Film and Media Studies Commons^™

The Sensationalizing Of Presidential Assassinations In Mass Media Throughout American History, Lindsay E. Smith

Undergraduate Theses

This project explores how mass media has shaped the public response to presidential assassinations across American history. By examining the deaths of Abraham Lincoln (1865), James A. Garfield (1881), William McKinley (1901), and John F. Kennedy (1963), we can trace how evolving media technologies – such as newspapers, yellow journalism, radio broadcasts, and live television coverage – have sensationalized violence, politicized tragedy, and transformed periods of national mourning into mass spectacles. The thesis analyzes reporting methods, narrative framing, and the news industry to show how each has influenced emotional response, political landscapes, and eventual presidential legacy. Ultimately, we find that …

Destination: Love And Redemption In The Underworld, Alexis P. Johnson

Masters Theses

This essay serves as an artist’s statement for Alexis Johnson, outlining her journey as a storyteller and the development of her MFA thesis work, focusing on her feature film screenplay, Destination. Johnson details her lifelong connection to Arizona and the desire to propose storytelling on film that moves outside the stereotypical standard the state is known for. Through Destination, she aims to expand the Western genre by weaving in elements of magic and imagination, showcasing Arizona as a place rich in narrative potential. The screenplay explores themes of death, identity, and transformation. She reflects on how her life’s challenges have …

Knightly Arts For Modern Audiences: Faithfully Portraying Historical European Martial Arts In Contemporary Media, Justus (Isaiah) Morgan '26

Honor Scholar Theses

The ahistorical spectacular stylization of medieval and Renaissance European martial arts, which is common in modern artistic media, is flawed. In at least some cases a historically informed approach is preferable. This thesis describes how one might take such a historically informed approach to writing a fight scene. It examines the martial arts practiced by elite members of society through the medieval poems Beowulf and The Song of Roland, and through martial arts manuals including Fiore de’i Liberi’s Flos Delatorum, the glosses of Johannes Liechtenauer’s Zettel, and the rapier manuals of Camillo Agrippa and Girard Thibault d’Anvers. It considers audience …

The Two Lives Of Chuck Norris, Ben Pettis

Rhetoric and Communication Studies Faculty Publications

“Chuck Norris doesn’t do push-ups. He simply pushes the world down.”

“Chuck Norris counted to infinity – twice.”

“Chuck Norris once strangled someone – with a cordless phone”

In the late 2000s and early 2010s, Chuck Norris, the 1980s action star, became a tongue-in-cheek model of toughness and masculinity in viral internet memes known as “Chuck Norris Facts.”

Get Busy Living: Leaping Out Of Confinement With Kierkegaard In The Shawshank Redemption, Christian Wilken

Journal of Religion & Film

This article offers a Kierkegaardian reading of The Shawshank Redemption (1994), arguing that the film functions not as a miracle narrative but as a cinematic enactment of existential theology. While existing scholarship frequently interprets Shawshank through biblical typology or Foucauldian notions of incarceration, few consider how the film dramatizes Kierkegaard’s categories of anxiety, despair, and the leap of faith. Shawshank presents prison as more than a space of punishment—it becomes a refuge from the “dizziness of freedom,” a structured escape from the terrifying burden of possibility. Brooks’s suicide tragically embodies what Kierkegaard calls the “despair of weakness,” the inability to …

Numinous Matter: Time, Image, And The Sacred In Tarkovsky’S Cinema, Pamela Breda Phd

Journal of Religion & Film

In an era increasingly defined by acceleration, fragmentation, and commodification, the act of watching cinema has become subject to the same regimes of optimization that govern nearly all other domains of life. Streaming platforms quantify attention and the rhythms of visual consumption seem to be calibrated for distraction, rather than immersion. As film theorist Jonathan Beller stresses, in the contemporary attention economy, spectatorship itself becomes a form of labor enlisted into the machinery of value extraction. Within this cultural (and ocularcentric) regime to engage with the cinematic oeuvre of Andrei Tarkovsky is a radical counter-practice. Operating in the liminal space …

The Inscrutability Of Providence In Tarkovsky's Stalker, Peter G. Goldman

Journal of Religion & Film

Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979) follows a spiritual journey that is at once literal and allegorical. The Zone, created by an alien visitation, is a place with conscious agency, and it reacts to those who enter its space. The Stalker says, rather obscurely, "it's as if we construct it according to our state of mind." How exactly the Zone responds to those who visit it is arguably the central question of the film. The Zone's agency is analogous to Providence in some sense, and the film is filled with Christian references on several levels. While most critics see Stalker as an …

Contemplative Absence: Sacred Experience In Abbas Kiarostami’S The Wind Will Carry Us And The Aesthetics Of Slow Cinema, Hessam Abedini

Journal of Religion & Film

This article examines how Abbas Kiarostami’s The Wind Will Carry Us (1999) creates sacred experience through systematic absence within contemporary slow cinema aesthetics. While previous scholarship has focused on religious content in spiritual cinema, this analysis demonstrates how formal techniques—particularly strategic concealment and extended duration—generate contemplative states without explicit religious references. Drawing on Paul Schrader’s transcendental style theory and recent slow cinema scholarship, the article traces how Kiarostami adapts Persian poetic traditions, particularly concepts of pardeh (veiling) and the interplay between bāṭin (hidden) and ẓāhir (manifest), to create meaning through what remains unseen. The dying woman who never appears, the …

Theology And The Films Of Christopher Nolan: Cinematic Transcendence, Travis W. Cooper

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Joel Mayward, Theology and the Films of Christopher Nolan: Cinematic Transcendence (Bloomsbury Academic/Fortress Academic, 2025).

Bollypolitics: Popular Hindi Cinema And Hindutva, Anand Taneja

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Ajay Gehlawat, Bollypolitics: Popular Hindi Cinema and Hindutva (Bloomsbury, 2024).

Filming Modernity And Islam In Colonial Egypt, Eid Mohamed

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a book review of Heba Arafa Abdelfattah, Filming Modernity and Islam in Colonial Egypt (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2023).

Fear, Formation, And The Dark Transcendent: Two Theological Approaches To Horror, John W. Morehead

Journal of Religion & Film

This essay reviews two books: Bryan Stone, Christianity and Horror Cinema (Routledge Studies in Religion and Film) (New York: Routledge, 2025), and Ryan G. Duns, S.J., Theology of Horror: The Hidden Depths of Popular Films (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 2025).

Crime 101, Dennis Etzel Jr

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Crime 101 (2026), directed by Bart Layton.

28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Dennis Etzel Jr

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (2026), directed by Alex Garland.

Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, Elijah Siegler

Journal of Religion & Film

This is a film review of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery (2025), directed by Rian Johnson.

In Memoriam: Robert Duvall, William L. Blizek

Journal of Religion & Film

A tribute to Robert Duvall (1931-2026), including a film review of Tender Mercies (1983), for which he won an Academy Award.

Res Historica, Volume 5, Alpha Rho Epsilon Phi Alpha Theta, Lindsay Rae Smith Privette Phd

Res Historica

The 2026 journal of historical research by Anderson University students, Res Historica.

The editorial team for this edition of Res Historica was Dr. Lindsay Rae Smith Privette, Julia Ackerman, Callyn Wright, Logan Davis, and John Hinton. Cover art by Mary Beth Lee.

‘They’Re Squeezing Us Like An Accordion’:Assessing The Information Environment Of Working-Class Residents Of Dublin’S North Inner City, Stephanie Costello

Irish Communication Review

This article assesses the communication environment of the north inner city of Dublin, an area characterised by entrenched disadvantage, rapid demographic change, and neoliberal urban renewal. Findings were produced from a ten-week engagement journalism project involving the Dublin Inquirer, various community groups, and working-class residents. Using Communication Infrastructure Theory (CIT), the study draws on focus groups, participant observation, and interviews to assess local storytelling networks in the context of the project. The findings reveal a fractured communication action context (CAC), where safety concerns, transient populations, litter, lack of public space, and negative national media portrayals constrain residents' ability to connect …

Class And The Screen Industries In Ireland – The Unspoken Barriers In The Sector, Caroline Ann O'Sullivan Dr, Mary Ann Bolger Dr

Irish Communication Review

This article proposes the need to widen the diversity conversation in the screen sector in Ireland to one that also considers social inequality. It closely examines the current policies of the main public funders of Ireland’s screen industries, evaluating how these approaches may unintentionally reinforce and sustain structural barriers within the sector. It presents a case study on barriers to entry conducted amongst screen industry practitioners at a professional networking event in 2024. It also draws from qualitative interviews with working class industry professionals who have sought out upskilling and further training opportunities through TU Dublin and Screen Ireland. The …

The Middle-Class Rip-Off'? Subsiding Culture In Contemporary Ireland, Connell Vaughan Dr

Irish Communication Review

In the last few years (roughly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic) there has been a noted increase in state-led cultural funding in Ireland. Key examples include the raise in the financial allocation to the Arts Council, the introduction of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme, and increased sports capital funding. With reference to the official communication documents of these cases (so-called ‘grey literature’) and deploying the classic 1982 episode of the British sitcom Yes, Minister, ‘The Middle-Class Rip-Off,’ which pitches sports funding against support for the arts, as a satirical lens, this paper reflects on the contemporary …

That’S Sooo Povo!, Sophie O'Toole, Trudy Nolan

Irish Communication Review

When Chantelle and Craoí, two working class Dublin drama students, lock horns over The Plough and the Stars, their combined rage brings forth Queen Povo, a drag-drenched larger-than-life entity who forces the girlos and the audience to examine what they’re thinking about when they think of class. From D'Girlos Theatre, this riotous, razor-sharp debut crashes through class, art, and authenticity with wit, grit, and glitter. A juicy-tracksuit clad call to arms for anyone who’s ever felt too loud, too real, or just too povo.

Women At Work: Women In Economic Crises In German Film, Anthony J. Capone

Student Publications

The films Joyless Street (1925), The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979), and The Drifter (2010) depict the influence of economic crises in restricting women’s flexibility and the shaping of their social roles. Through the themes of survival, resistance, and agency, the female protagonists navigate the economic hardships such as scarcity, poverty, and unemployment by using labor, sexuality, and personal relationships. Spanning the eras of post-World War 1, the Wirtschaftswunder, and the late 2000s, these women emerge as individuals, who are not weak, but rather constrained by the economic structures of their society.

Course Syllabus. Spn 415 Transatlantic Cinema, Álvaro Baquero-Pecino

Open Educational Resources

Course syllabus. SPN 415-Transatlantic Cinema.

This seminar explores the relationship between film, culture, and society in Spain and Latin America through a discussion of representative texts and films, and their historical and political contexts. The course provides an interdisciplinary survey of cinema as an art form, a component of the entertainment industry, and a medium of communication via screenings, lectures, and readings on modern and contemporary Latin American, Spanish, and U.S. Latino cinema. This class will be taught in Spanish

Funded in part by the CUNY OER Initiative.

Obscuring Vivian Maier, Caroline Yuratich

Richard T. Schellhase Essay Prize in Ethics

Vivian Maier, despite being unknown during her lifetime, has undoubtedly become one of the most impactful photographers of the twentieth century. Her vast oeuvre has been shown worldwide, her bold and unconventional photographs rapidly capturing the attention of millions. Maier primarily photographed the streets of Chicago in the 1950s to 70s, snapping people and storefronts on her iconic Rolleiflex camera. Her most well-known works are perhaps her self-portraits, and her foreboding upward-shot street portraits have also taken the stage as some of her best work. However, people who knew her during her lifetime state that they knew almost nothing about …

The Eye: A Science-Fiction Screenplay Examining Space-Time, Meteorology, And Human Connection, Ella K. Lukowiak

Senior Theses

This thesis explores the nature of time, meteorology, and human interconnection to the universe through the lens of a science-fiction screenplay. The creative project spans a three-act, detailed outline, and a screenplay draft of Act I. It is based upon extensive scientific research regarding hurricane development, the inner workings of organizations such as the National Weather Service, Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, and the space-time continuum. I will delve into the various factors that shaped my science-fiction premise, including pivotal films such as Christopher Nolan’s INTERSTELLAR (2014) and Denis Villeneuve’s ARRIVAL (2016). Both of these filmmakers integrated complex science-fiction concepts into …

A Guide To Environmentally Sustainable Filmmaking In South Carolina, Christina Vera Dobrowolski

Senior Theses

The entertainment industry has a massive environmental impact. This information is not new in the filmmaking world, as multiple mainstream efforts exist to curb the material-intensive production of live action films and TV. One of these efforts is the use of voluntary sustainable guidelines, which serve as tools that outline sustainable best practices and resources that can help achieve them. However, current guidelines often lack practicality— focusing more on altruism rather than core economic factors that ultimately drive filmmaking. This project aims to address that gap for filmmakers in South Carolina by offering a website featuring attainable, state-specific resources for …

That’S Class! Exploring The Class Dynamics In Ireland’S Creative Industries - Introduction From Editors, Caroline Ann O'Sullivan Dr, Ciara L. Murphy Dr

Irish Communication Review

This article introduces and contextualises this special edition of Vol 20 of the Irish Communications Review

Gendered Discourses And Classed Access Routes For Feminist Djs In Irish Subcultural Scenes, Andrea Cleary

Irish Communication Review

This article examines feminist collectives in Ireland’s electronic/dance music (E/DM) and music technology (MT) scenes, focusing on how gender and class intersect to shape access and participation. Drawing on thematic analysis of interviews with five collective members active between 2016 and 2025, it traces paths to participation from "musical homes" to instrument education to university DJ societies. To do this, it examines the overlapping family, cultural and subcultural capitals which shaped their journeys. Finally, this article considers the role of feminist collectives in creating alternative educational spaces and networks for women and gender minority participation in E/DM cultures.

“This Play Has Become Something That Isn’T For Us”: Working Class Identity, Canonical Inheritance, And The Girlo On Stage In That’S Sooo Povo!, Ciara L. Murphy Dr

Irish Communication Review

That’s Sooo Povo! was first produced in 2025 as part of the Dublin Fringe Festival by D’Girlos Theatre Company. The play follows Chantelle and Croía, two working class Dublin drama students who, when faced with partnering up to perform a scene from Sean O’Casey’s The Plough and the Stars (1926), end up summoning the “drag-drenched larger-than-life entity” Queen Povo (That’s Sooo Povo! | Fringe Festival, 2025). This companion piece firstly aims to examine how O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars has made a journey from subversive class critique to nostalgic institutional property, and what it means for working class women …

Let's All Go To The Lobby: Examining The American Cold War Experience Through Film, Renaldo Gonzales Jr.

GLI MA in American History Student Works

The films of the American film industry produced and released during the Cold War are as varied as the complex events that occurred throughout the entirety of the conflict. These films can provide an understanding of how the feelings and attitudes of the American people shifted and evolved as the Cold War progressed. This work will examine a small sample of these films, focusing on one film from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. By providing critiques and reviews of the film from the time of its original release, information about the motives of the director of the films being …