Professional Wrestling

We discuss the sociology of pro wrestling.
Criticizing Lana Del Rey (Rachel Skaggs)

Internet outrage at a mixed review of Lana Del Rey’s new album. What do we learn about celebrity today?
Country Music Songwriting (Rachel Skaggs)

Rachel Skaggs (Ohio State University) describes her research on making it in country music songwriting.
Jussie Smollett

The Annex discusses the case of Jussie Smollett, an actor who was charged with fabricating a hate crime .
Cancel Culture

We discuss “cancel culture”, demands that cultural products are removed from public distribution and circulation when their creators are enmeshed in moral transgressions.
The 2019 Oscars

We discuss the 2019 Academy Awards.
Oscars 2018
We discuss the 2018 Oscars
Black Panther
Joe, Leslie, Gabriel, and Becky Yang Hsu (Georgetown University) discuss the potential impact of Black Panther’s commercial success on studio’s interest in supporting more movies featuring black casts and crews, […]
Aziz Ansari and #metoo

Aziz Ansari’s #metoo moment provokes controversy.