UConn PopCast

UConn PopCast

episodes

Analysis of popular culture and how it shapes society, with an emphasis on film and television. Features in-depth discussion, interviews with prominent scholars, and recordings of live shows. Hosted by Stephen Dyson, the associate director of the University of Connecticut Humanities Institute, and a professor of political science, and Jeffrey R. Dudas, professor of political science and affiliate faculty of American Studies at the University of Connecticut.

Adapting Liu Cixin’s "Three-Body Problem" for Television

April 2, 2024

Adapting Liu Cixin’s "Three-Body Problem" for Television

Hosted by UConn PopCast

It’s the UConn Popcast, and today we discuss Netflix’s new screen adaptation of Chinese science fiction author Liu Cixin’s Three Body trilogy. We disc…

Reading Taylor Swift as a Cultural and Political Text

March 11, 2024

Reading Taylor Swift as a Cultural and Political Text

Hosted by UConn PopCast

It’s the UConn Popcast, and Taylor Swift is by some measures the most popular person on the planet. Her periodic reinventions set the mass cultural te…

Prophet Song: A Novel about a Totalitarian Takeover in Ireland

January 23, 2024

Prophet Song

Paul Lynch
Hosted by UConn PopCast

It’s the UConn Popcast, and today we discuss Prophet Song (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2023), Paul Lynch’s Booker Prize winning novel about a totalitarian…

This is the Best Statement of the Simulation Hypothesis We've Seen

December 8, 2023

This is the Best Statement of the Simulation Hypothesis We've Seen

Hosted by UConn PopCast

It’s the UConn PopCast, and in this episode we discuss Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1973 movie World on a Wire, shown on West German television over two…

'For All Mankind,’ An Alternate History About the Possibility of Utopia

November 15, 2023

'For All Mankind'

Hosted by UConn PopCast

It’s the UConn PopCast, and in this episode we tackle ‘For All Mankind,’ Apple TV’s alternate history about a space race that never ended. We first re…

Can You Fall in Love with ChatGPT?

November 10, 2023

Can You Fall in Love with ChatGPT?

Hosted by UConn PopCast

The University of Connecticut Humanities Institute recently sponsored a panel discussion on the topic, “Can you fall in love with ChatGPT?” and we rec…

A Deep Dive into Olivia Rodrigo's "Guts"

November 9, 2023

A Deep Dive into Olivia Rodrigo's "Guts"

Olivia Rodrigo
Hosted by UConn PopCast
Listen:

Olivia Rodrigo's new album "Guts" offers a compelling perspective on early adult uncertainty, societal expectations of young women, and the craft of s…

What Reality TV Says About Us

November 8, 2023

What Reality TV Says About Us

Danielle J. Lindemann
Hosted by UConn PopCast

Reality TV shapes and reflects how we see ourselves, and what we regard as normal. Professor Danielle J. Lindemann watched thousands of hours of reali…

This Will Change Your Perspective on James Bond

November 7, 2023

This Will Change Your Perspective on James Bond

A Discussion with Susan Burgess
Hosted by UConn PopCast
Listen:

The Bond movies have influenced portrayals of masculinity and femininity for decades, but the Daniel Craig-era saw a revolution in depictions of sex, …