Curriculum Vitae - MAXWELL FOXMAN

257 W. 15th Avenue • Eugene, OR 97401

(845) 548-0672 • mfoxman@uoregon.edu

http://maxwellfoxman.info 

IDENTIFYING INFORMATION

ACADEMIC RANK

Assistant Professor of Media Studies

School of Journalism and Communication, University of Oregon.

EDUCATION        

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York, NY

Ph.D. Communications 2018.

• Dissertation: “Playing with Virtual Reality: Early Adopters of Commercial Immersive Technology”

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York, NY

M.Phil. Communications 2015. GPA 4.0.

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, New York, NY

M.A. Media, Culture and Communication 2012. GPA 4.0.

• Master’s Thesis: “How to Become the Mayor of Everything: Experiencing Body and Space in the Digital Age”

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York, NY

B.A. American Studies, Music, Creative Writing, 2007. Dean’s List 2005 - 2007.

RESEARCH INTERESTS

Games and Play, Immersive Media, Virtual Reality, Innovation Diffusion

Internet Culture, Games Journalism

PUBLICATIONS

Foxman, M. (forthcoming), United We Stand: Platforms, Tools and Innovation with the Unity Game Engine. Social Media + Society.

Foxman, M. (2019), Mondo Nano: Fun and Games in the World of Digital Matter (Book Review). International Journal of Communication, 13(2019).  

Nieborg, D. B., & Foxman, M. (2018) “Mainstreaming Misogyny: The beginning of the end and the end of the beginning in Gamergate coverage.” In Jacqueline Ryan Vickery, Tracy Everbach (Eds.), Mediating Misogyny: Gender, Technology, and Harassment. (pp. 111–130). Cham: Palgrave Macmillan.

Foxman, M. (2017). The playful newsroom: Iterating and reiterating the news and its publics. First Monday, 22(1). Retrieved from http://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/7260 

Foxman, M., Mateescu, A., & Bulger, M. (2016). Advertising in Schools (Primer). New York: Data & Society.

Foxman, M., & Nieborg, D. B. (2016). Between a Rock and a Hard Place: Games Coverage and its Network of Ambivalences. Journal of Games Criticism, 3(1). Retrieved from http://gamescriticism.org/articles/foxmannieborg-3-1 

Foxman, M. (2015). Play the News: Fun and Games in Digital Journalism (Brief). Tow Center for Digital Journalism.

Foxman, M. (2015). Foursquare: Bodily Transgression in Gamified Spaces. Analog Game Studies, Special Issue: Analog Players, Analog Space: Video Gaming Beyond the Digital. Retrieved from http://analoggamestudies.org/2015/01/bodily-transgression-in-gamified-spaces/ 

Tenen, D., & Foxman, M. (2014). Book Piracy as Peer Preservation. Computational Culture, (4).

Foxman, M., & Forelle, M. (2014). Electing to Play MTV’s Fantasy Election and Changes in Political Engagement Through Gameplay. Games and Culture, 9(6), 454–467. doi:10.1177/1555412014549804

Foxman, M. (2014). How to Win Foursquare: Body and Space in a Gamified World. In Mathias Fuchs, Sonia Fizek, Paolo Ruffino, Niklas Schrape (Eds.), Rethinking Gamification (pp. 71 - 90). Lüneburg, Germany: meson press.

Foxman, M. (2012). Digital Death: The Failures, Struggles and Discourses of the Social Media Spectacle. Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association, 2011(1), 3.

CONFERENCES, PRESENTATIONS AND PAPERS

May, 2019. “Cheating the Game Industry: Autonomy and Play with Unity Game Engine.” Presented with David B. Nieborg at the International Communications Association 69th Annual Conference. Washington, DC.

May, 2019. “A 360° Turn: Contemporary Uses and Practices of VR Journalism.” Presented at the International Communications Association 69th Annual Conference. Washington, DC.

May, 2019. “Defining Empathy: Conflicting Discourses of Virtual Reality’s Impact.” Presented with David Markowitz and Donna Z. Davis at the International Communications Association 69th Annual Conference. Washington, DC.

April, 2019. “Treading the Same Path: Issues of Race and Gender for Early Adopters of Commercial Virtual Reality.” Presented at the PCA/ACA 2019 National Conference. Washington, DC.

April, 2019. “Virtually Everything: Immersive Media as a Techno-Fix to Gaming’s Problems.” Presented at What is? Technology. Portland.

April, 2019. “Playing at Reality: The Playbor Production System in Commercial Virtual Reality.” Presented at CounterPlay ‘19: Playing at the Edge: International Play Festival. Aarhus.

October, 2018. “United We Stand: Platforms, Tools and Innovation with the Unity Game Engine.” Presented at The Platformization of Cultural Production Workshop. Toronto.

September, 2018. “Virtually Everywhere: The Booms, Busts and Lessons from VR’s Early Adopters.” Presented at The American Marketing Association of Portland: The Reality of Virtual Reality as a Marketing Strategy. Portland.

May, 2018. “Virtually Everywhere. Game Industry Logic in the Early Adoption of Immersive Technology.” Presented at Games Everywhere, Gaming Everywhere the ICA Game Studies Division Pre-Conference. Prague.

May, 2018. “Playful Publics New Iterations of Internet Culture in China.” Presented with Emilie Marie Xie, at the 16th Chinese Internet Research Conference. Leiden.

April, 2018. “A Universe of Play: Gamification and How it Punctuates Everyday Life.” Presented at What is? Universe. Portland.

September, 2017. “Gaming the System: Playing with the Game Design Paradigm in Immersive Media.” Presented at Shaping Attitudes Across Realities IFIP ICEC 2017 Workshop. Tsukuba.

May, 2017. “The Point of Play: Revealing the Roots of Gamification.” Presented at the International Communications Association 67th Annual Conference. San Diego.

October, 2016. “Punctuated Play: How Gamification Pierces Everyday Experiences.” Presented at Extending Play 3 Rutgers Media Studies Conference. New Brunswick.

August, 2016. “Mainstreaming Games Journalism.” Presented, with David Nieborg, at DiGRA and FDG: First Joint International Conference. Dundee.

May, 2015. “What is Music for Insects? Explorations of Music as a Metaphor for Media Systems.” Presented at the International Communications Association 65th Annual Conference. San Juan.

May, 2015. “Getting into the Game: Analyzing Playful Practices and Products in Digital Journalism.” Presented at 2015 ICA Journalism Studies Graduate Student Colloquium. San Juan.

April, 2015. “The Playful Newsroom: Rethinking the Public Sphere through Iterative News Practices.” Presented at Extending Play: The Sequel Rutgers Media Studies Conference. New Brunswick.

February, 2015 “Play The News: A Report by Max Foxman.” Presented at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism. New York.

June, 2014. “Gaming the System: Gamification, Playbor and Toying with the Public.” Presented at Social Media and the Transformation of Public Space. Amsterdam.

May, 2014. “Creating the Crowd: How Collective Labor Organized the Internet.” Presented at the International Communications Association 64th Annual Conference. Seattle.

May, 2014. “The Glories of Everyday Life: Playing with the Ordinary Using Mobile Media.” Presented at the 11th Annual ICA Mobile Preconference. Seattle.

March, 2014. “MTV’s ‘Fantasy Election’ & the Pro’s and Con’s of Turning Political Engagement into a Game” Presented, with Michelle Forelle, at the Digital Media & Learning Conference. Boston.

April, 2013. “MTV’s Power of 12 and Changes in Political Engagement Following Election-themed Gameplay.” Presented, with Michelle Forelle, at Extending Play: Rutgers Media Studies Conference. New Brunswick.

February, 2013. “Too Close for Comfort: Intimacy, Proximity and Transgression in Location-Based Technology.” Presented at the Neil Postman Graduate Conference. New York.

December, 2012. “Points of Transgression in Internet Culture.” AnthroTech Meetup - II. New York.

October, 2012. “Locating Love: The Internet’s Articulation of Romantic Identity, Body and Control.” Presented, with Sarah Schoemann, at Infosocial: A Media, Technology and Society Conference at Northwestern University. Evanston.

June, 2012. “A Thousand Words: Mapping the Imagery of Occupy Wall Street.” Presented, with co-author Liel Leibovitz at the Media Ecology Association Annual Convention. Bronx.

June, 2012. “Crossing into Crosswords: Experiencing the Ludic Turn and the Gamification of Everyday Life.” Roundtable discussion at the Media Ecology Association Annual Convention. Bronx.

April, 2012. “Panel Presentation: THE GAME.” Roundtable presentation and discussion at the NYU Re:Play 2012: The Theory, Practice, and Business of Video Games Conference. New York.

April, 2012. “Spiegelman, The Cartoon.” Presented at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference. Boston.

March, 2012. "Men and Women Merely Players: Life in Ludic Space." Roundtable discussion at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, English Graduate Organization’s Interdisciplinary Graduate Conference. Amherst.

March, 2012. “Finding Your Place: How Mobile Games and Social Media can Redefine Climate Change and Community.” Presented at the Local and Mobile Annual Conference. Raleigh.

November, 2011. “Can You Hear Me Now? Good! Voicing the Voiceless Through Social Media.” Panel presentation at National Communication Association Annual Convention. New Orleans. Panel presentation at Global Fusion Conference. Philadelphia.

October, 2011. “Digital Death: The Failures, Struggles and Discourses of the Social Media Spectacle.” Paper presented and received honorable mention at the New York State Communication Association Annual Conference. Ellenville.

October, 2011. “The Power of Exposure: Understanding the Discourses of Control in Striptease Culture and Beyond.” Paper presented as part of panel “Para-Social Connections to the Transgressive Celebrity” at the New York State Communication Association Annual Conference. Ellenville.

PANELS AND CONFERENCES ORGANIZED, MODERATED & CHAIRED

August, 2019. “Revisiting Playbor: Extending the Ludo Mix into Media Industries.” Panel Presentation at DiGRA 2019. Kyoto.

May, 2019. Games + Communication Ante-Conference. Co-Chair. Washington, DC.

May, 2019. “Technology and Its Role in the Shifting Nature of News: Roles and Routines.” Panel Chair at The International Communications Association 69th Annual Conference. Washington, DC.

April, 2019. “Played Out: At the Edge of Work and Play with ‘Playbor.’” Panel Presentation at CounterPlay ‘19: Playing at the Edge: International Play Festival. Aarhus.

October, 2016. Extending Play 3 Rutgers Media Studies Conference. Review Board. New Brunswick.

April, 2016. “Mapping Space, Imagining Community.” Columbia University Anthropology Senior Thesis Symposium. Discussant. New York.

April, 2015. “Appraising the Audience.” Panel presentation at Extended Play: The Sequel Rutgers Media Studies Conference. New Brunswick.

April, 2015. “Multiple Displays: Postures and Poses.” Hashtag Moderator at Theorizing the Web. New York.

September, 2014. Co-Organizer of the 2014/2015 Columbia Communications Colloquium with Andrea Dixon.

June, 2014. “The Formation of Publics Through Social Media.” Panel presentation at Social Media and the Transformation of Public Space. Amsterdam

September, 2013. Co-Organizer of the 2013/2014 Columbia Communications Colloquium with Burcu Baykurt.

June, 2012. “Crossing into Crosswords: Experiencing the Ludic Turn and the Gamification of Everyday Life.” Roundtable discussion at the Media Ecology Association Annual Convention. New York.

April, 2012. “Panel Presentation: THE GAME.” Roundtable presentation and discussion at the NYU Re:Play 2012: The Theory, Practice, and Business of Video Games Conference. New York.

April, 2012. “Playing Politics with Sports: The Power Struggles, Nationalism and Political Activism of Modern Sports.” Panel Chair and Respondent at the Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference. Boston.

November, 2011. “Can You Hear Me Now? Good! Voicing the Voiceless Through Social Media.” Panel presentation at National Communication Association Annual Convention. New Orleans.

October, 2011. “Para-Social Connections to the Transgressive Celebrity.” Panel presentation at the New York State Communication Association Annual Conference. Ellenville.

FELLOWSHIPS & AWARDS

• Petrone Grant for “Understanding Best Practices in Computer-Generated Storytelling for Journalism and Communications,” University of Oregon, 2019.
• New Junior Faculty Research Award, University of Oregon, 2018.
• Best Paper Award from Game Studies division at the International Communication Association’s annual conference for paper “The Point of Play: Revealing the Roots of Gamification,” 2017.
• Peer Scholarship, Columbia University, 2014, 2017.
• Conference waiver award from Philosophy, Theory, Critique division at the International Communication Association Annual Conference for paper “What is Music for Insects? Explorations of Music as a Metaphor for Media Systems,” 2015.
• Tow Fellow at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, 2015.
• L. Newell and Mary S. Christiansen Scholarship, Columbia University, 2015.
• Wechsler Journalism School Scholarship, Columbia University, 2014.
• Darin Memorial Scholarship, Columbia University, 2013, 2014.
• Shapps Scholarship, Columbia University, 2013.
• Bigart Scholarship, Columbia University, 2013.
• Walter John Scholarship for Doctoral Students, Columbia University, 2012, 2013.
• Distinguished Thesis Award from New York University’s Department of Media, Culture and Communication for Master’s Thesis “How to Become the Mayor of Everything: Experiencing Body and Space in the Digital Age,” 2012.
• Honorable Mention at New York State Communication Association Conference for paper entitled “Digital Death: The Failures, Struggles and Discourses of the Social Media Spectacle,” 2011.
• Mitchell Leaska Scholarship for Graduate Students, New York University, 2011.
• Dean’s List, Columbia University, 2005 - 2007.

PROFESSIONAL AND ACADEMIC RESEARCH APPOINTMENTS

• Research assistant for Peter Brown at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism on mobile notification practices, 2017.
• Research assistant for Dan Archer at the Tow Center for Digital Journalism on empathy in Virtual Reality, 2016.
• Research analyst for Data & Society on advertising in educational technology, 2015.
• Research analyst for SuperData on the business of playable media, 2015.

• Gaming Video Content Market Brief [2015]

• Research assistant for Charles Berret (Columbia University) and Cheryl Phillips (Stanford University) on “Teaching Data and Computational Journalism,” 2015.
• Chief researcher and writer for a Tow Center for Digital Journalism brief on games and the news, 2015.
• Independent Research Assistant for Matthew Jones, 2013, 2014.

• The History of Big Data [2013, 2014]

• Chief researcher and writer of a New York University feasibility report for an archive of Internet History and Culture, 2012.
• Independent Research Assistant for Liel Leibovitz, PhD in Communications, Columbia University, 2011, 2015.

• Use of Mobile and Cloud Media based on income [2015]
• Visualizing Traditional and Social Media Portrayals of Occupy Wall Street using ImagePlot Software [2011]
• Innovations in E-Reader Technologies [2011]

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

UNIVERSITY OF OREGON, Eugene, OR

Assistant Professor, 2018 - present

• Lectured, designed syllabus and taught “Designing Immersive Media” graduate course.
• Lectured, designed syllabus and taught “Media and Society” undergraduate course.
• Lectured, designed syllabus and taught “Studying Games” undergraduate course.
• Designed “Media Studies Production Workshop” undergraduate course.
• Lectured and led discussion of games and communication professions in “Media Professions” taught by Thipkanok Wongphotiphan.
• Lectured and led discussion of games and play in journalism for ARC students taught by Charlie Butler.
• Lectured and led discussion of games and play in cinema for “Fantasy Studies NOW” taught by Dorothee Ostmeier.
• Lectured and led discussion of introduction to analytics in “Insights with Data” taught by David M. Markowitz.
• Lectured and led discussion of game studies in “Media and Society” taught by S. Senyo Ofori-Parku.
• Lectured and led discussion on history and current theories of virtual reality in “Mass Communication and Society” taught by Seth C. Lewis.
• Lectured on the “The New(s) Reality: Games and VR Journalism” for Media Day.
• Designed syllabus for “Media Studies Production Workshop”
• PhD committee member for Michelle Alexander, Sociology.

MANHATTAN MARYMOUNT COLLEGE, New York, NY

Adjunct Professor, 2014 - 2018

• Lectured, designed syllabus and taught “Principles and Theories of Communication” undergraduate course.
• Lectured, designed syllabus and taught “Games, Play and Gaming” undergraduate course.
• Designed syllabus and taught “Digital Media and Society” undergraduate course.
• Designed syllabus and taught “The Cultural History of Media” undergraduate course.
• Designed syllabus and taught hybrid “Digital Cultures” undergraduate course.

Guest Lecturer, 2013 - 2014

• Lectured and led discussion of Internet History and New Media in “Cultural History of Media” taught by Jonathan Zalman.

NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, New York, NY

Adjunct Professor, 2016 - 2017

• Designed syllabus and taught “Media and Communications Research Methods” undergraduate course.

Guest Lecturer, 2013 - 2016

• Lectured and led discussion of Game Studies in “Theory of Media & Cultural Studies” taught by Chyng-Feng Sun.
• Lectured and led discussion of Free-to-Play games in “The Business of Video Games” taught by Joost Van Dreunen.

Grader, 2011

• Provided in-class assistance, designed lectures and provided grades and comments for “Copyright, Commerce & Culture” taught by Liel Leibovitz.

UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO, Toronto, Ontario

Guest Lecturer, 2017

• Lectured and led discussion of play in Chinese social media in “Global Media Studies” taught by David Nieborg.
• Lectured and led discussion of gamification history and practice in “Mobile Media Studies” taught by David Nieborg.

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY JOURNALISM SCHOOL, New York, NY

Teaching Assistant, 2013 - 2014

• Graded and aided professors in graduate level “Journalism Essentials: Business” course. Fall, 2013.
• Graded and aided professors, as well as guest lectured on digital media and journalism in undergraduate level course “Journalism and the Public Life.” Spring, 2014.
• Graded and aided professors, as well as lectured on the history of MTV in graduate level course “Journalism Essentials: History.” Fall, 2014.

MERCY COLLEGE, Dobbs Ferry, NY

Guest Lecturer, 2013

• Lectured and led discussion of Internet History and New Media in “Media in America” taught by Jonathan Zalman.

ROCKLAND COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL, Congers, NY                                       

Director of Independent Studies, 2009 - 2012

• Founded the Independent Study Program, developed its structure and philosophy.            

ROCKLAND COUNTRY DAY SCHOOL, Congers, NY                                                                   

Instructor of the Humanities, 2007 - 2012

• Restructured the curricula of and designed classes in Non-Western Civilization, Journalism, English Literature, Latin, The History of Comics, The History of Television and Media Communications.          

WESTCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE, Valhalla, NY        

Adjunct Professor, 2010

• Designed curriculum and created syllabus for a course based in Memory Studies and Visual Culture entitled “Holocaust in the Arts.”

COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY, New York, NY

Instructor, High School Summer Creative Writing Program, 2008 - 2010

• Designed curriculum, created syllabus, and taught class in Comics and Writing.

CHERYL O’BRIEN SAT PREP, Suffern, NY

SAT and ACT Tutor, 2008 - 2010

PERSONAL PUBLICATIONS

• “Foxmania.” Weblog of essays and drafts on popular culture. http://maxwellfoxman.wordpress.com.
• “Connecting Voices: A Call For Understanding How Networks Develop” (2018). Medium. https://medium.com/@maxwellfoxman/connecting-voices-a-call-for-understanding-how-networks-develop-65b67d56c5a1 

MEMBERSHIP AND PROFESSIONAL SERVICE

New Media and Culture Affiliated Faculty, University of Oregon (2019)

Reviewer for the Nordicom Review (2019)

Reviewer for the International Journal of Communication (2018, 2019)

Reviewer for New Media and Society (2018, 2019)

Reviewer for Games and Culture (2015 - 2019)

Member and Reviewer of the International Communications Association (2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019)

Member and Reviewer of the Digital Games Research Association (2016, 2019)

Reviewer for Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (2018)

piracy.lab (2013)

Media Ecology Association (2012)

Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association (2012, 2019)

National Communication Association (2011)

New York State Communication Association (2011)

MEDIA/PUBLISHING EXPERIENCE

MUSEUM OF COMIC AND CARTOON ART, New York, NY                                                         

Volunteer Gallery Manager, 2009 - 2010

METROMIX, JOURNAL NEWS, White Plains, NY                                                                                                                    

Online Lifestyle Journalist,  2008 - 2010

COLUMBIA DAILY SPECTATOR, New York, NY

Writer, Reporter and Editor, 2003 - 2007

• Chief Reporter [2006], Senior Reporter [2006], Associate Weekend Arts Editor [2006], Deputy Editor of Special Projects [2005], Staff Writer [2004 - 2007], Contributing Music Writer [2004 - 2007]

ROLLING STONE, New York, NY                                                                                                                                                      

Editorial Intern, 2006

TIME OUT NEW YORK, New York, NY                                                                                                                             

Editorial Intern, 2006

GOODE NEWS, New York, NY (News Aggregator)                                                                                              

Research Intern, 2005

NOVA SCIENCE NOW, New York, NY                                                                                                                                              

Production Intern, 2005

INTERVIEW MAGAZINE, New York, NY 

Editorial/Production Intern, 2004 - 2005

LANGUAGES AND SKILLS

• Proficient in Unity Game Engine, Adobe Creative Suite, Mac, Linux and MS OS, Logic, Digital Performer, MS Office, iWork Suite.
• Working knowledge of Python, MongoDB, C#.
• Working knowledge of Maya, GoLive, ProTools, Cubase, iMovie HD.    
• Extensive knowledge of Music Theory, Music History and Popular Culture.
• Proficient in Spanish.
• New York State Certified Bartender.