Film and Media Studies Commons^™

Mirrors Of The Reel: Black Women's Identity In American Cinema (2009-2024), Melanie-Penny Harrison

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This study investigates whether white supremacy structures, embodied in Hollywood’s predominantly white leadership, drive negative portrayals of Black women in 31 mainstream American films from 2009 to 2024. Employing a mixed-methods approach—quantitative content analysis, qualitative content analysis (QCA), and narrative methodology—I code portrayals for racism, patriarchy, heterosexism, colorism, and internalized racism, classifying them as progressive (e.g., empowered roles), regressive (e.g., subservient stereotypes), or hybrid. Guided by Critical Race Theory and intersectionality, the analysis examines narrative structures, character agency, symbolism, and dialogue to uncover intersectional patterns (e.g., race, gender, class) across three periods: 2009–2013, 2014–2018, and 2019–2024. Across these periods, cultural …

Words And Stardom: Modernist Poetic Responses To Asta Nielsen, Karl E. Toepfer

Open Educational Resources

This essay discusses how four modernist poets portrayed the Danish movie star Asta Nilesen (1881-1972). German Hans Schiebelhuth (1895-1944) describes the "demonic" power of Nielsen's image to awaken dark aspects of his adolscent personality. For the Flemish poet Paul van Ostaijen (1896-1928), Nielsen's cinematic image provokes a radical shattering of language into extravagant "word-images." Danish writer Rudolf Broby-Johansen (1900-1987) linked Nielsen's image to a radical (Marxist) critique of oppressive sexual politics within a capitalist society. German Franz Behrens (1895-1977) composed a lengthy, expressionist ode to Nielsen from the perspective of one who actually worked as a screenwriter in the German …

The Progressive Potential Of The Horror Arg: A Digital Ethnographic Analysis Of Instagram Account Sabrinamiller230, Matthew N. Wiebe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Alternate reality games (ARGs) are transmedia games that exist and operate utilizing a number of digital communication platforms. These games see players employing their digital literacy skills in order to solve narrative puzzles and craft theories with other ARG players – through engaging with the alternate reality fiction presented to them. sabrinamiller230 is a horror themed ARG that takes the appearance of an Instagram profile and presents players with a speculative alternate reality world featuring an alien who critiques humanity’s many injustices. This research paper seeks to address a key problem regarding the lack of digital ethnographic studies of ARG …

The Towering Inferno: Art, Policy, And Legacy, Charles R. Jennings

Publications and Research

The Christian Regenhard Center for Emergency Response Studies, leveraging the expertise of its faculty, staff, Advisory Board and colleagues, has consistently programmed activities focused on high-rise fire safety. The upcoming 50^th anniversary of the film The Towering Inferno was an inspiration.

We decided this would be more lighthearted and less purely technical than many of our events. We wanted to consider both the film, and use it to reflect on the state of fire safety in tall buildings in New York City.

Of course it does not escape us that the topic of fire safety is a serious one, …

Reject Modernity, Embrace Tradition: Unpacking Gender Roles In Social Media Performances Of "The Good Life", Lauren Mar

Scripps Senior Theses

What do JD Vance, tradwife influencers, and the “sprinkle sprinkle” movement have in common? They all have something to do with the increasing popularity of an apparent return to traditional gender roles. This thesis is an intersectional investigation of women’s gender roles in relation to class and race as they appear in different performances of “the good life” on social media. Through a series of personal essays, this thesis explores how these media examples represent a deeper political unhappiness with present conditions. This thesis takes the time to unpack the different sides of discourse surrounding each subject, and counters the …

Cashing In Or Giving Back: The Role Of Film Tax Incentives In The Cultural Impact Of Runaway Productions, Karolina Krok

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the internationalization of Hollywood through economic and creative runaway productions driven by international tax incentives. It examines how these incentives can impact not only the commercial but the cultural success of productions filmed abroad, focusing on regions such as Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, California, New York, and New Jersey. The analysis centers on cultural tests and diversity requirements, revealing two main approaches: the first requires a minimum of diversity standards and cultural tests points to be met, while the second prioritizes and rewards productions with the highest achieved assessment of those. Furthermore, …

"Girl, So Confusing": Tiktok Tweens, Technology, And The Authentic Self, Emily R. Dietrick

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis examines the American tween as a postfeminist subject within the context of youth cultural production on TikTok, responding to the recent resurgence of concern about the young girls’ body in popular discourse. The first chapter will explore the origins of the tween as the marketing industry category previously known as the subteen, particularly through the lens of tween media culture and postfeminist narratives of choice and authenticity in identity formation. The second chapter will analyze the current technological facets of TikTok with attention to the For You page, algorithm, user-generated content, and influencer self-branding. This will demonstrate how …

Conceptualizing And Problematizing Inclusion Porn In Education Scholarship And Practice, Justin A. Haegele, Anthony J. Maher

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Discourses of inclusion are currently used without clear and consistent meaning and multiple and varied interpretations exist, therefore stunting our ability to enhance or utilize the concept in social justice and education scholarship and practice. In this article, we argue that the ambiguous, conflicting, and contested features of inclusion have opened a door for nondisabled policy makers, academics, practitioners, and other stakeholders to exploit the concept of inclusion by crafting the logics and taken-for-granted assumptions that become associated with it. Accordingly, these nondisabled stakeholders gain social, cultural, and symbolic capital in the fields that they operate, while (some) disabled students …

Voices To Faces: The Midnight Cowboy’S Picaresque Journey, Dave Patterson

Anthós

John Schlesinger’s 1969 film, Midnight Cowboy, tells the story of Joe Buck, a Texan who dreams of working as a hustler in New York. Schlesinger’s resulting tale follows the framework of the picaresque, wherein a naive rube ventures to the big city to pursue a better life and exposes societal ills along the way. In this article, Patterson reveals how Joe Buck’s internal tension derives from his materialism, symbolized as disembodied voices, and his devaluing of human connection and empathy, symbolized as faces. The voices from his radio’s advertisements and game shows reinforce his flawed assumptions about life. A midpoint …

Pathos, Winter 2025, Portland State University. Student Publications Board

Pathos

Editor: Adriana Stanzione

Return Serve: Exploring The Dialogism Of The Australia-China Relationship In Media Coverage Between 2020-2022, Jordan Hogan

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Australia and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) have a dynamic bilateral relationship that is defined by interdependency and mutual political scepticism. This thesis provides an analysis of Australian and Chinese news media perspectives on this relationship. Via an in-depth examination of opinion pieces from national press, I map the significant developments of a period of deteriorating relations between 2020 and 2022. My study captures the more prominent, parochial and vitriolic media coverage of the unravelling relationship, and investigates the motivations, developments, differences, and similarities in the online publications of Australia’s national daily newspaper The Australian, and China’s Global Times. …

True Crime Podcasts As A Scene Of Feminist Reckoning: A Comparative Analysis Of My Favorite Murder And Sistas Who Kill, Rachel C.C. Matteri

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This research examines the cultural impact and ethical implications of true crime podcasts (TCPs). In recent years, TCPs have become a powerful cultural force, with White women often emerging as the primary storytellers and most visible participants in the genre. Their dominance in this space is not neutral and it carries representational weight. It explores the potential for feminist activity made possible by the auditory, self-publishing genre of podcasting. This work focuses on the buddy-comedy subgenre of TCPs. The concerns of this text are that TCPs are dominated by White feminist values and are not an intersectional feminist project. Textual …

History And The Teaching Of Dialect And Slang In Screenwriting, Mitch Olson, Chris C. Palmer

Faculty Articles

This article explores academic and industry perspectives on the use of dialect, slang, and historical language in screenwriting. It offers a chronological overview of major screenwriting manuals’ treatment of dialect and slang (or lack thereof) 1946-2020. It then presents survey data of 53 currently-practicing screenwriters’ views on working with dialect and historical language in scripts, as well as their sense of possible changes in the industry regarding attitudes towards diverse voice representation on the page. It concludes with examples from a teaching sequence that illustrates strategies for writing with dialect, researching it, and ethically considering its usage in scripts. Situating …

The Reel Narrative: The Portrayal And Consequent Archetypes Of Women In Selected Mainstream Philippine Romantic Cinema, Ma. Beatrice P. Pilar, Nathaniel Rey D. Ferrer

Sinaya: A Philippine Journal for Senior High School Teachers and Students

In Philippine society, media, particularly romance films, shapes and reinforces audiences’ perspectives, perpetuating preconceived notions and stereotypical beliefs. However, there is a lack of textual analysis within Filipino films, especially regarding female representation in media. Hence, our study explores the portrayal of female main characters in romance films. Textual film analysis, grounded in Carl Jung’s Jungian archetypes and Jean Shinoda Bolen’s female archetypes in media, was implemented on the six Filipino highest-grossing romance films from 2014 until 2019. This analysis, further supported by a feminist lens, aimed to identify the character portrayal and archetypes of the main female characters in …

Mula Sa Editor (Disyembre 2024), Rowell D. Madula, Dolores R. Taylan

Malay Journal

No abstract provided.

Mga Kontribyutor Sa Isyu At Panawagan Sa Kontribusyon, Malay Journal

Malay Journal

Ipinakikilala rito ang mga awtor ng mga artikulong nakapaloob sa isyu. Inilalahad din ang mga mahahalagang detalye para sa mga interesadong magsumite ng pananaliksik sa journal.

Ilang Malinaw Na Mga Negatibong Imahen Ng Mga Pilipino Sa Pelikulang Elcano & Magellan: The First Voyage Around The World, Lois Mauri Anne L. Liwanag, Feorillo Petronilo A. Demeterio, David Michael M. San Juan, Rae Alegria Mir C. Ferrer, Jyllan Kyla Roemi Q. Hernandez

Dalumat: Multikultural at Multidisiplinaryong E-Journal sa Araling Filipino

Kontrobersiyal ang Elcano & Magellan: The First Voyage Around the World dahil sa pagtatanghal sa mga kolonyalistang Espanyol at Portuges bilang dakila at magigiting na bayani, habang nagmistulang kontrabida ang paglalarawan sa mga katutubong Pilipino. Gamit ang sosyolohikal na perspektibo ni Erving Goffman sa framing, layunin ng papel na itong suriin ang paglalarawan sa mga Pilipino mula sa nasabing pelikula partikular na sa mga lumabas na negatibong imahen. Sa unang seksyon, matatalakay ang mga eksenang nagtatampok sa Pilipinas at mga Pilipino at titingnan kung tumutugma ito sa naratibo ni Antonio Pigafetta. May pagkakatulad sa pagitan ng pelikula at salaysay ni …

Tradition In Transition: Unveiling Social Realities And Lower-Class Oppression In The Film Nyumbang, Purwoko Ajie, Sri Kusumo Habsari, Raden Roro Ratnasari Dwi Riyanti, Dhelinta Fitri Pramadhanti, Fadhilah Mahanani Saputri

Paradigma: Jurnal Kajian Budaya

The tradition of nyumbang has long functioned as a social safety net within Javanese society. However, modernity has transformed the essence of nyumbang, a shift clearly portrayed in the film Nyumbang. This study investigates how the film captures the evolving discourse of nyumbang and its changing meaning over time. By employing Foucauldian Discourse Analysis (FDA), the research examines into how the film utilises discourse as a tool for both knowledge and power, thereby revealing underlying shifts in societal dynamics. This approach uniquely uncovers the interplay between power structures and cultural practices, aspects that might be overlooked by other …

Not The Absentminded Professor: Autistic Experience And Representation In Academia, Martin Brick

Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture

While there are many facets of a career in academia that may be amendable to autistics, the discipline also presents a number of challenges. These hardships can be exacerbated by misunderstandings or even discrimination from colleagues and administrator with pre-existing assumptions of autistic behavior erroneously based on media representations. This essay will examine literary and television representations of autistics working in university settings to argue that the nature of such portrayals negatively impacts the popular view of autistic scholars. Comedy is frequently used to highlight social awkwardness and other behavioral deviance, perpetuating Damian Milton’s double-empathy problem.

Attack On Titan Anime Memes: Possible Meanings And Interpretations By Young Adults., Yee-Lin Teo, Sze Seau Lee, Xin Jie Lim

Journal of Media Literacy Education

Memes have unpredictable and diverse interpretations because of their tendencies to be parodies, remixes, or mashups. This study aims to examine the possible meanings which memes may express and the interpretations of memes by young adults within the affinity space of Attack on Titan anime memes. The two-phase methodology involves analysing the memes using Shifman’s analytical dimensions of content, form, and stance, before conducting in-depth interviews with ten young adults who represent insiders and outsiders of the affinity space. The findings discuss how Attack on Titan memes normalise sexualisation, violence, and struggles such as suicidal intentions in young adults. The …