He attended the University of Southern California, earning a PhD degree in English literature in 1967.

[2] Concurrently, he was encouraged by two film professors (Arthur Knight and Richard Dyer MacCann) to attend without credit film history and other courses in the USC School of Cinema (now the School of Cinematic Arts), an experience that was to influence his further academic career significantly.

In 1967, he joined the faculty of Richmond College, CUNY, where initially he taught courses both in English literature and film studies, eventually specializing exclusively in the latter.

In 1994, he resumed his teaching career as Professor of Film Studies at Hunter College, CUNY, and retired in 2001.

Barsam's partner of thirty-nine years was the art historian Edgar Munhall.