Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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This thesis aims to examine Afghan literature and feminism through the works called On Half from the East by Nadia Hashimi and Roya by Shaina and Nadia Pakrawan. For a couple of years, the Taliban has controlled Afghanistan's literature on women and feminism to silence and squash Westernized notions of freedom and rights for women. However, feminist authors continue to publish and produce many works like On Half from the East and Roya in retaliation. This thesis argues that to them, the pen is mightier than the sword, and their literature will be able to tackle the situation much better than physical retaliation, which only aggravates the situation. Through writing, women in Afghanistan can create their own identities and no longer struggle while doing so. As more and more people become aware of their situation, they hope the world will be able to provide the proper assistance they need to save them while respecting their cultures and religions carefully.
Shifting Horizons in Entrepreneurship, better known as SHE is a multimedia reporting project that explores the experiences and narratives of Arizona-based female business owners. This collaborative project uses multimedia reporting techniques such as writing, photography, social media and a podcast to showcase how women are making a space for themselves in entrepreneurship.
The purpose of this study was to interview women executives within corporate America to identify similar means of navigating women-specific issues they may have been presented with within their industry. More specifically, the questions sought to identify how these women became successful within their industry and how their female identities may have provided benefits to them, professionally. Interviewees were selected on a multitude of factors, title and status in company, industry, including availability, mutual connections, and demographics. Interviews were conducted both in person, over the phone, via web video conference and via email. All interviewees were asked the same questions, and interviews ranged from 25-45 minutes each. Each one was recorded and transcribed in order to facilitate comparison between stories, experiences, and other mentions.
The initial intention of analyzing the interviews and stories of these executives was to identify common factors that unified their stories. There were nine categories that the interviews sought to investigate: work-life balance, starting off strong, daily routines, mentorship/support, leadership, impact and legacy, advice and motivation, pros of being a woman, biggest challenges/cons. However, the interviews revealed that there were a plethora of unique factors that identified the stories these women had to tell. Overall, 5/8 of the executives believed that their female identity provided an advantage to them in the corporate sector, 2/8 women said their identity was a neutral factor, and only one woman stated she felt it placed her at a disadvantage. Further, this study concludes that the stories of impenetrable glass ceilings and roadblocks are balanced to some degree by stories of success within the corporate sector. There were 3 key themes for their narratives for success, having a support system, putting yourself first, and giving back.
The primary perspective from which people are depicted in media today is shaped by the male gaze. The male gaze is comprised of patriarchal ideals and relies on the understanding that the spectator or viewer is a standard human being, which heteronormativity tells us is a man. From this perspective, the scope of visual representations of men and women in media has been molded after the hierarchized gender displays within which masculinity has primacy over femininity. By presenting a limited spectrum of behavior acceptable for men and women, the media hegemonically manipulates the social constructs of gender and gendered behavior across all levels of society.
This honors thesis applies semiotic and feminist methodologies to engage visual forms of media through art, film, and social media to challenge the social constructs of gender perpetuated and reinforced by dated stereotypes of gender and gendered behavior. First, the theoretical foundation will provide a framework for semiotic and feminist analysis of visual representations of gender in media. Then, I will present data representing the real-world impact that this social construction of gender has on adolescents in America using The State of Gender Equality for U.S. Adolescents, published by Plan International Inc. I will then bring together the explicated methodologies and evidential data alongside my own experiences as a female consumer of visual media to reveal alternative practices of looking that do not revolve around patriarchal norms, looking for a female gaze. In doing so, I hope to present recourse in the face of persistent use of sexist imagery across all levels of our culture and every medium of visual self-expression by providing tools that can be used to interrogate gendered perceptions and inform self-examination in pursuit of a feminist practice of looking.