David Martínez is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Communication Arts at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His M.A. thesis, “The Routes of Rootlessness: Tracing Monstrous Romani Representation in Literature and Film,” explores how the historical displacement and persecution of Romani people have constructed the archetypal “gypsy” in Western culture. He is also developing a book on the history of “Django” Italian films.
Education
- 2024 – M.A. in Literature – University of Colorado-Boulder
- 2012 – B.A. in English – University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Classes Taught at UW-Madison
- CA 100 – Introduction to Speech Composition [TA]
Classes Taught at CU-Boulder
- HIST 1113 – Introduction to British History to 1660 [TA]
- ENGL 2026 – Popular Culture and Critical Reading [TA]
- ENGL 3310 – The Bible as Literature [TA] [cross-listed as Humanities/Jewish Studies]
Research Positions at CU-Boulder
- 2023 – Research Assistant [RA] – Dr. Thora Brylowe – Department of English
Guest Lectures at CU-Boulder
- “Introduction to Semiotic Film Theory in Marvel’s Werewolf by Night!”
- “Replacing God: Jealousy, Seduction, and Pride in Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments“
- “Creating a Monster, Creating an Icon: Historical Context and Authorship in James Whale’s Frankenstein“
- “Death of the Author: An Introduction to Barthes and Foucault”
Conference Presentations
- 2025 – Horror Studies Now, “Models of Perception: the Gypsy Curse in Horror”
- 2024 – SCMS, “The Routes of Rootlessness: Tracing the Romani in Horror Film”
- 2024 – RAW, “Representations of Romani and the “Gypsy Curse” in Horror”
Honors/Awards
- 2025 – Peter Hutchings Award for Outstanding Contribution to Horror Studies [Honorable Mention] – Northumbria University Horror Studies Research Group
- 2024 – Community of Graduate Research Scholars (CGRS) Fellow
- 2023 – Frederick C. and Eleanor Ruth Hager Graduate Fellow