Faculty Spotlight
Dr. Joseph Kestner
Jamie Reeves, News Editor
photo: Casey Lowry
Dr. Joseph Kestner, chair of the film studies department and professor of both English and film studies, learned about teaching from his Latin professor at Columbia University in New York.
Kestner now attributes three main philosophies to successful teaching. The first is “know what you must get accomplished before going into the classroom.”
The second is “have a common document to share with the class as a point of departure for discussion,” and the third teaches that “a professor is prepared only when he or she is over-prepared.”
Kestner believes that teaching is not only knowing the material, but knowing how to cover it in the most effective way.
Among his notable accolades, Kestner was elected TU Outstanding Professor of the Year in 1984 and Mortarboard Professor of the Year in 1989.
He was also elected Oklahoma Professor of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education in 1993.
Kestner has published eight books, over a hundred scholarly articles and has lectured all over Great Britain, North America and Australia.
His main fields of study are Victorian literature and culture, classics, film studies and gender studies.
Next semester, Kestner will be teaching a class on film theory and a graduate seminar about Joseph Conrad that combines both literature and film.
Kestner came to TU as a visiting professor while teaching at the City University of New York.
He is now married to piano instructor Anna Norberg, and says that his favorite thing about TU is the emphasis on interdisciplinary studies.
“In film studies,” Kestner said, “professors from many different departments contribute to the curriculum: music, history, English, art, theatre, communication and political science.”
He appreciates the size of the classes here and the opportunity to provide more personal attention to his students.
Most importantly, Kestner is proud to be a part of the film department itself, which encompasses the narrative, documentary and animated forms of film and has both post production and film scoring labs located in Tyrell Hall for students to use.
Kestner also places emphasis on the importance of studying abroad, maintaining that film is a global business and students can only learn from the experience.
Of course, in his spare time, Kestner enjoys watching and screening films and spending time with his cat Ari, but his students might be interested to know that he is also a fan of the opera and has even written critiques for Opera News in New York.
Kestner can be reached in his office in Zink Hall, room 365.
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