The Scholar's Attic

Recorded the same day as our episode on the Vietnam War (3/23/2021). It made sense to fill the remaining time with a short discussion on how Asian world views have penetrated American culture in ways we don't consciously see any more. 

Senior Seminar presentation from Cameron focuses on the causes, entanglements and "resolution" of America's most controversial war to date. Originally recorded March 23, 2021. The video showing various booby traps used in the war (non-gory - it's a museum tour, not a re-enactment) can be found here>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmBl3RGItAE

A class discussion on common themes in film, and ways to break apart the techniques used to sway audience sympathies. Focal TV episode referenced here: The Obsolete Man, from the original Twilight Zone series. Originally recorded in segments on March 16 and 19, 2021.

An overview of the era that defined the postwar years: materialistic, idealistic, squeaky clean on the surface but with a lot of hypocrisy and prejudice swept under the rug. From movies to interstates to the early modern civil rights era, and more. Originally recorded in segments on March 12 and 16, 2021.

Originally recorded on March 5, 2021. The title says it all - a hard and heavy-hitting subject, but with a thread of hope and restoration worked throughout. Soli Deo Gloria.

NOTES: The video clips mentioned here (shown in class but not included on the recording due to Copyright and other issues), are taken from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum: https://www.ushmm.org Specifically, the videos "Einsatzgruppen" and "The Liberation" were shown to the class. I highly recommend that you thoroughly explore this website to know more about this momentous event that impacted the entire human race on so many levels.

Posted for anyone who glitched or was not able to plug in yesterday, so you can hear the whys, wherefores, and the how-tos of using your new login information. A slightly different version with video/screen-share so you can see what I'm talking about is posted here >>>>> https://youtu.be/ZOtiUOKbu4s 

One of our seniors, Caitlyn, presents a phenomenal brain-bending tour of Existentialism- where it originated, who the big contributing thinkers were, and how it permeates our culture today. Originally recorded on February 23, 2021. NOTE: The photograph I referenced that shows a crucifix submerged in a jar of the photographer's urine is actually from 1987. It was photographed by Andres Serrano and is often called "The Piss Christ."

A quick tour of why this film is so historically important: to cinema, as a time capsule of pre-Nazi Germany, and to understanding the mind of Adolf Hitler. Recorded on February 15, 2021, with the view in mind that listeners have watched, or will watch, the movie themselves. This podcast gives a full list of things to look for, but the biggies are these:

- use of silence vs sound (some portions have a soundtrack, others do not)

- the notion of "honest thieves" in the criminal underground (and a well-organized one, at that)

- the way in which the 'kindermurder' is marked and hunted down - by the police AND the criminal underworld

- use of "old school" detective work: fingerprinting, handwriting analysis, and psychology

- the kangaroo court scene: what is said on the murderer's defense; how the murderer defends himself in "court"

- the maddeningly ambiguous ending - why would Jewish director Fritz Lang end the movie this way?

As of this posting, the full movie is available, uninterrupted, on YouTube HERE>>> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_0C2Te59egQ 

Originally Recorded Feb 12, 2021 - the second half of our conversation about Hitler's rise to power (started in Episode 51). Here we focus more on Hitler, Mussolini, and the rise of the police state in Europe.