CUNY SPS Faculty Publishes Chapter in Anthology

Dr. Elizabeth Alsop, assistant professor and academic director of the communication and media program at CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS), has published a chapter in the book After Happily Ever After: Romantic Comedy in a Post-Romantic Age (Wayne State UP, 2021).

Edited by Maria San Filippo, the volume looks at the reinvention of the romantic comedy in the 21st century. Dr. Alsop’s chapter, "The Radical Middle: Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and the Subversive Potential of the TV Post-Romcom," focuses specifically on the way TV shows like Jane the Virgin and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend use their serial format to reshape the genre. 

“My chapter argues that television's serial structure allows it to transform the genre in new and surprising ways—for instance, by continually deferring the expected ‘happy ending,’” said Dr. Alsop. “If nothing else, I hope it might get more people interested in watching two excellent and highly enjoyable series, now both available to stream on Netflix!” 

Dr. Alsop’s contribution is one of fifteen chapters that collectively examine the resurgence of the ‘radical romantic comedy’ and, in different case studies, explore how recent rom-coms deal with divisive topical issues and contemporary sexual mores, new approaches in genre hybridity, and serial narrative. 

Taken as a whole, the volume makes a case for taking the romantic comedy seriously and employs critical perspectives drawn from feminist, queer, postcolonial, and race studies to critique the genre’s homogeneity and social and sexual conservatism and recognize innovative works inclusive of LGBTQ people, people of color, and the differently aged and abled.

In addition to this chapter, Dr. Alsop is planning some future publications in the field of feminist media studies. Among her upcoming projects, she is writing a book on the films of Elaine May for the University of Illinois Press’s Contemporary Film Director series. Dr. Alsop is also currently working on a chapter for another volume about the films of Susan Seidelman, as part of Edinburgh University Press's ReFocus series.

A discussion of the book After Happily Ever After, including specific mention of Dr. Alsop’s work, is featured in this segment on the Australian radio program The Screen Show.

About the CUNY School of Professional Studies

For over 15 years, the CUNY School of Professional Studies (CUNY SPS) has been leading online education in New York. Notable for offering the most online bachelor’s and master’s degree options at the City University of New York, and for serving transfer students as the University system’s only undergraduate all-transfer college, CUNY SPS meets the needs of adults who wish to finish a bachelor’s degree, progress from an associate’s degree, earn a master’s degree or certificate in a specialized field, and advance in the workplace or change careers.

The School’s growth has been remarkable, with twenty-four degrees launched since 2006. Enrollment has risen by more than 30% in the last four years to over 4,000 students in the credit-bearing programs.  Thousands more are enrolled in non-degree and grant-funded workplace learning programs. In addition, the School has an active alumni network and has established the CUNY SPS Foundation, which offers multiple scholarship opportunities to current students.

CUNY SPS has consistently been named by U.S. News & World Report as one of the country’s top online institutions. This year, the School was ranked in the top 2% in the nation on the publisher’s list of the 2021 Best Online Bachelor’s Degree Programs.

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