American Studies and History Dr. Darren R. Reid

Heading back to early America for this episode, we explore anti-Indian propaganda from the 1780s. In 1782 Colonel William Crawford led a military expedition into the Ohio Valley. His campaign was defeated by the people he had come to attack and the Colonel was taken into captivity, tortured, and executed. The gruesome details of Crawford's death were published in an account written by eyewitness John Knight in a volume published by noted Indian hater Hugh Henry Brackenridge. The resultant document is a potent piece of anti-Indian propaganda that is needs to be understood in the troubling context of the time which produced it.

Native America on film - in this special video presentation we examine a short film by D.W Griffith (director of The Birth of a Nation)that was made in 1909. This episode includes the entire original film with a special academic audio commentary.

In 1966, Brian Wilson led The Beach Boys into the studio to begin work on the follow up to the critically acclaimed album, Pet Sounds. What should have been the band's masterpiece turned into their biggest calamity as the SMiLE album unraveled and collapsed around them. In this podcast, Dr. Darren R. Reid takes a look at the recently released SMiLE Sessions to assess what may have been. Is this album the lost masterpiece of legend? Would it have secured the band's place alongside The Beatles?

The Lone Ranger has been no stranger to controversy since its announcement. In this episode we will examine the finished product in order to see whether or not claims of racism directed at the movie are justified.

In this episode we explore the resurgent Cold War of the 1980s through the music of Pink Floyd and their chief songwriter, Roger Waters. Starting with a critical overview of the 1983 album, The Final Cut, this episode explores how the Cold War transformed the band, moving them away from abstract ideas and vague protests into a more politicised realm with their music. Albums explored in this episode include The Final Cut, The Wall, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, and Roger Waters' Radio K.A.O.S

In this episode we examine the argument that anti-Japanese racism was a product of World War II. This episode includes an audio only version of the short documentary "Race and Racism in Early Superhero Comics" as a bonus extra.