If you happen to see a man walking around campus with thick black-rimmed glasses and a stack of movies under his arm, chances are you just saw Professor Kyle Edwards. Edwards started at Oakland University in the fall of 2006 as an Assistant Professor of English.

Becoming the Director of cinema studies at Oakland University was not always Professor Edwards’ master plan. He graduated in 1997 with a degree in English from Vanderbilt University, then took a few years off from schooling to work as an editor at a market research company in California. 

While he was attending graduate school at the University of Texas-Austin, Edwards discovered his passion for cinema. In 2006, he graduated and launched his career at OU. 

His enthusiasm for the subject can be contagious for some of his students. 

“Professor Edwards is very knowledgeable about cinema,” junior Katie Hepfinger said. “He actively writes about it and he’s very into what he teaches.” 

“It’s refreshing to have someone so passionate about their subject. His classes are never overwhelming and I’ve always walked away with new perspectives on film and technique.”

In the fall of 2009, Professor Edwards launched a cinema studies major at OU.

Edwards said that in the program’s maiden year, there were 20 confirmed majors. This fall, the number of students majoring in cinema studies has grown to 57, far surpassing its targeted number of 20.

Aside from his obvious passion for cinema, Edwards has developed a habit of collecting novelizations and movie advertisements. His students have picked up on this and started to bring their own movie ads into class.

 The overflowing bookshelves that dominate the walls in his office are evidence of his fervor for the topic. Edwards said he likes to try and find a correlation between the product being advertised and the film. He also uses these examples as a learning tool in his lectures.

This semester, Edwards is teaching CIN 322, a course centered around the career and impact of actress Barbara Stanwyck, and CIN 252, a writing intensive course uncovering the methods of film.

Professor Edwards said he enjoys cinema studies classes because it’s gratifying “teaching classes where everyone is very passionate about film.”