Mark O'Hara is a Visiting Instructor at Miami University who teaches courses in sociology, educational psychology, disability studies, English, and composition. He received his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Miami University in 2014 with a dissertation on representations of mental illness in film. O'Hara has over 20 years of experience teaching English at the secondary level and has presented widely at academic conferences on topics related to disability studies, film, and education.

1. Mark O’Hara
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Mark O’Hara
Curriculum Vitae
2476 Columbus Drive West Cell: (513) 255-5585
Hamilton, Ohio 45013 Home: (513) 894-4705
oharam@miamioh.edu
EDUCATION
Ph.D. Educational Leadership. Miami University, Oxford, OH
December, 2014. Dissertation: Foucault and film: Critical theories and representations of
mental illness
Chair: Dr. Dennis Carlson
M.Ed. Curriculum and Teacher Leadership. Miami University, Oxford, OH
December, 2009
M.A. English, Concentration in Creative Writing. Miami University, Oxford, OH
May, 1983
B.A. English Education. Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), Glassboro, NJ
June, 1981
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: UNIVERSITY LEVEL
Miami University: Visiting Instructor, 1995-2014.
Courses: Sociology/Educational Psychology/Disability Studies 378 Media Illusions of Disability
English 226 Introduction to Creative Writing: Short Fiction and Poetry
English 111 College Composition; English 112 College Composition and Literature
REFEREED CONFERENCE PRESENTATIONS
 “Disability and Neurodiversity: The Role of Film in Social Justice,” Southwest
Conference on Disability, Albuquerque, NM; October, 2014.
 “A General Picture of the Causes of Educational Inequality in Contemporary Classrooms
in the United States,” 13th
Graduate Student Conference on Leadership, Culture, and
Curriculum, Miami University, Oxford, OH; February, 2014.

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 “Walking Bad: Disability in Popular Television,” Southwest Popular and American
Culture Association, Albuquerque, NM; February, 2014. [Presented with co-author Karen
O’Hara.]
 “Foucault and Film: Teaching Critical Media Literacy and Disability Studies,” Mid-
Atlantic Popular and American Culture Association, Atlantic City, NJ; November, 2013.
 “Apps and Accessibility: Technology for Students on the Autism Spectrum,” poster
session for Southwest Conference on Disability, Albuquerque, NM; October, 2013.
[Presented with co-author Karen O’Hara.]
 “Communicating After a Stroke: Free and Low-Cost Ways to Use Tablets as Assistive
Technology,” Southwest Conference on Disability, Albuquerque, NM; October, 2013.
[Presented with co-author Karen O’Hara.]
 “The Snake Pit and Girl, Interrupted: Foucauldian Truth in Films 50 Years Apart,” 26th
Annual Society for Disability Studies Conference, Orlando, FL; June, 2013.
 “Apps and Accessibility: Educative Experiences for Students with Disabilities,”
Southwest/Texas Popular and American Culture Association, Albuquerque, NM;
February, 2013. [Presented with co-author Karen O’Hara.]
 “The Culture of Business: Behavioral Objectives in Real Classrooms,” Graduate
Research Forum, Miami University, Oxford, OH; November, 2012.
 “Foucault and the Soloist: Psychological Disabilities and Critical Media Literacy,” 25th
Annual Society for Disability Studies Conference, Denver, CO; June, 2012
 “Democratic Classrooms and the Theories Behind Them,” 12th
Annual Graduate Student
Conference, Miami University, Oxford, OH; February, 2012.
 “Exteriorization as Denial: How Foucault Would Greet Patch Adams,” Mid-Atlantic
Popular and American Culture Association, Philadelphia, PA; November, 2011.
 “Daydreaming Special Education,” 12th
Annual Curriculum and Pedagogy Conference,
Akron, OH; October, 2011.

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 “Assigning Deficit: Minority Students in Special Education,” Ohio Valley Philosophy of
Education Society annual meeting, Dayton, OH; September, 2011.
 “Using Foucault to Explore Shutter Island,” Society for the Study of Social Problems,
Las Vegas, NV; August, 2011.
 “Using Foucault to Deconstruct Ableism in Film,” Pop Praxis: Social Justice and the
Media Conference, University of Cincinnati; April, 2011.
 “Many Genres of Otherness: Perceptions of Mentally Ill Students,” 11th
Annual Graduate
Student Conference, Miami University, Oxford, OH; February, 2011.
PUBLICATIONS
“Fifty Years of Behavior Objectives: For Business or for Education?” in T. S. Poetter (Ed.),
Curriculum Windows: What Curriculum Theorists of the 1960s Can Teach Us About Schools
and Society Today. Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing, 2013.
The Composer's Dream (poetry chapbook), Coreopsis Books, 1995.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: GRADES 6-12
Stephen T. Badin High School, Hamilton, Ohio, 1999-Present
 English, Drama and Speech Teacher, grades 9-12
 Drama Director, 2000-Present
 Founder/Adviser to Clubs and Activities: Drama, Creative Writing, International
Thespian Society, Variety Show
 Organizer, Supervisor and Participant on several student retreats and field trips
 Member of several committees, including work on curriculum and North Central
Evaluation
Union County High School, Liberty, Indiana, 1986-1999
 English Teacher, grades 8-12
 English Department Chair, 1988-92
 Teacher Creativity Fellowship, Lilly Endowment Award, 1990
 Drama Director and Speech Team Adviser, 1986-88
 National Honor Society Adviser, 1988-95

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 Member of several committees, including Faculty Council, School Improvement
Plan, Philosophy and Objectives, Block Scheduling; designer of curriculum on Film
Literature, Speech, Creative Writing and several electives
Madison-Plains High and Middle Schools, London, Ohio, 1984-1986
 English Teacher, grades 6-12; Newspaper Adviser
 Summer School Instructor, Tolles Technical Center, Plain City, Ohio, 1985-86
RELATED EXPERIENCE
 Writer/Director of three one-act plays/musicals produced at Badin High School: “The
Father Badin Story,” “The Princess and the Idiot,” and “Light in the Park”
 Past nominee from Stephen T. Badin High School for Hamilton Teacher of the Year
 100+ movie review essays on movie-page.com and imdb.com; former member, Online
Film Critics Society
 Ohio Writing Project Summer Institute, Miami University, 1992, 2007
 OWP Advanced Courses, 1994-2002; OWP Advisory Board, 1996-2000
 Founder/ Instructor, Summer Workshop for Young Writers, Ohio Writing Project , 1997-
2000
 Coordinator, Oxford Children’s Writing Camp, 1993-96
 Regular Participant in grading sessions for EECAP and Portfolio Assessment at Miami
University, 1992-2003
 Room Supervisor for SAT and ACT testing
 Cooperating Teacher for seven student teachers from Miami University and one from
Northern Kentucky University
 In-service Presenter on Writing and Portfolios, Union County High School and Rushville
High School
 Member, Butler County (Ohio) Board of Mental Health, 2009-2011
 Presenter on Film, and Poetry Writing, Ohio Catholic Educators Association Conference,
Columbus, Ohio (October 2005) and Cincinnati, Ohio (October, 2007)
 100+ poems, short stories, and review essays in literary magazines, including Indiana
Review, Alaska Quarterly Review, The William and Mary Review, and CutBank