The primary goal of the present study is to gain a better understanding of how one might use foreign language media as a tool for second/third language acquisition (SLA) and to evaluate its efficacy through a personal case study. Studies…
The primary goal of the present study is to gain a better understanding of how one might use foreign language media as a tool for second/third language acquisition (SLA) and to evaluate its efficacy through a personal case study. Studies of second language acquisition have been done in many regions and across many languages, with many different populations, making it difficult to come to definitive, generalizable conclusions on the best way to acquire a second language. Many theories of second language acquisition have been proposed to bridge this gap. The foundation for most of these theories refers back to Stephen Krashen’s comprehensive theory of language acquisition (1981). Research in this area of study so far has thus largely been limited to children’s incidental language acquisition, with very few studies focusing on the experience of this acquisition. Because of time constraints and limited resources, this study is informed by previous longitudinal studies and takes the form of a personal case study, thus placing more focus on qualitative aspects of the experience rather than measurable, quantitative results. The author acts as a primary research subject, watching four hours of Italian media per week and taking notes on distinctive cultural aspects, important plot points, and new or difficult Italian words. The ACTFL scale was used to evaluate the level of Italian language proficiency at three stages of the media-consumption period: a base-line measurement before beginning the study; at the mid-way point of the study; and after the study was complete. This evaluation took the form of a conversational test administered by an Italian language professor at Arizona State University. Throughout the experience, a variety of studies that examined SLA were analyzed in order to better inform this study. Results of this study suggest that foreign language media can be an extremely helpful resource, even when no other language learning tools are implemented. Both my experience, and the research studies reviewed, suggest that one may be able to measurably increase one’s second language proficiency by multiple levels on the ACTFL scale by engaging in regular viewing of film/media in the language of study over a long period of time.
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This project consists of both a research paper and a qualitative and quantitative analysis of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more (LGBTQ+) college students in Greek Life sorority and fraternity organizations. The purpose of this study was to gain…
This project consists of both a research paper and a qualitative and quantitative analysis of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and more (LGBTQ+) college students in Greek Life sorority and fraternity organizations. The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of the experiences and social climate that LGBTQ+ students face when navigating the intersections of gender, sexuality, and their involvement in Greek Life. Themes that emerged include heteronormative and cisgendered aspects of sororities and fraternities; lack of education on the LGBTQ+ community and how to support them; and exclusion of LGBTQ+ students in Greek Life organizations, especially those outside of the gender binary. As many sororities and fraternities are over 100 years old, many aspects of these organizations have changed over the years. However, there is always room for improvement and diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts have been slowly developing with these organizations amending their official documents based on the gendered language used that is outdated. The next step for better supporting LGBTQ+ students in Greek Life organizations is for these organizations to discuss nonbinary and transgender membership at their annual conventions, as well as universities seeking to begin either incorporating a gay-straight alliance for fraternity and sorority life, or better educating their members on aspects of the community.
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This thesis traces the queer legacy of the Frankenstein myth from James Whale’s filmic adaptations, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, to Mexico’s first adaptation of the myth, El Monstruo Resucitado (1953). Chano Urueta’s El Monstruo Resucitado adapted the Frankenstein legend…
This thesis traces the queer legacy of the Frankenstein myth from James Whale’s filmic adaptations, Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein, to Mexico’s first adaptation of the myth, El Monstruo Resucitado (1953). Chano Urueta’s El Monstruo Resucitado adapted the Frankenstein legend not from Mary Shelley’s source text but from Whale’s films, which themselves are infused with the queer sensibilities of a homosexual director. This new Mexican Frankenstein myth created a Monster that both reflects the culture of the Hollywood context from which it is adapted and responds to its own unique Mexican backdrop. Discussed only superficially in monster studies scholarship, El Monstruo Resucitado has rarely been examined for its contributions to Mexican horror cinema or queer horror studies as a whole. This thesis explores El Monstruo Resucitado's utility as a queer parable by working through José Esteban Muñoz’s theory of Disidentifications, positioning the film as a cultural object valuable to queer identity formation for minoritarian audiences in Mexico. By doing so, this thesis aims to broaden the conversation surrounding the role of the monster in culture and highlight Mexican monster horror like El Monstruo Resucitado as significant to the global tradition of the monster movie.
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There exists a prejudicial influence in the way that psychological thrillers depict their mentally-ill subjects. Accordingly, this creative project closely examines scenes from the following four seminal films: Psycho, Taxi Driver, American Psycho, and Joker -- each of which exemplifies…
There exists a prejudicial influence in the way that psychological thrillers depict their mentally-ill subjects. Accordingly, this creative project closely examines scenes from the following four seminal films: Psycho, Taxi Driver, American Psycho, and Joker -- each of which exemplifies four psychosocial themes that have a dominant presence within the ‘psycho-thriller’ sub-genre. These include themes of toxic masculinity, urban corruption, social class, and latent trauma. Each of these are then discussed in terms of their presence and meaning within the genre -- particularly the method in which they reinforce prejudicial understandings of severe mental illness (SMI) despite reflecting the dominant beliefs of medico-scientific communities, criminological theorists, and psychoanalytic schools of thought of the eras in which they were released. Given that these theories continue to inform the public’s understanding of severe mental illness (SMI), this thesis seeks to expose how the enduring presence of these psychosocial themes within the ‘psycho-thriller’ subgenre has conflated the presence of mental illness with criminal disposition. After discussing the representation of these themes in each film, this paper highlights how psychological thrillers may function as instruments of advocacy for mental health in spite of their ‘horrific’ elements, and provides examples of how other entertainment media have helped normalize neurodivergence in a neurotypical society.
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Can You Hear Me is a short documentary which seeks to give voice to the experiences of trans and nonbinary students in ASU classrooms. What I present in this project are the direct spoken accounts of the feelings, thoughts and…
Can You Hear Me is a short documentary which seeks to give voice to the experiences of trans and nonbinary students in ASU classrooms. What I present in this project are the direct spoken accounts of the feelings, thoughts and frustrations of transgender and nonbinary students as they navigate university classrooms at Arizona State University. Can You Hear Me serves as a representational platform for trans and nonbinary students to communicate their experiences to other students, staff and faculty in the hopes that it might help make classroom spaces more inclusive.
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This paper will analyze the two films Mississippi Burning and BlacKkKlansman, as well as some of the historical contexts surrounding them, in order to unpack the various aspects of police brutality, protest culture, and ideals of reform shown within.…
This paper will analyze the two films Mississippi Burning and BlacKkKlansman, as well as some of the historical contexts surrounding them, in order to unpack the various aspects of police brutality, protest culture, and ideals of reform shown within. Furthermore, it will investigate the impact of diverging from history on the perception of policing units, and the importance of more accurate narratives like BlacKkKlansman in popular culture. <br/> To find evidence that BlacKkKlansman is a much more accurate narrative regarding law enforcement and the effects that sentiments seen in Mississippi Burning have on modern day events, a comprehensive research analysis was conducted. Both films were watched multiple times and analyzed thoroughly, and further research was done to understand not only the narrative elements of the plot, but how the visual aspects strengthen the arguments both films try to make. Scholarly articles on contexts surrounding the subjects of the film were also analyzed, including topics on the FBI, Martin Luther King Jr, and police brutality. Through this, it became evident that Mississippi Burning overlooked most of the reality of the events the film is loosely based upon in order to present a white savior story, whereas BlacKkKlansman addresses the existing prejudices head on while also showing the relation the events have to a more modern context, specifically surrounding the Trump administration.
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There exists a gendered difference in how sports films portray female protagonist athletes. This creative project closely examines scenes from four films, Bend It Like Beckham, Million Dollar Baby, Girlfight and Whip It, that collectively represent four gendered themes that…
There exists a gendered difference in how sports films portray female protagonist athletes. This creative project closely examines scenes from four films, Bend It Like Beckham, Million Dollar Baby, Girlfight and Whip It, that collectively represent four gendered themes that are present within the female protagonist sport film subgenre. Each film provides representative examples for themes of exceptionalism, the explicit presence of gender or sexuality, paternal or romantic relationships with male characters, and the punishment or containment of the female athlete. These themes are then analyzed for their presence and meaning in the film genre, including how existing heteronormative film structures are present in female protagonist sport films and how such ideas are reflections of wider societal values. This exposes how the continued use of such heteronormative themes perpetuates stereotypes of female athleticism. After understanding how these themes take shape and what they mean for the genre, this paper then highlights examples of an emergent more feminist genre, promotes alternative filmmaking methods and progressive change to the portrayal of female athletes in sport film.
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This project was designed to assess whether Arizona State University’s current Health and Counseling services perpetuate healthcare discrimination against its LGBTQIA+ student population: a pervasive problem that both researchers and patients have observed in the general healthcare landscape--on university campuses…
This project was designed to assess whether Arizona State University’s current Health and Counseling services perpetuate healthcare discrimination against its LGBTQIA+ student population: a pervasive problem that both researchers and patients have observed in the general healthcare landscape--on university campuses and beyond. A two-part online survey, including multiple-choice and free-response questions, was administered to ASU students attending any of the four campuses in order to receive a wide range of student feedback from diverse populations and assess the queer and transgender healthcare experience on campus. This survey data was used to pinpoint gaps and/or problems in student care and to assess how these concerns might be addressed. Results showed that a number of participants experienced discrimination, including incorrect references to gender pronouns, name preferences, and sexual identity. In response to survey participants’ desire for clearer information about health care services, a prototype for a resource pamphlet and corresponding mock-up of an online platform were created. These prototype resources clearly outline information about the sexual, mental, and physical health resources provided by ASU and include supplementary off-campus programs to fill the gaps in university services. Additionally, these findings were used to create a prototype that could be used to help ensure healthcare workers are familiar with LGBTQIA+ specific healthcare needs.
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The Bachelor first aired on ABC in 2002, and its gender-swapped counterpart The Bachelorette aired a year later. The premise of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette is that one lead, the titular bachelor or bachelorette, pursues romantic connections with u…
The Bachelor first aired on ABC in 2002, and its gender-swapped counterpart The Bachelorette aired a year later. The premise of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette is that one lead, the titular bachelor or bachelorette, pursues romantic connections with up to thirty contestants at a time, with an elimination ceremony every week where the lead decides who they would like to continue dating and who they would like to send home. This paper uses queer theory on non-monogamy to explore the role of non-monogamous practices in the franchise and their relationship to the monogamous goals of the shows. By exploring the tension between monogamy and non-monogamy, this paper illustrates how dissonance between monogamy and non-monogamy is not only present but essential to preserving the shows' goals.
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