MARISSA HICKS-ALCARAZ253 N Irving Blvd · Los Angeles, CA 90004 · (415) 518-6560 · marissa.hicks-alcaraz@cgu.edu

Education Claremont Graduate UniversityPh.D. in Cultural Studies Present Emphasis in Latin American and Latin@ cinema Claremont, CA

New York University May, 2015Master of Arts in Cinema Studies New York, NYEmphasis in Latin American and Latin@ cinema

University of California, Los Angeles May, 2013Bachelor of Arts in Middle Eastern and North African Studies Los Angeles, CAEmphasis in Visual Studies and Performance

Peer Reviewed Publications “The Muslims Are Coming! and The Axis of Evil: An Examination of Stereotype-based Jokes in American Muslim Stand-up Comedy.” Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Journal, (2013): 81-85. Print.

Other Publications “Noujaim's The Square: An exceptionally crafted documentary on the Egyptian uprising.” GalaTView, January 2014. Web.

“Bringing the Tiger Home: Interview with Director Lena Khan.” Al-Talib Student Magazine, June 2013. Print.

“Bassem Youssef: A Revolutionary Satirist.” Al-Talib Student Magazine, June 2013. Print and Web.

“The Use of Humor and Satire in Little Mosque on the Prairie.” Al-Talib Student Magazine, December 2012. Print.

Selected Conference Presentations “That Boy's Got the Devil in Him': Robert Rodriguez and the Birth of Mex-Am Horror,” Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference, March 22-25, 2016

“Hybridity in the Horror Films of Robert Rodriguez,” SSRC-Mellon Mays Summer Conference, June 17-19, 2015

“Chicana/o Horror and Cultural Hybridity: Robert Rodriguez's From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) and Planet Terror (2007),” Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association National Conference, April 1-4, 2015

“Breaking Down Barriers One Laugh at a Time: An Examination of Political Satire in Muslim American Ethnic Comedy.” Chicago Research Symposium, University of Chicago, August 9, 2012

Film Curating Guest Curator, “¡Que Horror!,” Watsonville Film Festival, 2016 (forthcoming)

Curator, “Iranian Vampires, College Town Satanic Cults, and Babylonian Demons: A Middle Eastern American Horror Film Series,” The Markaz Cultural Center, 2015

Curator of Guest Filmmaker Program and Symposium co-organizer, “Encrucijadas/Encruzilhadas Symposium 2015: Corpos/Corpus/Corpses DIALOGUES FOR LATIN AMERICAN CINEMAS,” Fordham University and New York University, 2015

Co-curator,” Orphans at MoMA: A Cinema League of Nations,” New York Museum of Modern Art, 201 4

Curator, “Social Criticism and Cannibalism in Jorge Michel Grau's Somos lo que hay (We Are What We Are),” New York University, 2014

Film Industry Experience Latin American Cinemateca of Los Angeles, Program's Assistant 10/15 – present Collaborating with Program's Manager to research, identify, organize and promote screenings Write and disseminate press releases Maintain media list for program announcements Coordinate print traffic with film distributors Development and maintenance of new website

The Markaz Cultural Center, Film Curating Intern 8/15 – 11/15 Collaborated with Director to organize the Center's film program, involving: identifying films to screen and acquiring screening rights, organizing panel discussions, preparing budgets, writing press releases and promotion, introducing films, and any other event planning duties as needed

Watsonville Film Festival, Programmer and Organizing Committee Member 1/15 – 3/15 Collaborated with other Programming Committee members to select films for the 4th Annual WFF Promoted WFF by creating event invitations and “email blasts” to local community leaders; educators; and organizations, helping contribute to the Festival's highest turn-out to date

Higher Education and Research Experience UCLA Aleph Undergraduate Research Journal, Junior Editor 2/12 – 5/13 Collaborated with other junior and senior editors weekly to discuss and select undergraduate research papers

to appear in Aleph's online and printed journal Edited accepted papers and provided suggestions for improvement

UCLA Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship, Fellow and Mentor 11/12 – 5/13 Conducted an independent research project, presented in several conferences, and published in the

Mellon Mays Undergraduate Research Journal Mentored MMUF's 5th cohort by meeting with students frequently to discuss their research projects, review

their progress within the program, and any other aspects relevant to their success within and beyond the program – many of whom are now graduate students at top research universities

Participated in the Mellon Mays Summer Research Program at the University of Chicago, where I took courses on critical theory and worked on an independent research project which I presented at the University of Chicago's Mellon Mays Undergraduate Summer Research Symposium

Skyline Community College Honors Transfer Program, Representative 11/11 – 6/12 Met with Skyline Community College HTP students to provide guidance on transition from community

college to UCLA Answered individual student questions related to successfully transferring to UCLA

Awards and Honors Claremont Graduate University Fellowship 2016 Merit based fellowship award reserved for incoming doctoral studentsTisch School of the Arts Travel Grant Award 2015 Awarded to support students presenting an original research paper in an academic conference Tisch School of the Arts Scholarship Award 2014 Merit based scholarship reserved for the top 10% of second year studentsTisch School of the Arts Scholarship Award 2013 Merit based scholarship reserved for the top 30% of incoming studentsMellon Mays Undergraduate Research Fellowship Award 2011 Awarded to outstanding students who intend to pursue a PhD and a career in academia

Tau Sigma Honors Society 2011 Recognizes outstanding scholastic achievement among university students Membership into the Society is by invitation only to the top 15% of university students

Languages Fluent SpanishIntermediate Conversational Arabic

Affiliations NYU Alumni AssociationUCLA Alumni Association Popular Culture Association, MemberSociety for Cinema and Media Studies, Member Watsonville Film Festival, Committee Member