Cynthia D. Porter received her B.A. in German Studies from Denison University (2010), a Master’s in German Studies (2013) and a subsequent Master’s in Popular Culture (2015) from Bowling Green State University, and completed a joint Ph.D. in German and Comparative Media from Vanderbilt University in 2022. Her research falls under the categories of Body Studies, Comparative Media Studies (focused on the depiction of the body in German canonized literature and contemporary film), Black German Studies, the body-mind connection in relation to body modification, and depictions of German history and heritage in Hollywood blockbuster films. Her book manuscript, titled Tattoos in 20th Century German Culture: A Media History, examines the history of tattooing in the wake of moments of perceived cultural rupture and transition in German twentieth- and twenty-first century history. She views tattooing as a practice with socially defined transformative power related to body politics. Her book explores themes of sexuality, fantasy, eugenics, and identity curation, folding them into an analysis of the body as a surface used to determine meaning- and value assignment. 

Cynthia's recent publications include a conversation on the significance of cross-racial collaboration in academic pursuits with Amy Lynne Hill, titled “The Necessary Vulnerability of Cross-Racial Collaboration: A Conversation,“ published in Feminist German Studies. Other publications credited to Cynthia include “Genetics in the X-Men Film Franchise: Mutants as Allegories of Difference,” in the journal Frontiers in Genetics, a solo article “Germans and Genes on Screen: Marvel’s X-Men Films,” and an edited volume chapter entitled ”The Promise of Agency: Photographs and Value in Tattoo (2002)“ in Moving Frames: Photographs in German Media. Her inaugural article was published in 2020, entitled ”Lang’s Fury Continues to Resonate in the #BlackLivesMatter Movement.” 

Some of Cynthia's favorite course offerings include “Afro-German History & Culture,” “Body Modification in German History,” and “Women in German Media.” In addition to her advanced German courses, she greatly enjoys teaching introductory courses to the German language.