🎙️ Hollywood or History
Hosted by Dr. Scott Roberts
Hollywood or History is a podcast that explores the powerful intersection of film and social studies education. Hosted by educator and author Dr. Scott Roberts, each episode features interviews with contributing authors from the Hollywood or History? book series—a collection of classroom-ready lesson plans designed to help teachers critically engage students with historically themed Hollywood films.
From exploring what Hollywood gets right (and wrong) to unpacking the educational strategies behind effective film-based instruction, this series equips K–12 educators and teacher educators with tools to promote historical thinking, inquiry, and civic literacy.
Whether you’re a social studies teacher, curriculum designer, or history enthusiast, Hollywood or History offers practical insights and thought-provoking conversations that bring history—and film—into sharper focus.
🎬 Where does Hollywood end and history begin? Tune in to find out.
Avengers: Age of Ultron and the Ethics of AI - Hollywood or History Ep. 13
Dr. Tom E. Malewitz and Dr. Sarah Beach join Dr. Scott Roberts to explore how Avengers: Age of Ultron can be used to teach media literacy, technology ethics, and the real-world implications of artificial intelligence and social media. How do films like Age of Ultron reflect our relationship with technology? Is AI a hero, a villain, or something in between? In this episode, we examine how superhero narratives open the door to deeper conversations about fear, innovation, and the ways technology shapes our lives.📄 Show notes: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/fdcgwix7saa58dn7/Hollywood_or_History_episode_13_DP7rt7p.pdf
📘 Book: https://bookstore.emerald.com/an-inquiry-based-approach-for-using-comic-based-stories-to-teach-liberal-arts-and-social-sciences-hb-9781805920335.htmlSarah's YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@sarahbeachliketheocean
#HollywoodOrHistory #Avengers #MediaLiteracy #AI #Education #TeachingWithFilm
24 Jun 2026
Teaching Latinx History with Vivo – Hollywood or History Ep. 12
Dr. Jessica Ferreras-Stone joins us to explore how the animated film Vivo can be used to teach Cuban history, U.S.–Cuba relations, and the lived experiences of separation, migration, and cultural identity.
📄 Show notes: ttps://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jzgsthia9xtscvja/Hollywood_or_History_episode_12_DP27jamg.pdf📘 Book: https://bookstore.emerald.com/hollywood-or-history-hb-9798887309026.html🌐 Website: https://sites.google.com/view/latinxhollywoodorhistory/home🎧 Vivo Songbook Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-vivo-songbook/id1578898390
22 Oct 2025
Teaching Social Studies with The Simpsons – Hollywood or History Ep. 11
Dr. Annie McMahon Whitlock, Dr. Timothy N. Constant & Kymberli Wregglesworth join Dr. Scott Roberts to explore how episodes of The Simpsons can be used to teach economics, government, and civic identity in the classroom.📄 Show notes: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/7v989y7y66xiq65p/Hollywood_or_History_episode_117xnq1.pdf📘 Book: https://bookstore.emerald.com/hollywood-or-history-hb-9798887304045.html
8 Oct 2025
Teaching Inequality with Hidden Figures – Hollywood or History Ep. 10
Dr. Sarah Kaka & Lucas George join Dr. Scott Roberts to discuss teaching inequality through Hidden Figures—from race and gender in STEM to systemic inequities across U.S. history.📄 Show notes: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/jpszf97sat3qwph6/Hollywood_or_History_episode_108pt84.pdf
📘 Book: https://bookstore.emerald.com/hollywood-or-history-hb-9781648027925.html
24 Sept 2025
Teaching Genocide & Trauma with Hotel Rwanda – Hollywood or History Ep. 9
Dr. Paul Yoder & Leona Calkins join Dr. Scott Roberts to discuss teaching genocide, trauma, and resilience through the film Hotel Rwanda. This episode unpacks strategies for helping students critically engage with difficult histories.📄 Show notes: [PDF link HERE]📘 Book: https://bookstore.emerald.com/hollywood-or-history-hb-9781648029363.html
10 Sept 2025
Teaching Mayan History with Apocalypto – Hollywood or History Ep. 8
Dr. Timothy Monreal & Dr. Jesús Tirado join Dr. Scott Roberts to discuss how the film Apocalypto can be used to critically examine Mayan civilization, media bias, and world history through inquiry.📄 Show notes: [PDF link]📘 Book: [Book Link]
27 Aug 2025
An American Tail & Teaching Immigration – Hollywood or History Ep. 7
Dr. Scott Roberts welcomes Kate Van Harren to explore how An American Tail can be used to teach U.S. immigration, labor history, and cultural identity in the elementary classroom.📄 Show notes: [Insert PDF link]📘 Book: [Link to the Book]
13 Aug 2025
Black-ish, Voting & Teaching with Sitcoms – Hollywood or History Ep. 6
Dr. Starlynn Nance joins Dr. Scott Roberts to explore how sitcoms like Black-ish and Derry Girls help students unpack civic identity, voting rights, and race.📄 Show notes: [Link Here] 📘 Book: [Link to the Book]
30 Jul 2025
Saving Private Ryan & Just War Theory – Hollywood or History Ep. 5
Dr. Scott Roberts joins Dr. Mark Pearcy to explore how films like Saving Private Ryan and Glory can help students evaluate the ethics and realities of war through the lens of Just War Theory.📄 Show notes: [PDF link]📘 Book: [Book link]
16 Jul 2025
Empathy & Activism with The One and Only Ivan – Hollywood or History Ep. 4
Dr. Scott Roberts speaks with Drs. Pennington, Fortune, Tackett & Horst on using The One and Only Ivan to teach elementary students about empathy, activism, and civic engagement.
📄 Show notes: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/vcpviustfx6tmsg8/Hollywood_or_History_Podcast_Episode_4azm52.pdf📘 Book: https://bookstore.emerald.com/hollywood-or-history-hb-9798887307633.html
2 Jul 2025
Episode 3: US History with guest Dr. Nancy Sardone
Dr. Nancy Sardone joins Dr. Scott Roberts to investigate using Disney's Pocahontas to promote critical thinking about early U.S. history in social studies classrooms; this is an interview.
18 Jun 2025
Episode 2: World Religions with Dr. Tom Malewitz & Adam Zoeller
Dr. Tom Malewitz and Adam Zoeller discuss using the film Groundhog Day as a tool to explore world religions in the classroom with host Dr. Scott Roberts in this interview.
4 Jun 2025
Episode 1: Welcome to Hollywood or History with Dr. Scott Roberts
Dr. Scott Roberts introduces his teaching strategy, Hollywood or History, which uses film as a tool to spark historical inquiry, making history more engaging.
Who has been a guest on Hollywood or History Podcast
Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.
Dr Nancy Sardone
Dr Tom Malewitz
Adam Zoeller
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
736
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
3 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 32 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
25
Social presence
0
YouTube
66
Engagement
32
Contact Hollywood or History Podcast
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Questions about Hollywood or History Podcast
Who hosts Hollywood or History Podcast?
Dr Scott Roberts host the show. Published by drScottRoberts.
How often do new episodes come out?
The show publishes monthly, based on its RSS feed.
Does Hollywood or History Podcast take guests?
Yes. Guests have been identified in episode analyses.
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