All upcoming Popular Culture programs

The feats and names of baseball’s Negro Leagues stars are legendary: Satchel Paige, James “Cool Papa” Bell, Josh Gibson, and more. The story of the league and its players is more than a history of sports: It’s a story about American society. Historian Louis Moore explores how baseball became Black America’s game; the rise and fall of the Negro Leagues; and what inclusion of their stats into those of today’s Major League Baseball means for the past and present players.

As soon as television began in the late 1940s, advertising was a vital part of the picture. Media historian Brian Rose examines how advertising evolved during television’s first two decades and the important role it played in convincing viewers that the key to happiness was to buy their way into the American dream.

The Godfather, parts 1 and 2, are often listed as among the greatest films of all time. Together with part 3, these films constitute a powerful cinematic trilogy that explores the myth of Italian American culture, the refashioning of the gangster film genre, and the influence of European auteur cinema on the Hollywood studio system. Joseph Luzzi, a literature professor at Bard College who also teaches courses on film and Italian studies, examines the cinematic techniques and themes that give the Godfather films their enduring appeal.

Star Wars is a global phenomenon that people celebrate on May 4th every year. In conversation, curators from the National Air and Space Museum and National Museum of American History celebrate the Star Wars universe, its monumental legacy in pop culture, and its place in a familiar galaxy not so far, far away.

During the heyday of Pop Art, Andy Warhol was its king. His talent as an artist, filmmaker, photographer, and publisher made him a household name for far more than the “15 minutes of fame” he quipped that everyone would experience. Art historian Janetta Rebold Benton traces Warhol’s life and profound impact on modern culture, examining how his revolutionary art broke with all previous movements and expanded the definition of art itself. (World Art History Certificate elective, 1/2 credit)

At Hollywood’s height, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis reigned supreme among leading ladies. Though similar, they differed in their approaches to acting and in the types of roles they chose. In a spring series, film historian Max Alvarez leads a gloriously melodramatic journey through the volatile lives and unforgettable careers of two extraordinary stars. Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night—or two. This session focuses on Joan Crawford.

Watching television used to be a fairly simple enterprise: You turned on the set, selected one of 500 channels, and enjoyed your program. Now, more and more viewers are canceling cable television, preferring to watch online-only channels. An entire generation of younger viewers has given up on the TV set in favor of their laptops and phones. Drawing on video clips, media historian Brian Rose explains why the old days of simply “watching TV” are fast disappearing.

At Hollywood’s height, Joan Crawford and Bette Davis reigned supreme among leading ladies. Though similar, they differed in their approaches to acting and in the types of roles they chose. In a spring series, film historian Max Alvarez leads a gloriously melodramatic journey through the volatile lives and unforgettable careers of two extraordinary stars. Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night—or two. This session focuses on Bette Davis.

One hundred years ago, A. A. Milne published a whimsical short story that introduced the world to a “bear of very little brain” called Winnie-the-Pooh. Today young readers remain captivated by Pooh, Christopher Robin, Eeyore, Kanga, Tigger, and Piglet. Celebrate the centenary of Winnie-the-Pooh as author Daniel Stashower delves into Milne’s life and legacy and actor Scott Sedar brings some of the writer’s beloved works to life.

For millennia, astonishingly diverse forms of body art have been produced by cultures throughout the world. Some employed tattoos for therapeutic or cosmetic purposes, to mark special life achievements, or to assert social identity. Others marked the body with symbols intended to promote fertility, protect themselves from malevolent spirits, or carry them safely into the afterlife. Lars Krutak, an anthropologist and host of the Discovery Channel’s “Tattoo Hunter,” shares his life’s journey to understand how tattoos “make” the people who wear them.