Good to Think With: Recent Episodes
Dr. Jonathan Vickers, SASAH, Western University
From Star Wars to sandwiches, a series of conversations on everyday things and popular culture, featuring an Arts and Humanities undergraduate student from Western University's SASAH program, and a Classical Studies PhD. The world is full of things that are good to think with, and we invite you to listen to our musings.
Pixar is good to think with! Covering such topics as childhood, representations of death, and mature viewers, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Daniel Kime, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Dungeons and Dragons is good to think with! Covering such topics as morality, monsters, and concepts of play, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Jessie Yang, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Starbucks is good to think with! Covering such topics as branding, conspicuous consumption, and ritualization, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Cara Chow, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Profanity is good to think with! Covering such topics word origins, swear words and social dynamics, and language fluency, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Katya O'Donnell, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Pokémon is good to think with! Covering such topics as mythic tropes in Pokémon games, environmentalism, and the competitive circuit, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Jonas Bahn, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Avatar: The Last Airbender is good to think with! Covering such topics as imperialism and conquest, environment and nature, and concepts of magic, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Anjali Kathir, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Popular music is good to think with! Covering topics such as the last century of popular music, the intersections of music and culture, and lyrics as poetry, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Havana Laskowski, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Film criticism is good to think with! Covering topics such as what it means to be a critic, tests for evaluating cinema, and active viewership, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Kaylee Dunn, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
Video games are good to think with! Covering topics such as morality, utopianism, and individual choice in games like The Sims and Stardew Valley, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator in Classical Studies at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Claire Meerkamper, a student in the School for Advanced Studies in Arts and Humanities.
EDI (Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion) is good to think with! Dr. Erica Lawson, Matthew Dawkins, Tiffany Lin, and Dr. Jonathan Vickers discuss the importance of EDI in higher education and at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) in particular.
Swimming is good to think with! Covering topics such as ancient Greek vs. modern attitudes to sport, the artistry of artistic swimming, and team/national ideals, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator of the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Bridget Koza, a student of the School.
Sandwiches are good to think with! Covering topics such as the cultural significance of the sandwich, its symbolism, and its tricky definition, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator of the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Anthony Tran, a student of the School.
Book to Film Adaptations are good to think with! Covering topics such as the 'translation' of stories across media, children's lit, fairy tales, and comics books, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator of the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Angelina Havaris, a student of the School.
Harry Potter is good to think with! Covering topics such as the concept of 'normal' in a magical world, distortions of body and self, and the character of Ron, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator of the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Bridget Leslie, a student of the School.
Lord of the Rings is good to think with! Covering topics such as what it means to be a hero, patterns of life and death, and the landscapes of Middle Earth, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator of the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Finn Rose, a student of the School.
Star Wars is good to think with! Covering topics such as the heroic journey, mythic influences, and medieval poetry, join Dr. Jonathan Vickers, Program Coordinator of the School for Advanced Studies in the Arts and Humanities at Western University (London, Ontario, Canada) and Andrew Fullerton, a student of the School.