Talking Mass Communication Perspectives - "Fantasy Theme Analysis in TV's Parks & Rec" Artwork

Special Topics in Media

Special Topics in Media Studies is a lecture-based podcast that tackles media history one artifact at a time. Each season of the series we will investigate a different mass media theme, medium, or programming genre. While our focus is educational (it is an academic podcast after all), we tailor our conversations toward a broad audience of media enthusiasts.

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Special Topics in Media

Talking Mass Communication Perspectives - "Fantasy Theme Analysis in TV's Parks & Rec"

June 17, 2025 • Garret Castleberry • Season 13 • Episode 2

Welcome to the "Talking Mass Communication Perspectives" season of Special Topics in Media. This week host Garret Castleberry is joined by Annabeth Fehrle to discuss Fantasy Theme Analysis and how it applies to two politically oriented TV programs, ABC's Scandal (2013-2018) and NBC's Parks & Recreation (2009-2015).

Reading Reference: Fogle, Krystal. "Knope vs. Pope: A Fantasy Theme Analysis of Scandal vs. Parks & Recreation". In Communication Theory and Millennial Popular Culture: Essays and Applications. Roberts, K. G. (Editor). New York: Peter Lang, 2016.

Host: Garret Castleberry, Annabeth Fehrle

Producers: Garret Castleberry, Will McMurry (Audio Engineer), Alli Garner (Cover Art), Austin Foster (Music)

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