June's Featured Faculty: Zach Cheney, Ph.D., Cinematic Arts

Prior to coming to APU, Zach Cheney bounced all over: undergraduate studies in Georgia, study-abroad in Rome, seminary in St. Louis, grad school in San Francisco, more grad school in Oregon, and short stints in Washington and Southern California. His professional life has consisted almost entirely in preparation for teaching at Azusa Pacific.

 

Cheney has a Ph.D. in Film & Media Studies from the University of Oregon, an M.A. in Cinema Studies from San Francisco State University, an M.A. in Theological Studies from Covenant Theological Seminary, and a B.A. in Philosophy from Covenant College.

 

Cheney is currently beginning work to develop a program in Screen Studies (which presently exists as a concentration and a minor) in APU's Department of Cinematic Arts, as well as editing his dissertation into a book manuscript, which he would like to submit to a publisher within a year.

 

Cheney says, “APU has been a breath of fresh air, especially in terms of the students. Although I also loved those I had previously, APU students have been even more fearless in engaging with the ramifications of academic learning beyond academia. That is, they want to integrate their education with their lives, their passions, their callings. They exude a special urgency to answer the question, ‘How does this matter toward following Jesus in my non-classroom life?’ This is a question of paramount importance, and one to which I love helping them discover the answers.”

 

A favorite memory of Cheney’s stands out after a particularly electric class in which they looked at cinema as a potential source of light and truth. He received an email from a student brimming with excitement. She said the class had allowed her to make connections between Scripture and cinema in brand new ways - ways that were complex

but beautiful. She admitted that her brain hurt while thinking these new thoughts, but she said these thoughts made her see how big God is and put her in awe of him. Knowing of this student's dedication to becoming a filmmaker gave Cheney great hope for how she would continue to seek God in her career.

 

Cheney says he is passionate about his field because the first thing we learn about God in the first chapter of Genesis is that he is the Creator of the world and Author of the world's story. “Cinema in many ways is our attempt at creating worlds and telling

stories about those worlds. It's an art form that invites a remarkably diverse variety of storytellers and visionaries. Its appeal is broad and its reach is vast. Therefore, we need to understand it better by knowing its history, decoding its messages, parsing its techniques, and evaluating its effects.”

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