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Curriculum Vitae •

Curriculum vitae
(last updated 8/6)

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Neil Cohn
neilcohn@emaki.net
www.emaki.net

Department of Psychology
Tufts University
The Psychology Building
490 Boston Ave.
Medford, MA 02155

Research Interests:
Visual language, multimodality, syntax and grammar, cognitive/conceptual semantics, event structure, Peircean semiotics, linguistic relativity, application of visual language in education

Education:
Grad Student. Tufts University. Psychology Department. (Advisors: Ray Jackendoff, Gina Kuperberg, Phil Holcomb)
M.A. 2005. University of Chicago. Social Sciences (multidisciplinary)
B.A. with Honors. 2002. University of California, Berkeley. Asian Studies: Japan and Buddhism
  • Spring 2001. Tsuru Bunka Daigaku (Tsuru University). Tsuru, Japan. (Exchange Student)

Research and Consulting:
CAST, Universal Design for Learning. 2005
  • National Advisory Board Member for "Composition Initiative."
  • Created graphic works on photosynthesis for "Multimedia" project.
Research assistant for Christopher Johnson, Summer 2005.
  • Searched child language data for grammatical constructions.

Publications:

Books:
Meditations: 1999-2002. BookSurge Publishing. 2006.
We the People: A Call to Take Back America. with Thom Hartmann (author). Oregon: Coreway Media. 2004. (Illustrator)
Early Writings on Visual Language. Carlsbad CA: Emaki Productions. 2003.
Elementary Japanese: Volume One. by Yoko Hasegawa. Rutland, VT: Tuttle Publishing. 2005 (Illustrator and graphics consultant).

Essays/articles:

"A Visual Lexicon." Public Journal of Semiotics. Vol. 1 (1). January 2007.
"Un-Defining 'Comics.'" International Journal of Comic Art, Vol. 7 (2). October 2005.
Periodic columnist for www.comixpedia.com:
  "Comic Theory 101: Loopy framing." March 2007.
 
"Comic Theory 101: Visual Poetry." November 2006.
 
"Comic Theory 101: Seeing Rhymes." June 2006.
 "Comic Theory 101: Too Many Twos." March 2006.
 "Comic Theory 101: Passing Judgment." January 2006.
  "Comic Theory 101: In place of another." October 2005.
  "Reframing 'Comics.'" July 2005.
  "Interactive Comics?" February 2005.
  • "Fight the Comic Aristocracy." Part 1. Part 2. October 2004.
  "Art versus Language." July 2004.
  "Comics’ Identity Crisis." April 2004.
  "Dissolving Comics’ Boundaries." January 2004.
"Methods of the Enlightened." Aya-Com-Text, Vol. 1. Tsuru-shi, Japan. March 2004. Pp. i-vii.
"A Time Frame of Mind." Berkeley Undergraduate Journal, No. 31. Berkeley, CA. Spring 2003. Pp. 1-34 (Chosen “Best Essay”)
"Visual Language: Beyond Definitions." The Comics Journal #249. Seattle, WA: Fantagraphics. December 2002. (Letter to the editor)

Speaking and Teaching:

Invited Speaking:
"Visual Language: What 'Comics' Can Tell Us about the Mind." VizThink 08.San Francisco, CA. January 26-29, 2008 (Facilitator)
"Foundations for a Natural Visual Language Grammar." Visual and Iconic Languages Conference. University of New Mexico. August 2, 2007 (Keynote)
"The Visual Language of Comics." CAST Inc. Wakefield, MA. March 14, 2007
"Visual Language." Center for Cartoon Studies. White River Junction, VT. October 26, 2006
"Visual Language." Museum of Contemporary Art. Los Angeles, CA. September 5, 2004
Art 98: "The Craft of Comics." UC Berkeley. (Guest lecturer)
  • Spring 2003
  • Spring 2002
  • Fall 2002

Conferences:
"The Grammar of 'Comics.'" PCA/ACA National Conference. Boston, MA. April 5, 2007 ("Theories on Comics" Panel chair)
  • Winner of the M. Thomas Inge Award for Comics Scholarship
"Towards a Visual Language Grammar." 5th Symposium on Iconicity in Language and Literature. Krakov, Poland. March 17-19, 2005
"Bimodality of Language." Scottish Word and Image Group. University of Dundee. Dundee, Scotland. May 8, 2004
Frequent speaker at the Comic Arts Conference. San Diego, CA:
  • "Navigating Comics." July 27, 2007
 
• "Comics and Education." July 26, 2007
  • "The Secret of Sequence." July 21, 2006
 
• "The Visual Language of Comics." July 15, 2005
  • "A Force of Change." July 14, 2005
  • "The Union of Text and Image." July 24, 2004
  • "Defining Comics, Again!?" Group panel. July 22, 2004
  • "Beyond Panel Transitions: A New Look at Sequentiality." July 18, 2003
  • "Introduction to Visual Language." August 1, 2002

Teaching:
Graduate Institute for Teachers. Tufts University. Summer 2007.
Syntactic Theory
(Phil 112/Psyc 151). Spring 2007. Tufts University (Teacher's Assistant, including class lecture)
Introduction to Linguistics (Phil 91). Fall 2006/Fall 2007. Tufts University (Teacher's Assistant, including class lectures)
"Comic Book Design" Class. Longfellow Arts Middle School: Extended Day Program. Berkeley, CA. Fall 2002-Spring 2003. (Instructor)


 

Other: Martial Arts Training
1993-Present. Soo Bahk Do, Moo Duk Kwan Federation. Third Dan (Black Belt), Kyo Sa candidate. Instructor: Sa Bom Nim Ted Mason, Oceanside, CA. (Experience as assistant instructor).
  2007-present: teaching at the Tufts Soo Bahk Do Club and training at Boston Classical Soo Bahk Do.
1999-2003. Tai Chi. Instructor: Master Jarl Forsman, Berkeley, CA. (Experience as assistant instructor); 2004-5 Tai Chi Tao Club at University of Chicago
  2008-present: teaching the Tufts Tai Chi mini-course
1999-2000. Aikido. Instructors: Kayla Feder Sensei, Berkeley, CA.; Tetsutaka Sugawara Sensei, Machida, Japan.
2001. Shorinji Kempo. Club at Tsuru University, Tsuru, Japan
2005-2006. Instructor at Rising Phoenix Martial Arts at Quads Gym. Chicago, IL.


Site contents © 2007 Neil Cohn. All inquiries can be sent to neilcohn@emaki.net.

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