The Rise and Fall of “True Crime” Radio Dramas
Depictions of poor, non-white victims and informants led working-class and rural listeners to turn against the genre.
Roger Ebert vs. Video Games
The film critic’s unconsidered observation about Doom touched off a firestorm that continues to burn for gamers and digital media critics.
Bugs Bunny Scholarship Is a Wascally Wesearch Wabbit Hole
In this edition of Research Rabbit Hole, we dig up scholarship about what one academic calls "the signifying rabbit."
The Scholars Charting Black Music’s Timeline: Earl Stewart and Michael Veal
Earl Stewart and Michael Veal explore African American music from the Civil War and the evolving sounds of the Black Atlantic.
History, Cosplay, and Comic-Con
Donning costumes in imitation and celebration of fictional characters has a long history that crosses genres, genders, and international boundaries.
Don’t Dress Your Whale in Galoshes
Free to Be... You and Me was meant to help rear a generation free of sexist stereotypes. Fifty years on, some of its well-intentioned messages are worn around the edges.
Challenging Race and Gender Roles, One Photo at a Time
Florestine Perrault Collins escaped the bounds of prescribed gender roles and racial segregation to run a successful photography studio in 1920s New Orleans.
Can Fan Hashtag Campaigns Stop the “Bury Your Gays” Trope?
Organized fan hashtag campaigns put pressure on the entertainment industry to improve their writing for and treatment of LGBTQ+ characters.
The Living Dead Embody Our Worst Fears
Zombie movies are scary fun, but they also help us examine our anxieties about contagious disease and unstoppable chaos.
Film and TV Ratings in the Streaming Age
We've got Netflix, AppleTV, YouTube, and Prime literally in the palms of our hands. Do conventional movie and television rating systems matter to us?