Michael Vocino

Michael Vocino (born April 15, 1946 in Boston, Massachusetts) is a professor at the University of Rhode Island where he was a former Director of Libraries, Interim Dean of Libraries and currently serves as Collection Management Officer. Vocino also held a joint appointment in the political science department and since 1999 holds a joint appointment in the film/media program where he teaches courses in film history and film media. He did undergraduate work at Boston University where he took courses with Howard Zinn. He did his graduate work at the University of Rhode Island and the Universiteit van Amsterdam. He has authored monographs on public ethics, labor relations serials, and local history as well as several book chapters and many scholarly articles on public ethics, labor relations serials, and cultural/film studies. He continues to run a blog covering Rhode Island politics, media, and gay rights.

He was elected to the national honor society of Phi Kappa Phi in graduate school for academic excellence and was a founding member of Teachers for a Democratic Society. He is a member of the national American Association of University Professors and is active in the local AAUP Chapter where he is a member of the grievance committee and its Chair.

Vocino’s research interests continue to be information ethics, public ethics, minority rights and the intersection of ethics and minority rights with film history/narrative and film theory. Vocino is the University bibliographer for political science, African American studies, gay studies, film/media, and military science for the University of Rhode Island. Vocino claims to be on the political left and is a passionate supporter of the labor movement and worker rights.

He lives in Kingston, Rhode Island and on the Mezzogiorno's Gargano Peninsula during the summer months.