and supportive.

What advice would you give to prospective students considering the program or students about to graduate?

My advice to prospective students and soon-to-be graduates is this: let this program open your mind. You have access to a brilliant faculty and a helpful COM staff that can provide the resources you need to pursue your unique interests and get what you need out of the program, whether it is a career in academia or outside the academy as a film festival programmer, public film/TV historian, or whatever you want to pursue. I can attest from personal experience that you can discover something you may have previously been unaware of that you want to pursue. The thesis idea I entered the program with was not the thesis I wrote, and I thank the guidance of the faculty for leading me to something new. They will expose you to new ideas and new ways of thinking, so keep your mind open.