From Katya: There's a generic assumption in academic circles that the humanities are embattled — for funding, for prestige, for influence within the university, etc. — against the BBEG of STEM. STEM is stealing our students. STEM is stealing our funding. STEM is gnawing our legs off (for science!) As you might guess, I don't find this boogey man particularly interesting. Some pieces seem accurate, at least based on my personal observations. STEM fields seem to have more access to funding (although their research is much more costly to run than my own) and STEM fields often attract more undergraduate majors largely because they're seen as more employable (this too is a mixed bag and can depend on many factors beyond the field of study alone. It also doesn't equally...
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e196. The 2022 Box Office Draft!
It’s that time of year again. Every year the hosts of Voxpopcast play a fantasy box office game! Even though it’s only the second week of the year, we are going to review every movie expected to come out in 2022. Then each host will draft 15 movies and compete to see who can have…
Call for Comments: The Return of Serialization II: Electric Boogaloo
From Hannah: On our 170th show back in July of 2021, we (finally) took a deep-dive into the concept of serialization. We discussed everything from (some) of the history of serialization, the economics, the question of “wholeness,” serialization and the Internet … but we also left a lot of questions unanswered. Which, to be fair,…
e195. 34 Great Things You Missed in 2021!
2021 is over! It’s hard to believe that because in a lot of ways it still feels like it’s 2020. But somehow, a whole year went by nonetheless. And, since the year is done, it’s time that we do what every podcast does… a year in review! But, if you’ve been listening the last couple…
Call for Comments: Box Office Game 2022
From Hannah: Well, to borrow Mav’s words from this year, this year will continue to be … weird. It’s the end of the year, so it’s once again time for us to do our movie picks for the annual fantasy box office episode. If you’re new to our show, every year we play a game…
e194. Dr. Golden Spies From V.O.X.P.O.P with Love
Spies may be one of the longest standing genres in pop culture. From James Bond to Maxwell Smart to Jason Bourne, spies have been ever present on the screen for as long as there has been motion picture cinema. They also have a steady presence in books and comics and other literature. And yet, the…
Call for Comments: Tinker TAILOR Soldier SPIES
From Monica: While everyone else attends cinemas this holiday season for Live Action Spideyverse or The Matrix: Again, I decided to rope my fellow co-hosts into watching a slightly less anticipated franchise new release, The King’s Man. If this is the first you’re hearing of this movie at all, it’s probably because you’re getting it…
e193. Cheesy Christmas Movies 3
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! If you’ve been listening to this show for a while then you know that the winter holidays mean that we celebrate a certain tradition on our show. Welcome to our annual cheesy Christmas movies special! Even if you don’t celebrate Christmas, chances are you’ve seen the emergent genre that is…
Call for Comments: Humanities vs. STEM — Dawn of Nerdom
January 11, 2022
From Katya: There’s a generic assumption in academic circles that the humanities are embattled — for funding, for prestige, for influence within the university, etc. — against the BBEG of STEM. STEM is stealing our students. STEM is stealing our funding. STEM is gnawing our legs off (for science!) As you might guess, I don’t…