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PODCAST

Aca-Media

The Society for Cinema and Media Studies

Aca-Media is a monthly podcast sponsored by the Society for Cinema and Media Studies that presents an academic perspective on media. Hosts Christine Becker and Michael Kackman explore current scholarship, issues in the media industries, questions in pedagogy, professional development, and events in the world of media studies. Questions and comments can be sent to info@aca-media.org.

tv & film higher education

All Episodes

48:02

Ep. 81: Mike Miley & David Lynch’s American Dreamscape

Aca-Media ·

2025/08/11

Lift yourself out of the dregs of summer and everything else with this chat Mike Miley, author of the new book David Lynch's American Dreamscape. Miley shares his first encounter with Lynch’s Dune – as a 5-year-old! -- and his insights into the intertextuality of Lynch’s work, particularly Inland Empire. He also talks about being a high school teacher publishing academic books. Chris and Michael wrap up with brief reflections on the impact of AI on academia and an upcoming symposium on critical

en-US

51-31

Ep. 80: Jordan Sjol Interviews José Rivera

Aca-Media ·

2025/05/09

We have a special treat for listeners in this episode as DePauw University’s Jordan Sjol sits down with acclaimed playwright, screenwriter, and TV writer José Rivera for a conversation abouthis journey from playwriting to Hollywood, writing across different media, adapting literary classics, and balancing artistic integrity with commercial demands.

en-US

47:36

Ep. 79: SCMS25 Live Episode (with Kristina Brüning,...

Aca-Media ·

2025/04/16

If you missed it – and let’s be honest, most everyone did – you can catch up with the episode we recorded live on the eve of the SCMS 2025 conference in Chicago. Hear about the labor of the Graduate Student Organization from Kristina Brüning, the power of finding joy in play from Matt Payne, and the importance of building local community from AJ Christian. (With usual apologies that the sound isn’t great.)

en-US

38:22

Ep. 78: Swapnil Rai on Bollywood Stars and Podcast...

Aca-Media ·

2025/02/10

Chris chats with Swapnil Rai about her book on how Bollywood stars transformed Hindi cinema into a global phenomenon, as well as how she uses podcasting activities in her classroom. And if you’ve got ideas for how students can study media by making media, you’re invited to submit a proposal for a symposium at Notre Dame on that very topic.

en-US

57:56

Ep. 77: Journalists at the 2024 Olympics/Paralympics

Aca-Media ·

2024/11/14

Aca-Media producer David Lipson was in Paris for the 2024 Olympics/Paralympics, so we sent him out into the field. He captured some sounds of the city and the people flocking to arenas and also turned modern journalism’s most essential tool – a smartphone – toward journalists themselves, uncovering the challenges, and a few joys, that unite media professionals across the globe today.

en-US

40:41

Ep. 76: Maggie Hennefeld on the Cultural Politics of...

Aca-Media ·

2024/09/23

Stephanie Brown delves into the dangerous world of women laughing in this conversation with Maggie Hennefeld about her new book Death By Laughter: Female Hysteria and Early Cinema. Covering everything from 19th-century obituaries blaming giggle fits (rather than girdle fits) for women’s deaths to the modern-day political power of a vice presidential cackle, we’re certain this episode will entertain you … just short of killing you.

en-US

46:53

Ep. 75: Academic Publishing Roundtable

Aca-Media ·

2024/08/07

We’ve reached that late post-spring time of year, as Michael judiciously puts it, and if you’re lucky and industrious enough to have finished writing something over summer and you’d like to get published, we’ve got just the roundtable for you! One side of the table features experienced editors and the other side has young scholars with questions, so the end result is an engaging and enlightening discussion about how academic publishing works these days.

en-US

51:22

Talking Television, Ep. 17: "OJ TV"

Aca-Media ·

2024/06/21

O.J. Simpson died on April 10, 2024. Along—and intertwined—with the impact that he had on formations of "law and order," celebrity and scandal, race and gender, class and nation, Simpson had an enormous impact on U.S. television. This episode of "Talking Television" considers that impact, as TV scholars Hunter Hargraves, Lynne Joyrich, Brandy Monk-Payton, andSamanthaSheppardtalk about the televisual construct of "O.J. Simpson" and about media and culture in the wake of "OJ TV."

en-US

1:08:56

Ep. 74: Wiseman Podcast

Aca-Media ·

2024/06/12

In this episode of Aca-Media, David Lipson talks with Shawn Glinis and Arlin Golden, the creators ofWiseman Podcast, which is devoted entirely to discussing the films of--you guessed it—Frederick Wiseman. Shawn and Arlin explain how the podcast is produced and why they feel Wiseman should be mentioned in the same breath as Kubrick, Coppola, and Scorsese. Also, Chris and Michael banter about an exciting result of a past episode.

en-US

48:31

Ep. 73: Thinking With Our Ears: Jacob Smith on Audio...

Aca-Media ·

2024/04/08

Bust out your fancy headphones for this episode, folks. In one our best episodes ever from an audiophilic perspective, Jonathan Nichols-Pethick talks with Jacob Smith about his recent experimental audiobooks, ESC: Sonic Adventure in the Anthropocene and Lightning Birds: An Aeroecology of the Airwaves, both of which are available as open access files on the University of Michigan Press website. Then Chris and Michael chat about the gratification of SCMS volunteering, wish you a happy eclipse, and

en-US

Ep. 72: Live in Boston at SCMS 2024

Aca-Media ·

2024/03/15

Recorded live on the scene! (so please forgive any less-than-ideal audio quality) Convening at the 2024 SCMS conference in Boston and gathering “after dark” on the conference eve (i.e. after the opening reception and its free bar, which might have made us all a little giddy), Chris and Michael chat with longtime Conference Manager Leslie LeMond and new president Vicky Johnson about what goes into choosing a conference city and what the future may hold, as well as some of the unique challenges the

en-US

34:27

Episode 71: Justin Rawlins on Method Acting (February...

Aca-Media ·

2024/01/27

Stephanie Brown chats with Justin Rawlins about his new book on method acting (Imagining the Method: Reception, Identity, and American Screen Performance) and the discourse the method has generated over the years. Meanwhile, Michael tries to channel his inner authentic podcaster and nearly goes full-Leto.

en-US

54:25

Episode 70: Jordan Sjol on Medium Specificity

Aca-Media ·

2024/01/04

A conversation between Jonathan Nichols-Pethick and Jordan Sjol about Sjol’s JCMS article, “A Diachronic, Scale-Flexible, Relational, Perspectival Operation: In Defense of (Always-Reforming) Medium Specificity” and the recent feature film that Sjol co-wrote, How to Blow Up a Pipeline.

en-US

00:38:56

Ep. 69: Reality TV and Unionization Efforts

Aca-Media ·

2023/12/04

We continue on with our coverage of media industry labor, as Stephanie Brown talks with Andrea Ruehlicke about reality TV contestants fighting for fair rights and against exploitative conditions. Then Chris and Michael banter about a drag show and a symposium on drag performance bans held at Notre Dame last month.

en-US

01:02:47

Ep. 68: Talking to the Press about the Hollywood...

Aca-Media ·

2023/09/22

What is it like when your area of expertise is suddenly in the news? When the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes began, industry scholars Kate Fortmueller and Miranda Banks suddenly found themselves in demand, fielding dozens of interview requests from a range of news outlets. We talk with them about how they are talking about the strikes with the press and students. Then Chris and Michael banter about Michael’s recent appearance on the Nobody Listens to Paula Poundstone podcast.

en-US

00:24:44

Ep. 67: Reflections on the SCMS Conference (Past and...

Aca-Media ·

2023/08/01

Return with us to our live taping at the SCMS conference in Denver in April 2023 as we talk with outgoing SCMS president Priscilla Peña Ovalle about the past and future of the SCMS conference. What are the hopes and challenges of conferencing for the Society in the post-pandemic world?

en-US

00:47:19

Ep. 66: What's New and What's Not in Precarious Labor

Aca-Media ·

2023/04/06

We’re going to SCMS 2023 in Denver, Colorado! In our latest episode we talk about our plans for SCMS, where we’ll be doing a live episode (which is next week at the time of publishing!). We then chat with Finley Freibert of the SCMS Precarious Labor Organization to talk about how things have changed – and not changed – over the last few years. Finally, we bid farewell to our longtime producer, Bill Kirkpatrick, who has joined the Sociology department at the University of Winnipeg.

en-US

00:47:35

Ep. 65: The Politics of Improv Comedy

Aca-Media ·

2022/11/03

Our latest episode is a fascinating deep dive into the practice, politics, and promise of improv comedy. Diana De Pasquale leads you on a tour, talking with four different practitioners of improv on what improv means today, especially to marginalized people. For example, is the famous improv mantra of “Yes, and …” perhaps in need of revision?

en-US

00:50:08

Ep. 64: An Obsession with Hummus (Food Instagram)

Aca-Media ·

2022/08/11

In this episode of Aca-Media, we bring you the editors and several authors of the collection Food Instagram: Identity, Influence, and Negotiation. This fascinating discussion explores the intersections of food and media (as well as food studies and media studies), the changing landscape of social media, and the cultural politics of “food porn.” Featuring Emily J.H. Contois, Zenia Kish, KC Hysmith, Sarah Tracy, Tara Schuwerk, and Michael Newman.

en-US

00:30:23

Ep. 63: That's Not Funny! The Right-Wing Comedy Complex

Aca-Media ·

2022/05/25

In this episode we bring you a deep dive into the world of the right-wing comedy complex, from the hyper-visible Joe Rogan to the subterranean shows, circuits, and celebrities you may never have heard of, but whose success represents a crucial political development. Stephanie Brown talks with Matt Sienkiewicz and Nick Marx about their new book That’s Not Funny: How the Right Makes Comedy Work for Them.

en-US

102 results

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