Explain It to Me Again

The Earliest Lesbian Director

Who were the first women in film? In this episode we dive into the history of early film production and the people who made revolutionary changes to the industry. Janine explains the first motion camera, the first narrative film, the lives of Alice Guy-Blache, Louis Weber, Frances Marion and the incredible Dorothy Arzner. There is also a very lively discussion about the first ever talkie, the Jazz Singer. Content Warning: Racism, Discussion of Blackface To Learn More About Women In Film: https://wfpp.columbia.edu/ Sources “ARZNER, DOROTHY – Edited By.” Women Film Editors, https://womenfilmeditors.princeton.edu/arzner-dorothy/. Field, Allyson Nadia. “Dorothy Arzner – Women Film Pioneers Project.” Women Film Pioneers Project, https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-dorothy-arzner/. Heckmann, Chris. “What Was the First Movie Ever Made — Film History Explained.” StudioBinder, 24 July 2022, https://www.studiobinder.com/blog/what-was-the-first-movie-ever-made/. Lewis, Maria. “Dorothy Arzner: mother of invention.” ACMI, https://www.acmi.net.au/stories-and-ideas/dorothy-arzner-mother-invention/. McMahan, Alison. “Alice Guy Blaché – Women Film Pioneers Project.” Women Film Pioneers Project, https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-alice-guy-blache/. Ruvoli, JoAnne. “Frances Marion – Women Film Pioneers Project.” Women Film Pioneers Project, https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-frances-marion/. Stamp, Shelley. “Lois Weber – Women Film Pioneers Project.” Women Film Pioneers Project, https://wfpp.columbia.edu/pioneer/ccp-lois-weber/.

How Language Shapes Our Thoughts

Does language change how we think? This episode dives into the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis and the different theories about the ways language alters our thoughts. We also discuss the men behind the theories and the languages they studied. Roxanne teaches linguistics 101 and Janine talks about how language relates to identity. Sources Chandler, D. (1994). The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. Visual Memory. http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/short/whorf.html [http://visual-memory.co.uk/daniel/Documents/short/whorf.html] Green, R. (2023). The Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis: How Language Influences How We Express Ourselves. Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-sapir-whorf-hypothesis-7565585 [https://www.verywellmind.com/the-sapir-whorf-hypothesis-7565585] Pelletier, F. J., Pullum, G. K., & Nefdt, R. (2022). Whorfianism. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/linguistics/whorfianism.html [https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/linguistics/whorfianism.html] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2023). Benjamin Lee Whorf. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-Lee-Whorf [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Benjamin-Lee-Whorf] The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2023). Edward Sapir. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Sapir [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edward-Sapir] (2023). Yucatec Maya Color Words (Mayan). Native Languages.org. http://www.native-languages.org/maya_colors.htm [http://www.native-languages.org/maya_colors.htm]

The Origin of the Vampire Myth

In this episode, Roxanne discusses the origin of the vampire myth. Were vampires based on a man, a woman, or a legend? We go through the etymology of the Vampire, the people suspected to be vampires, and what truly spawned the myth of the vampire. Warning: Language and Graphic Content (decomposition) Sources: (2022). Cholera. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cholera/symptoms-causes/syc-20355287 [https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cholera/symptoms-causes/syc-20355287](2022). Cholera- Vibrio cholera infection. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/cholera/illness.html#:~:text=Cholera%20is%20an%20acute%20diarrheal,be%20severe%20and%20life%2Dthreatening [https://www.cdc.gov/cholera/illness.html#:~:text=Cholera%20is%20an%20acute%20diarrheal,be%20severe%20and%20life-threatening]. Hall, C. (2022). The Horrors of History: Vampires. Ashland community and Technical College. https://ashland.kctcs.edu/blog/posts/untitled.aspx [https://ashland.kctcs.edu/blog/posts/untitled.aspx] Kelly, J. (2020). How the Spread of Disease Juiced the Lore of Vampires Into Pandemic Proportions. UVA Today. https://news.virginia.edu/content/how-spread-disease-juiced-lore-vampires-pandemic-proportions [https://news.virginia.edu/content/how-spread-disease-juiced-lore-vampires-pandemic-proportions] Pitlick, H. (2022). The Science Behind Vampires. Bloodworks Northwest. https://blog.bloodworksnw.org/the-science-behind-vampires/ [https://blog.bloodworksnw.org/the-science-behind-vampires/] Stepanic, S. (2021). The Great Vampire Epidemic: How the Myth of Dracula was Born from Disease and Folklore. Milwaukee Independent. http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/syndicated/great-vampire-epidemic-myth-dracula-born-disease-folklore/ [http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/syndicated/great-vampire-epidemic-myth-dracula-born-disease-folklore/] Stoker, D. & Barker, J. D. (2018). Bram Stoker Claimed That Parts of Dracula Were Real. Here’s What We Know About The Story Behind the Novel. Time. https://time.com/5411826/bram-stoker-dracula-history/ [https://time.com/5411826/bram-stoker-dracula-history/] Tedesco, L. (2020). Real-Life ‘Vampires’ Did Exist, And This Is What Happened To Them. The Travel. https://www.thetravel.com/who-was-the-first-real-vampire/ [https://www.thetravel.com/who-was-the-first-real-vampire/] Tucker, A. (2012). Meet the Real-Life Vampires of New England and Abroad. Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-the-real-life-vampires-of-new-england-and-abroad-42639093/ [https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meet-the-real-life-vampires-of-new-england-and-abroad-42639093/] Wenzel, D. (2019). History course on Dracula goes beyond the story of a bloodthirsty killer. Uchicago News. https://news.uchicago.edu/story/history-course-dracula-goes-beyond-story-bloodthirsty-killer#:~:text=Bram%20Stoker's%20Dracula%2C%20the%20iconic,Romania%20named%20Vlad%20the%20Impaler [https://news.uchicago.edu/story/history-course-dracula-goes-beyond-story-bloodthirsty-killer#:~:text=Bram%20Stoker's%20Dracula%2C%20the%20iconic,Romania%20named%20Vlad%20the%20Impaler]. Wilson, K. M. (1985). The History of the Word “Vampire”. Journal of the History of Ideas, 46(4), 577-583. https://doi.org/10.2307/2709546 [https://doi.org/10.2307/2709546]

The Man Who Changed How We Study Culture

For the first episode of Explain It to Me Again, Roxanne is going to dive deep into the revolutionary ideas of a pivotal cultural anthropologist, Franz Boas. We discuss the previous old school thoughts on studying culture, the early life of Boas, his studies, his students, and how he revolutionized the study of culture. Language Warning Sources: Erickson, P. A, & Murphy, L. D. (2016). A History of Anthropological Theory (5th ed.). University of Toronto Press. Erickson, P. A, & Murphy, L. D. (2016). Readings for a History of Anthropological Theory (5th ed.). University of Toronto Press. Lewis, E. (2020). Franz Boas, Father of American Anthropology. ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/franz-boas-4582034 [https://www.thoughtco.com/franz-boas-4582034] Tax, S. (2023). Franz Boas: German-American Anthropologist. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Boas [https://www.britannica.com/biography/Franz-Boas] Tylor, E. B. (1920) [1871]. Primitive Culture. J.P. Putnam’s Sons.