2006-2007 Colloquia

Colloquium Series Coordinator:
James Paasche
jamescp@bgsu.edu

All colloquia will run approximately from 11:00am to 12:00pm followed by an informal "brown bag lunch" from 12:00pm until 12:45pm. The Center will provide dessert and beverages. All events will take place on the Bowling Green State University Main Campus. 

Fall Semester 2006: 

September 14, 2006
Location : 104 Olscamp Hall
Presenter : Dr. Raymond Schuck, Instructor, Department of Popular Culture
Presentation Title : "Dodging the Past: The Brooklyn Dodgers as Public Memory"
Abstract : Dr. Schuck will discuss the Brooklyn Dodgers as a cultural signifier that appeals to progressive and conservative groups for different reasons. He will analyze the nostalgic discourse surrounding the Dodgers and the class and race issues that have made this team stand out in the public memory. Dr. Schuck will also discuss his other works concerning Sports and Popular Culture, including his recent research on the televised poker craze .

October 19, 2006
Location : 104 Olscamp Hall
Presenter : Dr. Nancy Down, Head, Ray and Pat Browne Popular Culture Library, BGSU
Presentation Title : "Robert E. Howard at 100: Fandom and His Enduring Legacy" 
Abstract : Dr. Down’s lecture will examine the legacy of Robert E. Howard, creator of the enduring sword-and-sandal epic Conan the Barbarian, in popular literature and genre studies. She will describe the fan culture that has grown around Howard both as a writer and a man (extraordinarily, a fan culture does exist even though Howard committed suicide at the age of 30). Dr. Down will also discuss zines created by fans from the 1970s to the present, which illustrates Howard’s appeal to readers and writers today. Finally, Dr. Down will conclude her lecture with a discussion of the nature of zines and why they are important to acquire and preserve in collections of popular literature.

November 2, 2006
Location : 104 Olscamp Hall
Presenter : Dr. Matthew Donahue, Instructor, Department of Popular Culture
Presentation Title : "Taking It to the Streets: The Art Car in Popular Culture"
Abstract : An art car is a vehicle that has its exterior and interior modified as an act of personal artistic expression of individual ideas, values, and beliefs. A practicing artist, Dr. Donahue has been creating art cars for over 10 years, has exhibited his vehicles throughout the United States, and has used the art car as a unique way to reach youth people. This lecture will feature Dr. Donahue’s art cars and will highlight the historical development of the art car, its representation in popular culture, its increasing popularity in the art world.

November 16, 2006
Location : 104 Olscamp Hall
Presenter : Dr. Dan Shoemaker, Instructor, Department of Popular Culture
Presentation Title : "Return of the Patriarchs: Further Meditations on Post-9/11 American Cinema"
Abstract : This lecture will   examine the effects of 9/11 on American cinema, including films such as Million Dollar Baby (2004) and Steven Spielberg's remake of War of the Worlds (2005). 

December 7, 2006
Location : 201B Bowen-Thompson Student Union
Presenter : Dr. Lucy Long, Assistant Professor, International Studies and American Culture Studies
Presentation Title : "Green Bean Casserole: The Ludic and the Ludicrous in Ritual Meals"
Abstract : Why do we eat what we eat? More specifically, why do we eat what we eat for particular meals, particularly, holiday meals? And even more specifically, how did green bean casserole--invented by the Campbell Soup Company and usually made by opening cans and mixing the contents--become a traditional feature of most Midwestern Thanksgiving dinners? This talk addresses such perplexing questions, looking at the connections between food, identity, aesthetics, and meaning.

Spring Semester 2007 :

January 18, 2007: Graduate Student Research Colloquium
Location : 318 Bowen-Thompson Student Union (Arthur Andersen Meeting Room)
Presenters : Jennifer Brandt and Matthew Diebler, Master's Degree Candidates, Department of Popular Culture
Presentation Title : " Gender Representation in Popular Media"
Abstract : Mr. Diebler will be examining the models of strong femininity that media offers young men by looking specifically at American action/adventure team-based animated television series aimed at young boys. Encompassing about 30 years of television, including the Superfriends, Thundercats, GI Joe and X-Mencartoons, Mr. Diebler intends to show how these programs offer insight into female character models that function both as reflective and proscriptive models of femininity.

Ms. Brandt will discuss gender representation in The Da Vinci Code, both Dan Brown’s novel and Ron Howard’s film adaptation. She will specifically examine the relationship between gender and genre in both works. She will also discuss the popular culture effects of the novel and the cultural conditions that fueled its popularity.

February 15, 2007
Location : 150A Jerome Library, Pallister Conference Room 
Presenter : Angela M. Nelson, Associate Professor, Department of Popular Culture
Presentation Title : " Mapping the Study of Black Popular Culture"
Abstract : The scholarly study of black popular culture has grown exponentially in the last thirty-five years. This presentation will construct a brief outline of the history of the study of black popular culture by defining black popular culture, constructing a preliminary genealogy of the study of black popular culture, explaining the significance and influence of the work of W. E. B DuBois, and reviewing some of the noteworthy contributions to this body of scholarship.

March 15, 2007
Location : 318 Bowen-Thompson Student Union (Arthur Andersen Meeting Room)
Presenter : Dr. Charles Coletta, Instructor, Department of Popular Culture 
Presentation Title : "' Look...Up in the Sky! Superman!"
Abstract : Superman is the prototypical superhero and an American pop culture icon. He is as American as baseball and apple pie and as ubiquitous as Mickey Mouse. The Last Son of Krypton has been an important part of our cultural heritage for more than six decades. His never-ending battle for Truth, Justice, and the American Way continues through comic books, television, feature films, and in the classroom. This lecture will examine the cultural significance of "America's greatest hero."

April 12, 2007 
Location : 318 Bowen-Thompson Student Union (Arthur Andersen Meeting Room)
Presenter : Mr. Timothy Hufnagle, Instructor, Department of Popular Culture 
Presentation Title : "Cheap Three-Minute Thrills": The Amusement Park Dark Ride and Funhouse as Genre 
Abstract : While roller coasters have certainly earned their status as some of America's most sought-after thrill rides, how, if at all, do the traditional "dark ride" and funhouse fit into the modern amusement industry?  Even further, how have these rides represented genre-specific formulas, and what do they convey about our culture's obsession with (and fear of) the macabre? Just in time for summer road trips, the discussion will not only look at how "dark rides" were created and how they are defined today, but also how the future of these old rides may not seem so "dark" after all, and how modern theme parks are adding new "spins" and "twists" to the classic Pretzel.