Andrew McKernan graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a double major in Russian and linguistics. He is in Moscow for the 2009-2010 academic year through a Fulbright Student grant, and is associated with the Moscow Architectural Institute. The topic of his research is interpretations of Neoclassical architecture built under Stalin, examining official and unpublished discourse of the architects themselves, and the sociocultural effect the buildings had on the Soviet Union.
"The New Superman: American TV Detectives" explores representations of criminal investigators with superhuman capabilities in contemporary American television programming. Despite the advances made in "real life" criminal education, including advances in forensic science and investigation methodologies, TV programming depicts a world in which "average" humans cannot uphold justice and must rely upon the aid of these superheroes. The lecture will be intriguing to many, including those desiring to know more about perceptions of criminal law education in America, popular television programming, and the cultural heritage of superhero detectives who have evolved out of the Sherlock Holmes Tradition.