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 [email protected].
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 about his jour…
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…
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 turne…
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 publi…
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 enor…
In this episode of Aca-Media, David Lipson talks with Shawn Glinis and Arlin Golden, the creators of Wiseman Podcast, which is devoted entirely to discussing the films of--you guessed it—Frederick Wi…
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 au…
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 open…
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 o…
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 S…
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. The…
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 deman…
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 a…
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…
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 intersecti…
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 hear…
The ninth episode of “Presenting the Past” features Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, and Annette Miller, former Vice President of NewsHour Productions. The PBS NewsHour …
The eighth episode of “Presenting the Past” features John L. Hanson, Jr., producer and host since 1981 of the nationally syndicated radio and podcast interview series In Black America at KUT Radio in…