Cinema & Media Studies

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TV marathon

With many taking time off over the holidays, Rahul Mukherjee of cinema studies shares his thoughts on binge-watching television.

The Grinch lounges on a chair looking grouchy

Ten trends in American animation

Linda Simensky, a visiting professor of cinema studies and the vice president of children’s programming at PBS, talks top trends in animation today.

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How news media cover gene editing and scientific retractions

The Annenberg Public Policy Center has released a pair of Science Media Monitor reports analyzing how the news media cover two important issues in science—gene editing and scientific retractions.

Penn senior Andrew Ravaschiere seated in a laboratory doing a procedure with a syringe

Cells and cinema

As a biology major, senior Andrew Ravaschiere spends much of his time in a laboratory conducting cellular research. But as a cinema and media studies minor, he got out of the lab and into the world of filmmaking during the summer, working as an intern for a documentary filmmaker.

From devastation, stories of hope and resilience

On a summer field trip, students assisted in the filming of virtual reality videos of artists in Puerto Rico reacting to Hurricane Maria.

Grab your moral compass: ‘The Good Place’ takes philosophy mainstream

Errol Lord of the School of Arts and Sciences offered commentary on the Emmy-nominated series “The Good Place,” which regularly grapples with ethical issues. “I don’t think there has ever been a network sitcom that talks about philosophers in this way,” said Lord.

At the border town that the news cycle has left behind

Brian Rosenwald of the School of Arts and Sciences discussed the shifting news cycle and what gets forgotten by mainstream media. Popular stories need “compelling video and pictures and black and white story lines” in order to keep the public’s attention, he said.

To improve dunes, plant more beach grass

Pairing biology and cinema studies, Bianca Charbonneau and Yoni Gottlieb have produced a light-hearted, informative video that teaches the proper method for planting dune grasses to build a healthier dune ecosystem.

Smoking featured in half of hip-hop videos, study finds

The Annenberg Public Policy Center’s Dan Romer offered commentary on a study of smoking in music videos. He noted that the study didn’t differentiate between marijuana and tobacco products or consider the role of product placement.

‘NewsFeed Defenders’ teaches students how to spot misinformation

The Annenberg Public Policy Center, home of FactCheck.org and Annenberg Classroom, and iCivics, the education nonprofit founded by Sandra Day O’Connor, have released NewsFeed Defenders, a new online game designed to teach media literacy and help students and adults better understand what news is and how to avoid being deceived by misinformation.

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