My name is Stephanie Mastrostefano; I am a PhD Candidate and Instructor at the University of Oregon, and this is The End of the World podcast – a podcast produced by me and created by my CINE/ENG 260 students in Spring 2020.

In CINE/ENG 260, or “Media Aesthetics,” we are exploring the basic elements of media aesthetics through the very contemporary issue of global pandemics. For our purposes, we have taken the word “pandemic” loosely, following its association with pandemonium, as “a place or state of utter confusion and uproar.”^[1]  Deriving from ancient Greek and Latin, Pandæmonium was at one time considered to be “the high Capital Of Satan and his Peers.”^[2] Today, we can locate resonances of the association between pandemics and evil with the disorder and chaos that ensue. In this class, we are using film examples of global pandemics to unpack how film visualizes pandemonium, creating an aesthetic of chaos. By participating in screenings, discussions, and scene analysis activities students are learning about the fundamental elements of cinema studies as an academic discipline – including ideology, aesthetics, history, and production – while exploring the larger social issues of gender, race, and sexuality. 

With the world in a current state of pandemic, and all educational activities moving online, I thought this would be a great opportunity for students to engage with one another and with you, the listener. I hope that this podcast will both educate and entertain, as we offer both humorous and chilling representations of pandemonium in global films.

On this website, you will find all of our podcast episodes and show notes. We will also post other relevant news articles, video links, and forms of content as we find them.

Welcome to our virtual classroom – I hope you enjoy!

 

This podcast is available on iTunes and all podcasting apps.