Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Suicide Watch: How Netflix Landed On A Cultural Landmine, Shabnaj Chowdhury

Capstones

Following the premiere of the television series “13 Reasons Why” in 2017, Netflix stepped squarely on a cultural landmine, stirring controversy over its graphic depiction of teen suicide.

According to media experts, showing a teenager kill themselves on television was completely unprecedented. Mental health experts say the act has significant consequences for “at risk” audience members, or people who were already experiencing suicidal thoughts before watching the show. It is proven that entertainment, and television specifically, can strongly influence audience behaviors and thoughts.

Suicide is one of the only causes of deaths that’s on the rise in the United States, …

A Literature Review On How Landy's Role Theory And Role Method Might Be Used To Develop Alternative Roles In Individuals With Decreased Or No Mobility, Chabreah Alston

Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses

Research regarding drama therapy with the physically disabled population was published over 20 years ago, detailing the use of guided imagery and storytelling with this population. There is a lack of information available about specific drama therapy techniques and theories used with this population. In addition to the previous statement, there is a lack of therapeutic services available to this population. Robert Landy’s Role Theory and Role Method in drama therapy, uses a taxonomy of roles that consists of a health classification with the role type of Physically Disabled or Deformed (see also Beast), and a role subtype of Deformed …

Social Media: On Tech-Caves, Virtual Panopticism, And The Science Fiction-Like State In Which We Unwittingly Find Ourselves, Michael Major

Theses

Making use of three historic philosophical thought experiments, this paper blends psychological perspectives with philosophical reasoning to show how social media is corrupting our perception of reality, the result of which is ultimately detrimental to society as a whole. This is accomplished by first using Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” to analyze and discuss the ways in which social media is limiting humanity’s access to real knowledge. Next, Michel Foucault’s analysis of punishment in its social context, Discipline and Punish, is used to discuss the ways in which social media is adversely affecting our behavior. Finally, Robert Nozick’s “Experience …

Written With Love: An Interpretation Of Love Stories Through Movement And Emotion, Olivia Crawford

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

What is love? People all over the world have different stories pertaining to this phenomenon, but do the experiences in our personal lives stop us from understanding the experiences of others? Although it may be difficult to see other points of view besides, it is possible to connect to stories that are not our own. The purpose of this study is to assess how people perceive and connect to different love stories, and how these perceptions differ between those in the fine arts and those in the arts & sciences. Participants in this study will be exposed to a dance …

Anything But Crazy: How American Musical Theatre Can Change Societal Stigmas Against Mental Illnesses, Benjamin Walton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

There is a societal stigma that villainizes or degrades anyone diagnosed or associated with any mental illness. While many different forms of media have attempted to destroy this stigma through psycho-centric narratives, I wanted to argue that musical theatre has the greatest potential as a live entertainment source to deconstruct and reduce the stigma surrounding mental illness. For my research, I theorized that musical theatre can most effectively change societal stigma about mental illness by communicating a clear understanding of the disease through music, and achieving popularity in the public eye longer than other live forms of theatre. I chose …