Office Hours with Dr. C Barry Thornburg

Dan McClellan joins us again for a discussion about Spawn. He and Dr. C explore the underlying themes of the comic, like the portrayal of hell and heaven, Armageddon, and the religious undertones. They highlight the importance of Spawn among the larger comic book landscape and draw connections between the storylines in comics like Spawn and narratives that resonate with people's worldviews and perceptions of the divine.

Dr. Dan McClellan, a public scholar of the Bible and religion joins us to talk about Superman and the Messiah Narrative. He and Gabriel discuss comics and their cultural impact, focusing on the 1990s saga "The Death of Superman," delving into the significance of the industry's depiction of violence, the impact of killing off characters, the over-complication of storylines, and the portrayal of superheroes as messianic figures. Dr. McClellan shares his insights drawn from both his professional expertise and personal fandom.

In this episode, the Dr. C and Dr. Fiesler discuss the complex world of fan fiction, copyright infringement, and transformative work. They delve into their personal experiences with copyright issues and share fascinating insights about how protective media companies can be of their copyrighted materials. They also look at unique cases, including 'The Wind Done Gone' book which survived a copyright battle due to its distinctive take on 'Gone with the Wind' as well as the offbeat genre of 'Wolf Erotica' and its implications on copyright debates.

In this episode, Dr C speaks with Dr. Casey Fiesler, a Professor of Information Science at the University of Colorado Boulder, who specializes in technology ethics. They discuss the potential harm and biases of machine learning and the role of ethics in technology development. Dr. Fiesler highlights the racial bias inherent in training certain AI systems and the ethical challenges surrounding this bias. They also discuss the phenomenon of automated online test proctoring and how it disproportionately disadvantages students of color.