Uploaded December 2024 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
In 1994, a movie called PCU opened in theaters to little fanfare. But three decades on, the cult classic feels like an on-the-nose satire of the kinds of identity politics, liberal extremism, and right-wing intolerance that fuel many of today’s hottest disputes in higher education. In a conversation with The Chronicle’s Jack Stripling, Zak Penn, a co-writer of PCU, talks about how the film looks in 2024. Later, Chronicle staff share their impressions of the movie.
Related Reading:
•
A Decade of Ideological Transformation Comes Undone (chronicle.com/article/a-decade-of-ideological-transformation-comes-undone?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-pcu-woke&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-12-10-slnk-e014-l1) : What the congressional antisemitism hearing really means.
• What Does ‘Woke’ Mean Anyway? (chronicle.com/newsletter/race-on-campus/2023-02-21?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-pcu-woke&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-12-10-slnk-e014-l2)
• The Oral History of PCU, the Culture Wars Cult Classic (vice.com/en/article/pcu-movie-oral-history-culture-wars-cult-classic/?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-pcu-woke&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-12-10-slnk-e014-l3)
Guest: Zak Penn, a co-writer of PCU
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/podcast/college-matters-from-the-chronicle?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-pcu-woke&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-12-10-slnk-e014-l4) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
In 1994, a movie called PCU opened in theaters to little fanfare. But three decades on, the cult classic feels like an on-the-nose satire of the kinds of identity politics, liberal extremism, and right-wing intolerance that fuel many of today’s hottest disputes in higher education. In a conversation with The Chronicle’s Jack Stripling, Zak Penn, a co-writer of PCU, talks about how the film looks in 2024. Later, Chronicle staff share their impressions of the movie.
Related Reading:
•
A Decade of Ideological Transformation Comes Undone (chronicle.com/article/a-decade-of-ideological-transformation-comes-undone?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-pcu-woke&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-12-10-slnk-e014-l1) : What the congressional antisemitism hearing really means.
• What Does ‘Woke’ Mean Anyway? (chronicle.com/newsletter/race-on-campus/2023-02-21?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-pcu-woke&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-12-10-slnk-e014-l2)
• The Oral History of PCU, the Culture Wars Cult Classic (vice.com/en/article/pcu-movie-oral-history-culture-wars-cult-classic/?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-pcu-woke&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-12-10-slnk-e014-l3)
Guest: Zak Penn, a co-writer of PCU
For more on today’s episode, visit chronicle.com/collegematters (chronicle.com/podcast/college-matters-from-the-chronicle?utm_campaign=che-pcm-pd-ep-sn-pcu-woke&utm_medium=aud&utm_source=mgp&utm_content=24-12-10-slnk-e014-l4) . We aim to make transcripts available within a day of an episode’s publication.
