Higher Ed in Film and TV with the Winter Seminar Students

Have you ever wondered what a higher education class at DU is like? Then you won’t want to miss this! For our Season 3 finale, we are featuring the Higher Ed in Film and TV Seminar and its students. Dr. Marc Johnston Guerrero joins Sarah and Caitlyn to talk about the seminar course he taught in winter quarter, how he developed the syllabus, and what the Higher Ed Seminars are all about. Then, we bring you a special debrief conversation several students in the class had in March as the quarter concluded. We talk about our takeaways from the course and why examining depictions of higher education in film and TV matter. About our guests: Marc Johnston Guerrero is Professor of Higher Education at the University of Denver. He is an accomplished scholar in the interdisciplinary fields of Higher Education & Student Affairs and Critical Mixed Race Studies and a seasoned higher education leader. Adela Smith is a second-year PhD student and the Registrar for the Graduate School of Social Work. She is excited to study the animal that is higher education due to her deep commitment to examining the systemic injustices that shape higher education. Alex Prusator is a first-year higher education doctoral student and graduate admissions specialist in the Morgridge College of Education. When she’s not doing school things, you can find her sipping coffee from her collection of mugs that represent fictional companies from TV shows. Annie Ngo is a second-year PhD student in Higher Education with research interests centered on student access, support, and institutional structures. She works as the Manager for Academic and Student Affairs in the Morgridge College of Education. Jully Dong is a first-year higher education PhD student and the Program Coordinator for First-Generation Experience at DU. She is interested in exploring Asian American student experiences at predominantly white institutions. Here are some links to scholars, creators, and work we discuss in this episode: Lori Patton Davis and her seminar on Examination of College Life Through Film Pauline Reynolds and her course Representing U: Popular Culture, Media, and Higher Education Katherine Ramsland Brynna Howard of HoneyWell Films John E. Conklin (2008). Campus Life in the Movies: A Critical Survey from the Silent Era to the Present. McFarland & Company, Inc. Pauline J. Reynolds (2014). Representing U: Popular Culture, Media, and Higher Education. ASHE Higher Education Report, 40:4. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. The Things We Imagined Documentary “Featherstone University,” an ad for Colorado Mesa University Here are the films and TV shows we discussed in this episode: 3 Idiots (2009) Admission (2013) All-American: Homecoming (2022-2024) Animal House (1978) Bama Rush The Chair (2021) College Hill: Celebrity Edition (2022) Community (2009-2015) Dear White People (2017-2021) Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) Gossip Girl (2007-2012) Greek (2007-2011) Higher Learning (1995) Jim Thorpe: Lit by Lightning (2025) Joe’s College Road Trip (2026) The Kissing Booth 3 (2021) Miseducation (2023-present) Mixed-ish (2019-2021) Monsters University (2013) My Oxford Year (2025) The Novice (2021) Sex Lives of College Girls (2021-2025) Surviving Ohio State (2025) The Social Network (2010) The Sopranos (1999-2007) Spinning into Butter (2007) Tres Idiotas (2017) Van Wilder (2002) Whiplash (2014)   __ **Listeners! We want to hear from you. Please take our listener survey to help us plan for Season 4!**   Thanks for listening to this episode of Mile Higher Ed. Mile Higher Ed is produced within the Morgridge College of Education at the University of Denver by Dr. Sarah Hurtado and Caitlyn Potter Glaser.  Our theme music is “Summer” by Liborio Conti. Are you interested in a master’s or doctoral degree in higher education? Come join us! If you’re ready to start the conversation use this link to request information. Ready to apply? Complete the admissions application here. Follow our podcast on Instagram at milehigheredpodcast. Follow Morgridge College of Education at MorgridgeatDU. Keep up the good work everyone. See you next time!