Thomas Parham - Azusa Pacific University

Thomas Parham, Ph.D.

Co-Chair and Professor, Department of Theater, Film, and Television

Phone: (626) 815-6000, Ext. 5219
Email: tparham@apu.edu
Fax: (626) 387-5747

Thomas Parham, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Theater, Film, and Television at Azusa Pacific University. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and spent seven years on active duty, during which he qualified as a Surface Warfare Officer. Parham left the Navy to complete a doctorate in communication studies at Regent University. He has written for the CBS drama JAG and the Family Channel sitcom Big Brother Jake, and also served as the on-location writers' assistant for the third season of Touched by an Angel.

Parham has executive produced several award-winning student films, including Giving Her Away, Jaded, and Robbie Mullins, and has directed stage productions of Dinner with Friends, Dracula, and The Skin of Our Teeth. He also co-wrote the musical comedy Inside Out and the "dramedy" Steeple Chasers. Dr. Parham is a self-professed "science fiction/comic book geek," and wrote his doctoral thesis on Star Trek: The Next Generation. He also served as moderator for a panel discussion for the Christian Comic Arts Society at Comic-Con International in 2007.

Education

Ph.D. - Regent University, 1995
M.A. - Regent University, 1992
B.A. - Naval Academy, 1985

Department

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
- Theater, Film, and Television

Expertise

Broadcast Journalism

Dramatic Theory and Criticism

Popular Culture

Science Fiction and Fantasy

Screenwriting

Television History

Courses Taught

TFT 216 – Performance and Production
TFT 341 – Media Criticism and Theory
TFT 361 – Producing and Production Management
TFT 375 – Screenwriting
TFT 414 – Student Broadcast Workshop
TFT 423 – Directing
TFT 460 – Dramatic Theory and Criticism
TFT 496 – Senior Seminar: Ethics in Theater, Film, and Television

Professional/Scholarly Presentations

Presentations
Parham, Thomas. Science Fiction for Grown-Ups: Sex, Politics, and Religion on Battlestar Galactica, presented at the Popular Cultural Association Conference, Atlanta, 2006.

Parham, Thomas. On Academic Rigor at the Christian University, presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Boston, 2005.

Parham, Thomas. Mistrust in Government as Portrayed on American Television, presented at the Oxford Round Table, 2007.

Parham, Thomas. Cinematic Television: Maturation of a Medium, presented at the Popular Cultural Association Conference, Boston, 2007.

Parham, Thomas. Behind Good and Evil: Free Will and the One Ring in Middle-earth, presented at the National Communication Association Conference, Miami Beach, 2003.

Publications
Parham, Thomas. "Why Do Heathens Make the Best Christian Films?" Behind the Screen: Hollywood Insiders on Faith, Film, and Culture, Baker Books, (2005).

Parham, Thomas. "Losers, Weepers," an essay on The Bicycle Thief for City of Angels Film Festival program, 2003.

Parham, Thomas. "Heroes in Crisis: Postmodern Deconstruction and Reconstruction," in The Gospel According to Super-Heroes, Peter Lang Publishing, (2005).

View All Professional/Scholarly Presentations

Professional Experience

Consulting Engagements
Moderator, panel discussion, The Gospel According to Comic Books, sponsored by Inter-Mission, Hollywood Presbyterian Church, Hollywood, 2007

Moderator, panel discussion,Christian Comic Arts Society, Comic-Con International, San Diego, 2007

Host, panel discussion on "Reality v. Verity," Reel Spirituality conference, Los Angeles, 2005

Host, panel discussion on Capote, Reel Spirituality conference, Los Angeles, 2006

Facilitator, panel discussion, "Lights! Camera! Comics!" conference, Palm Beach Atlantic University, West Palm Beach, 2005

Industry Experience
Tonton Julian, Once on This Island, a senior capstone production, Mary Hill Theater, Azusa Pacific University, 2007

Director, The Skin of Our Teeth, Mary Hill Theater, Azusa Pacific University, 2004

Director, Dracula, Mary Hill Theater, Azusa Pacific University, 2006

Director, Dinner with Friends, Mary Hill Theater, Azusa Pacific University, 2005

View All Professional Experience

Professional Involvement and Accomplishments

2007 Faculty of the Year Award from Act One, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to the training of Christians for careers in mainstream film and television
2007 Edition of Who’s Who in America
2005 Edition of Who’s Who among America’s Teachers
2004 Edition of Who’s Who among America’s Teachers
2002 Edition of Who’s Who among America’s Teachers