Media Studies - Columbia University Press Blog

April 17, 2014

The RV in Popular Culture: From Lucy to Walter White

In Winnebago Nation: The RV in American Culture, James Twitchell also explores the depiction of the RV in the movies. Up until the 1960s, Twitchell argues, the RV was “an object of much interest and even yearning”. However, as “the...

March 14, 2014

"Do you believe in fate, Neo?" Law, Freedom, Representation, and Identity in THE MATRIX

Happy Friday, everyone! But before we continue on with the University Press Roundup, we’d like to conclude our week-long feature of Paul W. Kahn’s Finding Ourselves at the Movies. In the except below, Kahn illuminates the underlying philosophies of the...

March 13, 2014

LINCOLN: Sacrifice, Family, and Politics

As part of our ongoing feature of Paul W. Kahn’s Finding Ourselves at the Movies, we’re delighted to share a guest post from the author himself on Steven Spielberg’s 2012 film Lincoln. Don’t forget to enter our book giveaway for...

March 12, 2014

Philosophy as Narrative, Dialogue, Disruption: An Interview with Paul W. Kahn

Next up for our feature on Paul Kahn’s Finding Ourselves at the Movies, we highlight excerpts from the author’s recent interview with Critical Margins. Here, Kahn details some of the themes found in his book, as well as touches on...

February 12, 2014

Quadrophenia: Album, Movie, and Now, Book!

The newest entry in the Cultographies series is Quadrophenia by Stephen Glynn. The 1979 film is, of course, based on the Who’s concept album Quadrophenia (1973) and tells the story of young mod Jimmy Cooper and the 1964 clash between...

February 7, 2014

Beyond News and Ezra Klein's New Venture

The following post is by Mitchell Stephens, author of the forthcoming Beyond News: The Future of Journalism: “The century-and-a-half-long period in human history when it was possible to make a big business out of selling news … was an anomaly,...

January 24, 2014

Dean Starkman Debates Whether the Business Press Failed the Public Trust

Recently, Columbia Journalism Review and Public Business, organized a panel Has the Business Press Failed the Public Trust?. Among the panelists were Dean Starkman, author of The Watchdog That Didn’t Bark: The Financial Crisis and the Disappearance of Investigative Journalism...

January 23, 2014

Dean Starkman on How and Why the Business Press Failed

In The Watchdog That Didn’t Bark: The Financial Crisis and the Disappearance of Investigative Journalism, Dean Starkman argues that the business press missed the biggest story of the new century. More specifically,the mainstream business press failed to cover and convey...

January 22, 2014

Interview with Dean Starkman, author of "The Watchdog That Didn't Bark"

“Journalism can be the antidote to corruption…. It gives the public a fighting chance to understand complex problems when powerful institutions betray their trust and act against the public interest. It can be a clarifying force, without which democracy in...

January 15, 2014

Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!, the Book

Part of the Cultographies series, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! by Dean J. Defino explores Russ Meyer’s iconic, cult classic. (See the film’s trailer below—how could we resist?). In the book, Defino begins by describing his admiration for the film as...

December 10, 2013

New Book Tuesday: Watchdogs, Buddhists, and More!

Our weekly list of new titles: The Watchdog That Didn’t Bark: The Financial Crisis and the Disappearance of Investigative Journalism Dean Starkman Meditations of a Buddhist Skeptic: A Manifesto for the Mind Sciences and Contemplative Practice (Now available in paper)...

November 28, 2013

Category: Media Studies