The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast

On this month's episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast, return guest Dr. Courtenay Stallings of Pepperdine University and I tackle the spiritual horror classic: The Exorcist.  In this episode we go over the impact of 70's social and political strife and its effect on filmmaking; especially on white male gazey Hollywood and those "Mavericks" of the time. Stick around for a discussion of science,...

On this month's episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast we look to the stars as we analyze the acclaimed 2004 series Battlestar Galactica with Dr. Leigh McKagen of Virginia Tech University. We colonialism, Body rights, masculinity, Epic Heroism vs. Everyday Heroism, and of course, the dangers of Capitalism.  Basics: (1:08-22:09) Dr. McKagen's Background, Research, and what she 'Stans' for in Pop...

On this Bonus Episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast Dr. Rebecca Gibson is back on the Pod to talk about Ann Leckie's 2013 Hugo and Nebula Award winning novel  Ancillary Justice. We talk a lot about Gendered Pronouns, Consciousness and Colonialism. Later, we both engage in "delighted Flailing" as we geek out over the first trailer for The Matrix: Resurrections trying to understand what it all m...

On this month's Episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast I am covering the synergistic punk rock, sci-fi satire Repo Man with Guest Dr. Brian Cogan Professor in the Dept. of Communications at Molloy College and author of the book The Encyclopedia of Punk   After we get to know Dr. Cogan, we dive into the film's production, the history of Punk, Anti-Reaganite Capitalism, and the Marginalization of...

On this month's episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast, we are wading into the waters of The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise with Historian Dr. Jamie L.H. Goodall  author of the incredible book  Pirates of the Chesapeake Bay: From the Colonial Era to the Oyster Wars.     The episode first dives into Dr. Goodall's educational background and her fantastic book before tackling the Johnny Depp l...

On This Month's Episode, we are talking to Dr. David Arditi Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Texas Arlington, and author of  Streaming Culture: Subscription Platforms and the Unending Consumption of Culture This episode not only dives into Dr. Arditi's fantastic book, we also discuss the ways various forms of content have been altered by the rising 'stream', leading us back to...

On this Month's episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast, we are tackling Frances Ford Coppola  The Godfather Saga with return guest, Dr. Ellen Meiser of The Social Breakdown Podcast. We talk about her recent publication in the Journal of Interpersonal violence titled "The Normalization of Violence in Commercial Kitchens through Food Media." with her Co-host Penn Pantumsinchi before going through...

On this month's episode of The Sociologist's Dojo we go a little off format to talk about Nostalgia and the TV Reboot Culture with Alisha Kirchoff Ph. D. Candidate in Sociology at Indiana University.  We talk about the political, social and economic motivations behind this trend, its overall impact on history and our (mis)perceptions of it.  This Podcast may indeed create a few "spin offs" of its...

On This Month's episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast we are diving into the work of David Lynch, and his 2001 Neo Noir Mulholland Drive with guest Dr. Courtenay Stallings of Pepperdine University and author of the book Laura's Ghost: Women Speak about Twin Peaks .  Together, we are not only going to piece together the winding Lynchian narrative of the film, but we also interrogate a lot of Ly...

On this Month's Episode of The Sociologist's Dojo we are discussing Cloud Atlas and the work of Lana and Lilly Wachowski; as my guest Dr. Rebecca Gibson author of The Corseted Skeleton: a Bioarchaeology of Binding,  takes me through one of her favorite films. We talk the Myths of Corsets, Trans representation, The work of David Mitchell, and the complexities of the fight for social justice.  You m...

On This Month's Episode: Dr. Liz Faber of Labour`e College, and author of The Computer's Voice: From Star Trek to Siri, shepherds me through the vast world of Star Trek as we talk about and analyze Star Trek: First Contact. We talk about Feminism, Psychoanalysis, The Cold War, and what it takes to create a socialist utopia.   Production Notes: Basics: About Dr. Faber and Her Incredible Book (5:15-...

EMERGENCY BONUS EPISODE!    I needed to record an extra episode this month in order to talk about the recent developments with one of my favorite pieces of content.....AVATAR. No, not the Ableist, Racist trash from James Cameron, the Avatar the Last Airbender Universe! The creators are back, heading their own studio. I'll talk about what this means, with all of its sociological Impacts. Enjoy!  #A...

In this month's episode, I am taking a break from Interviews to discuss the state of Cinema due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic; resulting in the unprecedented deal between streaming service HBOMAX and Warner Bros. Studios.  I analyze the history of movie going, and how it has lead us to this point. Buckle up for a lot of questions, but few answers...like any good academic :)  Time Codes: (Basics...

On this Month's Episode the Dojo is diving into the world of Jeffery "The Dude" Lebowski with The 1998 film  The Big Lebowski.  Ellen Meiser from The Social Breakdown Podcast is here to discuss cult classics, favorite Coen films, Dudeism, and cultural appropriation. Basics:   0-18:55min Fun Trivia from IMDB  Here we learn what is Ellen's favorite flavor of Pop Culture  Her history with Film analys...

This month we have a Special Guest in the Dojo! Historian Dr. Ea Madrigal of Rio Hondo College.    On this episode we dive into the classic film All About Eve staring Bette Davis and Ann Baxter. The Episode is broken up into 3 parts  Basics: (3 min-33min) Here we get to know Dr. Madrigal a little bit and have a discussion of classic film and set up the premise of All About Eve Historical Context ...

On this Episode of The Sociologist's Dojo Podcast I tackle the subject that was the origin of the blog itself: Superman. In this Sociological Analysis, I will briefly cover the origins of the character, before going into my experience with the character in both the comics and the films. In the Social Analysis section, I cover Superman's status as an American Cultural product and Propaganda tool, w...

B-B-Bonus Episode!!!!! (Spooky Air Horn!!!!!) Because I love Holloween and "T'is the season" I thought it would be fun for all of my fellow Horror fans out there to do a Sociological Commentary Track for the 2018 Panos Cosmatos film MANDY Staring Nicolas Cage and Andrea Risebourough. It is the Greatest Phantasmagoric Love Story you will EVER SEE!   Episode Notes: Commentary begins at 3:43 The Soci...

Welcome to The Sociologist's Dojo! This is a podcast that focuses on the analysis of film and popular culture through The Sociological Perspective.   This Podcast is an extension of the blog The Sociologist's Dojo In this Episode... Episode 1: Enter the Dojo. This first episode of the podcast covers an introduction to the Podcast, blog and host.  Later in the episode,  the host dives into the topi...