EpisodeArab Defamation in Film
Author and media critic Jack Shaheen has watched over 1,000 films from the last century to see how Middle Eastern characters fare. Not so well. More often than not, the …
EpisodeNo Argument Here: Reviving Debate at Historically Black Colleges
James Farmer was the leader of the 1961 Freedom Rides that desegregated transportation in the South. His skilled oratory was shaped in part as a member of the legendary 1935 …
EpisodeReplay: To Kill A Mockingbird
Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, presents the Jim Crow south through the eyes of a young girl. Mary Badham, the actress who portrayed “Scout” in the film, …
EpisodeCinematography: Grace Behind the Lens
Rob Tregenza (Virginia Commonwealth University) is a cinematographer who has written, directed, and photographed award-winning films and television commercials. He’s also the founder and director of the Tampa International Film …
EpisodeNo Longer in Black and White
Arthur Knight (William and Mary) has made a career of studying African-American film, from biographies of its stars to the viewing patterns of its audiences. In the new Obama era, …
EpisodeObama to Muslims: “I’m listening”
Between his words to Muslims in his inauguration address and granting his first television interview as president to an Arab language network, President Obama is clearly signaling a new approach …
EpisodeReplay: “So… Beowulf?”
Beowulf, the most famous epic poem written in Old English, seems to be undergoing a revival. The recent movie featuring Angelina Jolie is just the tip of the iceberg. There …
EpisodeThe Horror of It All
Why do people get so much pleasure from movies that frighten them out of their wits? Stephen Prince (Virginia Tech) says horror films allow us to explore the anxieties of …
EpisodeAutism in Contemporary Film, Literature – and Life
One in every 150 American-born children is diagnosed with an autism-spectrum disorder. Christofer Foss (University of Mary Washington) has examined how autism is portrayed in contemporary literature and film and …
EpisodeCall Me Mister
If you look at the most popular films of the last eighty years, you can see a changing image of the American male. Ashton Trice (James Madison University) says men were …
EpisodeThe Dark Side of Teen Popularity
“Losers shop at Target.” That’s one of the messages coming through in ‘Gossip Girls,’ a popular teen book and TV series. Naomi Johnson (Longwood University) says these books are filled …
EpisodeTo Kill A Mockingbird
The National Endowment for the Arts is encouraging all of us to read or re-read Harper Lee’s 1960 novel, that presents the Jim Crow south through the eyes of a …
