Specialization:
Game studies, environmental criticism, histories and theories of new media and documentary film, science and technology studies, sound studies
Education:
- Ph.D. Rhetoric, UC Berkeley
- M.A. Rhetoric, UC Berkeley
- M.A. English Language and Literature, University of Maryland
- B.A. College Scholar in Biology, English, and Film, Cornell University
Bio:
Alenda Y. Chang is an Associate Professor in Film and Media Studies at UC Santa Barbara. With a multidisciplinary background in biology, literature, and film, she specializes in merging ecocritical theory with the analysis of contemporary media. Her writing has been featured in Ant Spider Bee, Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, Qui Parle, the Journal of Gaming & Virtual Worlds, and Ecozon@, and her first book Playing Nature: Ecology in Video Games (forthcoming University of Minnesota Press), develops ecological frameworks for understanding and designing digital games.
Along with Film and Media Studies professor Laila Shereen Sakr, Chang is also the co-founder of the digital media studio Wireframe (Music 1410). Wireframe was established to support collaborative and cutting-edge research and teaching in new media, with an emphasis on global human rights, social justice, and environmental concerns. Located adjacent to the Digital Arts and Humanities Commons, the studio provides a space for production and critical engagement across media including games, data visualization, installation art, virtual/augmented reality, projection mapping, performance and installation, livestreaming, 3D modeling, mobile apps, and social media.