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Category: "Movies and Media"

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Where Comedy Went to School

Joseph Dorinson, Brooklyn
Catskill comedy spelled relief, recovery, and reform. Comedians formed a line of defense against a hostile world, while providing merriment for the masses seeking relief from the melting pot.

Political Humor: A Look Back in Anger Mixed with Mirth

Joseph Dorinson, Brooklyn
Can Tina Fey impede the political ascent of Sarah Palin? Did H.L. Mencken destroy the reputation of Presidents Harding and Coolidge? How did comedians in America contribute to Nixon's resignation? For answers to these and other knotty questions, stay tuned.

Italian Americans and the Media: Cinema, Video, Television

Anthony Julian Tamburri, New York
How have popular media portrayed Italians? This lecture discusses the positive and negative images of Italian-American culture in cinema, television, and videos.

Rhetorics of Change in the 2008 Presidential Campaigns

Joshua Frye, Oneonta
Change or stability? These are recurrent political metaphors competing for our minds and hearts. This lecture examines rhetorics of change in the 2008 presidential campaigns.

Aristotle's E-Mail: Friendship in the Cyber Age

Timothy J. Madigan, Rochester
Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and other such programs allow us to be “friends” with hundreds, if not thousands of people. But just what makes a person a friend?

"The Golden Age" of Hollywood

Brian Rose, New York
What made the period between 1930-1948 one of the most imaginative and liveliest periods in American motion picture history? This illustrated lecture will look at the many reasons behind the Golden Age of Hollywood.

How the Internet Changed the Media: Why Newspapers, Music and Television Will Never be the Same

Brian Rose, New York
Why are "old-fashioned" media industries like newspapers, motion pictures, and the music record business in so much turmoil? Blame it on the internet and the rise of digital technologies.

The Golden Age of Television: What Made the 1950s So Special for American TV

Brian Rose, New York
Many viewers still look back at the period between 1948-1958 as a decade of unusual creativity and excitement in American television. What forces made these ten years so special? This illustrated lecture will examine why ABC, NBC, and CBS produced some of their greatest shows at the very start of the television era.

Frankenstein Lives! The Continuing Relevance of Mary Shelley’s Novel

Timothy J. Madigan, Rochester
Although written almost 200 years ago, Mary Shelley 's "Frankenstein" remains relevant today. The story of a man obsessed with creating artificial life, it eerily echoes today’s discussions on fetal tissue research, life-extension, robots, and human cloning.

All Things Herriot: James Herriot and His Peaceable Kingdom

Sanford Sternlicht, Syracuse
In the Great Depression how could a poor, newly graduated, veterinarian from Scotland, who had taken a job caring for farm animals in Yorkshire, England, become a household name as a world class storyteller?

Objects and Memory

Jonathan Fein, Cortlandt Manor
What are the things in our homes and museums that mean the most to us? How do we preserve the past and speak to the future?

Franz Kafka and Movies

Maria Luise Caputo-Mayr, New York
A short introduction into Kafka's life and his fascination with contemporary cinema in Prague, and the often "theatrical" character of his prose and novels. Will be followed by a presentation of the influence of his works on filmmakers. Clips of cinematic renditions available.

You Say You Want A Revolution: John Lennon, The Beatles, and the Politics of the 1960's and 1970's

Terry Hamblin, Delhi
This lecture and multimedia presentation highlights the music of the Beatles and John Lennon and the impact it had on the political, cultural and social changes of the 1960's and 1970's.

Selling America: The 'Voice of America' and U.S. Radio

Terry Hamblin, Delhi
This multimedia presentation examines the United States' use of radio propaganda in Western Europe during the Cold War. Through the use of audiotapes and visual images, we will examine how the United States sought to "sell America", combat Communism and project its ideals and policies to foreign audiences.

Alluring Androids and Robots in Film, Photography and Art

Julie Wosk, Throggs Neck
The Stepford Wives, Lara Croft, and the advent of ultra-realistic female robots are among the many images that reveal our fascination with artificial women who seem alive.

The Hollywood Teachers

Larry Rapant, Voorheesville
Is there any relationship between what we see of teachers in movies and the reality of our educational system?

Leaving Little Italy: Last Words on a Locale

Fred Gardaphe, New York
Little Italys aren't what they used to by. Explore why this is so through a study of real and fictional accounts in literature and film.

The "Blockbuster" Era in Hollywood: How Steven Spielberg and George Lucas Changed the Motion Picture Industry

Brian Rose, New York
Probably no one has had a greater impact on Hollywood over the last 30 years than Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. They changed not only what movies are made, but also how movies are made.

Masterpiece Comics: Looking at Literature Through the Cartoon Medium

Robert Sikoryak, New York
This slide show explores how literary classics have been adapted into cartoons, with examples from ninety years of comic strips and graphic novels.

From Wiseguys to Wise Men: Masculinities and the Italian American Gangster

Fred Gardaphe, New York
This talk presents the gangster as an archetype of rebellious behavior and explains why the gangster has become a controversial and necessary figure in U.S. Culture

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