The final project that I assigned this semester asked students to compare one of the works of literature we read in class to pop-culture from today and it gave students the options to present their research in one of three formats: a paper, a video, or a podcast episode.

Five students who completed podcast episodes gave me their permission to share their work as part of a Why Do We Read This episode.

This episode features English 2800 student Carolina Castillo and English 2850 student Jaden Santos.

Carolina’s project was a comparison of Lysistrata by Aristophanes and the popular YA novel Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo while Jaden's podcast was about Chikamatsu Monzaemon's Love Suicides at Amijima and the hit television series Power.

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

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Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

The final project that I assigned this semester asked students to compare one of the works of literature we read in class to pop-culture from today and it gave students the options to present their research in one of three formats: a paper, a video, or a podcast episode.

Five students who completed podcast episodes gave me their permission to share their work as part of a Why Do We Read This episode.

This episode features English 2800 student Carolina Castillo and English 2850 student Jaden Santos.

Carolina’s project was a comparison of Lysistrata by Aristophanes and the popular YA novel Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo while Jaden's podcast was about Chikamatsu Monzaemon's Love Suicides at Amijima and the hit television series Power.

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

In this episode, my guest (and husband) Shawn P. Russell and I analyze another classic Charles Dickens Christmas story: The Cricket on the Hearth. We consider what makes a bad adaptation, and how the 1967 Rankin/Bass animated adaptation is just plain bad. We also compare Dickens third Christmas story with his first, A Christmas Carol and discuss why one story has become a timeless classic while the other is virtually unknown. We even broach the subject of Die Hard being a Christmas movie!

We utilize the unabridged audio version of this novella narrated by Jim Dale and produced by Audible, Inc.

Follow Shawn!

Twitter: @Shawn_P_Russell

Instagram: @shawnpatric

Website: shawnprussell.com

Soundcloud: shawnprussell (consider supporting the creative community)

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

I was recently a guest on the podcast Soundtrack Your Life where I discussed my love for the 1970 adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge, starring Albert Finney and Alec Guinness. Check it out now!

https://www.soundtrackyourlife.net/episodes/episode-18-scrooge-1970-w-dr-rebecca-l-solois-of-the-why-do-read-this-podcast

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

In this episode, my guest (and husband) Shawn P. Russell and I analyze another classic Charles Dickens Christmas story: The Cricket on the Hearth. We consider what makes a bad adaptation, and how the 1967 Rankin/Bass animated adaptation is just plain bad. We also compare Dickens third Christmas story with his first, A Christmas Carol and discuss why one story has become a timeless classic while the other is virtually unknown. We even broach the subject of Die Hard being a Christmas movie!

We utilize the unabridged audio version of this novella narrated by Jim Dale and produced by Audible, Inc.

Follow Shawn!

Twitter: @Shawn_P_Russell

Instagram: @shawnpatric

Website: shawnprussell.com

Soundcloud: shawnprussell (consider supporting the creative community)

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

I was recently a guest on the podcast Soundtrack Your Life where I discussed my love for the 1970 adaptation of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge, starring Albert Finney and Alec Guinness. Check it out now!

https://www.soundtrackyourlife.net/episodes/episode-18-scrooge-1970-w-dr-rebecca-l-solois-of-the-why-do-read-this-podcast

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

In this week's episode, my guest, Amy Schack and I discuss "Liberty or Death" by Haitian revolutionary and leader, Jean Jacques Dessalines. We draw parallels between this provocative proclamation and Public Enemy's classic song "Fight the Power" (both the 1989 original and the 2020 remix). We also consider connections between Dessalines's message and Sting song lyrics - taking special care to address the glaring difference of privilege in the latter's situation.

For this episode we utilized the Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume E, 4th edition.

Additional resources include: Lyrics by Sting.

Suggested Watching: Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

In this week's episode, my guest, Amy Schack and I discuss "Liberty or Death" by Haitian revolutionary and leader, Jean Jacques Dessalines. We draw parallels between this provocative proclamation and Public Enemy's classic song "Fight the Power" (both the 1989 original and the 2020 remix). We also consider connections between Dessalines's message and Sting song lyrics - taking special care to address the glaring difference of privilege in the latter's situation.

For this episode we utilized the Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume E, 4th edition.

Additional resources include: Lyrics by Sting.

Suggested Watching: Do the Right Thing, Spike Lee

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

This week I am joined by Ryan Pak, host of Soundtrack Your Life. Listen as we discuss both Plato's The Symposium and Plato's Allegory of the Cave. We draw parallels between The Symposium and the Netflix film, The Half of It, specifically in how they address love. Then we consider the awareness of Truman Burbank as it relates to the prisoners in the cave from Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

For this episode we utilized the Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume A, 4th edition for The Symposium and a pdf version of The Allegory of the Cave.

Additional resources include: "The Half of It: A Modern Symposium on Love" by Roc Su

The "math book" I mentioned at one point is called Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions and is by Edwin A Abbott if you want to check that out!

You can follow Ryan on IG: @soundtrackcast and subscribe to his podcast Soundtrack Your Life on all major podcast platforms!

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

This week I am joined by Ryan Pak, host of Soundtrack Your Life. Listen as we discuss both Plato's The Symposium and Plato's Allegory of the Cave. We draw parallels between The Symposium and the Netflix film, The Half of It, specifically in how they address love. Then we consider the awareness of Truman Burbank as it relates to the prisoners in the cave from Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

For this episode we utilized the Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume A, 4th edition for The Symposium and a pdf version of The Allegory of the Cave.

Additional resources include: "The Half of It: A Modern Symposium on Love" by Roc Su

The "math book" I mentioned at one point is called Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions and is by Edwin A Abbott if you want to check that out!

You can follow Ryan on IG: @soundtrackcast and subscribe to his podcast Soundtrack Your Life on all major podcast platforms!

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

This week we welcome back Professor Amina El-Annan from Baruch College. Join us as we discuss Mary Wollstonecraft's 1792 treatise, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman." We consider the calls she made for equality in rights and education for women in conversation with gender equality laws passed by Ruth Bader Ginsberg throughout her career. Then we switch gears and draw parallels between Wollstonecraft's work and the character of Enola Holmes from the Netflix film of the same name.

For this episode we utilized the Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume D, 4th edition.

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois

This week we welcome back Professor Amina El-Annan from Baruch College. Join us as we discuss Mary Wollstonecraft's 1792 treatise, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman." We consider the calls she made for equality in rights and education for women in conversation with gender equality laws passed by Ruth Bader Ginsberg throughout her career. Then we switch gears and draw parallels between Wollstonecraft's work and the character of Enola Holmes from the Netflix film of the same name.

For this episode we utilized the Norton Anthology World Literature, Volume D, 4th edition.

Follow the podcast!

Twitter: @whydowereadthis

Instagram: @wdwrt_podcast

For podcast merch check out: https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/55982933

Music: Fugue in C# Major, from The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1": J.S. Bach

Music Synthesizer and Programming: Shawn P. Russell

Sound Consultant and Mixing: Shawn P. Russell

Recording and Editing: Rebecca L. Salois