
Kathryn Cramer Brownell
Associate Professor
// History
Faculty
Affiliated Faculty // SIS // American Studies
Office and Contact
Room: UNIV 022
Office hours: By appointment
Email: brownell@purdue.edu
Phone: (765) 496-2478
Fax: (765) 496-1755
Courses
HIST 302: U.S. Media, Politics, and Popular Culture
HIST 468: Recent American History
HIST 485: The American Presidency
Dr. Brownell received her B.A. from the University of Michigan and her Ph.D. from Boston University. Her research and teaching focus on the relationships between media, politics, and popular culture, with an emphasis on the American presidency
Specialization
U.S. History; 20th Century U.S. Political History, the American Presidency, and the Media
Her first book, Showbiz Politics: Hollywood in American Political Life, (University of North Carolina Press, 2014) explores the institutionalization of Hollywood in American politics. This book traces the key personal relationships, institutions, and government policies that established the foundation for a celebrity political culture and made entertainment a central feature of American politics.
http://www.uncpress.unc.edu/browse/book_detail?title_id=3561)
She is currently working on a political history of cable television from the Nixon administration through the Clinton years.
She also serves as an editor for the Made By History column at the Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/made-by-history/
To learn more about her research and teaching initiatives and to read her recent op-eds, visit www.kathryncramerbrownell.com and follow her on Twitter, @Kathryn.Brownell