Episodes
2 days ago
2 days ago
To begin a new era for USSOCast, Sam interviews Jess Underwood, a PhD candidate at the University of Warwick. Jess discusses her research into Midwestern populist movements on the left and the right, how to interview people with extreme views, and what 'the economy' even means any more.
Monday Jul 17, 2023
Monday Jul 17, 2023
This week, Robyn chats to former USSO Co-Editor Sarah Collier, a PhD candidate in English at UCL, about her multidisciplinary research on the contemporary military masculinities in American narratives of the ‘war on terror’. Sarah also discusses some memorable research trip moments, reflects on her time at USSO, and shares her current reading recommendations.
Sunday Feb 05, 2023
Sunday Feb 05, 2023
In this episode, Sarah is joined by postgraduate researcher Naomi Sutton and culture writer Meg Walters to discuss the mass appeal of Nora Ephron films in the internet age. Naomi and Meg talk about the meaning we might find in the Ephron aesthetic, Ephron's filmmaking practice, and their favourite Ephron films.
Monday Jan 09, 2023
Monday Jan 09, 2023
This week, Sarah chats to Lakkaya Palmer, a doctoral researcher in Film Studies at UCL, about Lakkaya’s research on masculinity in horror cinema from 1970-1991. Lakkaya discusses the changing role of the father in horror, differences between British and American horror films, and turns a critical eye to some of the classics.
Friday Oct 21, 2022
017 - Narratives of America in Afghanistan (w/ Sharifullah Dorani)
Friday Oct 21, 2022
Friday Oct 21, 2022
This week, Sarah sits down with author and academic Sharifullah Dorani to discuss his new novel, The Lone Leopard (Bedford: S&M Publishing, 2022). Sharifullah talks candidly about his inspiration for the novel, the research process and the challenges for writers responding to contemporary events.
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Episode 016 - Little Magazines and the Southern Renaissance (w/ Siân Round)
Wednesday May 11, 2022
Wednesday May 11, 2022
This week, Sarah and Robyn chat to our outgoing Book Reviews editor Siân Round, a PhD candidate in English at Cambridge University, about her research on Southern little magazines, the Southern Renaissance, and conceptualising 'the South'. Siân also discusses some of the things she has enjoyed during her time as Book Reviews editor, and tells us what she's been reading lately.
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Episode 15 - Narratives of Small Town America (w/ Will Carroll)
Monday Mar 07, 2022
Monday Mar 07, 2022
This week, Sarah chats to our outgoing editor Will Carroll, a recent PhD graduate at University of Birmingham, about his research on the American small town in literature, art and photography in the early-mid twentieth century. Here, Will discusses how his research interests have evolved over the course of his PhD and touches on his post-PhD plans.
Friday Feb 04, 2022
”Making the Third Ghetto” (w/ Dr. Nicole M. Gipson)
Friday Feb 04, 2022
Friday Feb 04, 2022
This week, Will and Sarah talk to Dr. Nicole M. Gipson, an ECR scholar whose research posits the existence of a "third ghetto" in Washington D.C. in the 1970s and 1980s, in the form of the city's emergency shelter system. Here, Nicole talks about her upcoming peer-reviewed article 'Making the Third Ghetto: Race, Gender, and Family Homelessness in Washington, D.C. 1977-1989', and speaks more broadly about her experiences as an African American scholar working in the UK.
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Episode 13 - Black Women Radicals and Critical Race Theory (w/ Tionne Parris)
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
Thursday Dec 16, 2021
This week, Will and Sarah talk to Tionne Parris, a PhD student at University of Hertfordshire whose research is focused on American society's response to race-based political protests and communism within black radical protests. Here, Tionne talks about Critical Race Theory and the role of online spaces in contemporary issues surrounding race in America.
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Episode 012 - Black American coming-of-age fiction (w/ Adam Dawson)
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
Tuesday Nov 09, 2021
This week, Will and Sarah talk to Adam Dawson, who recently submitted his PhD in American Studies at University of East Anglia. Adam looks at Black American coming-of-age fiction, with an emphasis on YA literature. Here, Adam discusses his recent conference paper on Toni Morrison's Jazz, his love for Colson Whitehead's Sag Habour, and the weight that's been lifted following his thesis submission.