Matching Items (47)
Description
Drawing on existing scholarship as well as primary analytical materials, the research within this report demonstrates Wile E. Coyote's character is reliant on human connectivity and is evocative of the human condition, reflecting his disciplined and stylized design he possesses. Comprised of literary, film/media, and rhetorical elements, this report illustrates how Wile E. is an individual whose character holds various influences that provide dimensionality to his existence. The research within this report is both primary and secondary through observational recordings about the cartoons Wile E. appears in and through thorough analysis of texts elaborating on the elements comprising Wile E.'s character. Primary research from the initial observational recordings provides direction for the secondary research after viewing multiple cartoons and films containing Wile E. Coyote in his Warner Brothers Studios appearances and noting unique moments in his cinematic career. The notes from this viewing of Wile E. in his natural "habitat" drive the secondary research to focus on specific aspects of Wile E.'s character through the analysis of supporting texts which ultimately leads to the findings within this report. Research in the fields of literature, film/media studies, and rhetoric shape the analysis of Wile E.'s character as this report studies the various components compiled within the cartoon coyote. As a multifaceted individual, Wile E. illustrates a complexity within a stylized character that allows viewers to connect to his plights and to identify with his struggles. Through his emulative form, Wile E. embodies vital elements of character creation that allow him to become a memorable and prominent character that resonates in viewers and artists. From Wile E. Coyote's example, future generations of story tellers, regardless of their medium, can learn how to create similarly iconic and timeless characters within their works. Such stories can then contribute significant additions to popular narrative and characterization.
ContributorsGarza, Christopher Aaron (Author) / Baldini, Cajsa (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / Sandler, Kevin (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
Playable female characters in video games have become increasingly more acceptable in the mind of the average gamer. Video games like the Mass Effect series allow gamers to choose to play as either male or female. Despite the industry's data showing that the male character is more likely to be played, vocal fans of the game will often argue that the female character is more desirable depending on the experience that the player is wanting. It is this inconsistency between the gaming industry's data on gender choice and the fans that go against this data that leads to the present research. This research explores why men play female characters in video games. Previous literature found that avatar choices matter to gamers, both for how they are viewed and how they experience the game. This literature suggests that gamers make character decisions based on the desired gaming experience. Data for the current study consists of comments from five Reddit posts and from supplementary surveys completed by volunteers from Reddit. Four main categories that encompassed the numerous results are identified: in-game advantages, player-character interactions, exploration of new experiences and/or identities, and novelty. Each category also features a number of subcategories that were identified first and then combined to make the final four categories. The results found supported previous literature as well as expanded the literature to offer more insight behind why male gamers choose to play as female characters. This choice is ultimately reliant upon varied factors on which they base their choices for the desired gaming experience.
ContributorsBunch, Sarah Elizabeth (Author) / Mack, Robert (Thesis director) / Ingram-Waters, Mary (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
American society reflects a never-ending cycle of sociopolitical anxiety; as one source of anxiety disappears, another materializes. One of the most prominent and relevant examples of a sociopolitical anxiety currently plaguing the United States is our government, especially the president. Donald Trump, a successful businessman with no political background who is infamous for his crass, rude demeanor, is currently in charge of the United States. At the Women’s March in Washington on January 21, 2018, a protestor held up a sign reading “This episode of Black Mirror sucks” in response to President Trump’s election into office. Women, especially, have felt so threatened by Trump’s presence that they have made comparisons between the current political reality and the depressing dystopias illustrated in Netflix’s series Black Mirror. Such comparisons speak volumes about the current state of our country, suggesting that our future is likely to devolve into one similar to the exaggerated and decidedly dark futures portrayed in the series.
In order to evaluate this sentiment, this thesis will explore the representation of various modern social anxieties as presented in five different episodes of Black Mirror: “Fifteen Million Merits,” “White Bear,” “Nosedive,” “Men Against Fire,” and “Hang the DJ.” The essay begins with a brief introduction to the series and background information that explores the modern relationship between technology and some of the anxieties it raises. Following this contextualization, I will present a definitional section that outlines the various concepts that are relevant to dystopias and the ones depicted in Black Mirror specifically. The next segment discusses the more specific evolution of technology within dystopias. I will analyze nondiegetic and extratextual material related to the series, such as the Black Mirror theme music and the posters used to advertise the series. This section will also include some background information about the show, including its structure and the intentions of the creator as expressed in interviews. The main portion of the thesis will use the aforementioned episodes to demonstrate the various threats that technology presents to the individual, such as commodification, an illusion of agency, emotional and mental deterioration, and obtaining pleasure from violence. The paper also discusses the threats that technology poses to society including brainwashing, a lack of authenticity in social interactions, the presence of monotony, and dehumanization. Finally, a concluding section will explain how the series Black Mirror represents prominent modern social anxieties and conveys why contemporary users of technology should fear it.
In order to evaluate this sentiment, this thesis will explore the representation of various modern social anxieties as presented in five different episodes of Black Mirror: “Fifteen Million Merits,” “White Bear,” “Nosedive,” “Men Against Fire,” and “Hang the DJ.” The essay begins with a brief introduction to the series and background information that explores the modern relationship between technology and some of the anxieties it raises. Following this contextualization, I will present a definitional section that outlines the various concepts that are relevant to dystopias and the ones depicted in Black Mirror specifically. The next segment discusses the more specific evolution of technology within dystopias. I will analyze nondiegetic and extratextual material related to the series, such as the Black Mirror theme music and the posters used to advertise the series. This section will also include some background information about the show, including its structure and the intentions of the creator as expressed in interviews. The main portion of the thesis will use the aforementioned episodes to demonstrate the various threats that technology presents to the individual, such as commodification, an illusion of agency, emotional and mental deterioration, and obtaining pleasure from violence. The paper also discusses the threats that technology poses to society including brainwashing, a lack of authenticity in social interactions, the presence of monotony, and dehumanization. Finally, a concluding section will explain how the series Black Mirror represents prominent modern social anxieties and conveys why contemporary users of technology should fear it.
ContributorsRamesh, Bhavna (Author) / Miller, April (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / School of Sustainability (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
In the late 2000s and 2010s, digital art and the use of the internet as a new platform for art to be displayed became increasingly common. A new art scene began developing among South Asian diasporic artists, driven primarily by adolescents and young adult women who have never attended art school. Their primary medium is digital tools, their primary display platform is the internet, and they adhere to a DIY ("do-it-yourself") ethic rather than traditional art techniques and norms. As these internet artists have forgone the traditional gallery art scene in favor of more accessible internet platforms, these artists have not received attention from the mainstream art world. However, the popularity of these internet artists is undeniable as many of them have tens of thousands and hundreds of thousands of followers on their social media accounts. This new art scene has gained notice with the advent of social media platforms such as Tumblr and Instagram and websites focused on youth culture and counterculture, such as Vice, Buzzfeed, Dazed, and independent digital zine publications. The content of the work of these artists is often political, promoting feminist ideals, challenging South Asian and European beauty standards and limiting stereotypes of South Asian women, and creating groundbreaking new representations of South Asian women. Influences from both South Asian and Western pop culture and counterculture are prominent in their as well. This thesis explores the origins of this art scene and its roots in South Asian modernism and conventional South Asian diasporic artists.
ContributorsKhan, Nevine (Author) / Bhattacharjya, Nilanjana (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
In this undergraduate thesis, I explore the relationship between politics and popular culture through an ethnography of Justice League Arizona, a cosplay ensemble devoted to costumed civic activism. While existing scholarship addresses cosplay ensembles and political theory, there is very little that examines how the act of cosplay can be a form of politics and what the impact of that interpretation has on both individuals and the community at large. Through both participant observation and interviews with members of the ensemble, I discovered that cosplay has the ability to intensify aspects of the self, the ability to expose new aspects of the self, and the ability to bring one closer to a particular character. I also found cosplay to be political through the sensibility and situated knowledge that proves to be in practice during cosplay, ultimately having the power to be used as a form of political resistance.
ContributorsBurrus, Ella Rene (Author) / Mack, Robert (Thesis director) / Behl, Natasha (Committee member) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor) / Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
Description
Across group studies, identifying as part of one group over the other is instrumental in determining the traits of an individual’s personality. Furthermore, when someone’s style of dress causes them to fit into a group, their personality is likely to be dictated by what they are wearing and who they are with. Attendees of comic conventions have been part of a growing trend to dress up as their favorite characters from different anime, manga, television shows, books, video games, etc., where they can meet like-minded people who share similar interests and hobbies. When combining changes of affect, and similarities of cultural and group identification, the likelihood to engage in a romantic relationship may become heightened. Using existing measures to examine commitment, sociosexual orientation and relationship satisfaction, 1232 convention attendees responded to measures addressing their current or most recent relationship. The respondents were split into 4 groups, individuals who are currently in a relationship and cosplay, individuals who are currently in a relationship and do not cosplay, individuals who are currently single and cosplay, and individuals who are currently in a relationship and do not cosplay. Results indicated non-significant results in the two groups that are not in relationships, as well as non-cosplaying attendees currently in a relationship, for all the measures, while there were weak, significant results for sociosexual orientation and relationship satisfaction for individuals who are in relationships and also cosplay. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
ContributorsLeshner, Connor (Author) / de la Garza, Amira (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / Kenrick, Douglas (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12
Description
A podcast that discusses the phenomenon of cult cinema deemed “so bad, it's good”. It takes a look at what makes these films enduring and entertaining, with the ability to create near-religious followings. Moreover, it discusses the financial aspect of the filmmaking and how these followings affect the market.
ContributorsFischler, Max Caskey (Co-author) / Stone, Zac (Co-author) / Schmidt, Peter (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / School of Accountancy (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
A podcast that discusses the phenomenon of cult cinema deemed “so bad, it's good”. It takes a look at what makes these films enduring and entertaining, with the ability to create near-religious followings. Moreover, it discusses the financial aspect of the filmmaking and how the cult followings affect the market.
ContributorsStone, Zac Allen (Co-author) / Max, Fischler (Co-author) / Schmidt, Peter (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / The Sidney Poitier New American Film School (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
Dr. Sigmund Freud has managed to become one of the most controversial and paradoxical figures in the universe of academia. This paper was written as an evaluation of Freud, as a man and a scientist, in an attempt to decide if his work is suitable for the modern classroom. This essay will question Freud's methods of validity and ethics in his theories and case studies. The theories discussed will include beginning treatment, dream interpretation, and instinct theory. The case studies will include The History if Infantile Neurosis and An Analysis of a Case of Hysteria. The topic of Freud’s validity was not easily determined. Nuanced work with the unconscious may not always demand empirical evidence to support it and many scholars hold conflicting beliefs on this area of Freud’s work. While Freud’s ethics, against modern standards, do not hold up to any APA ethical guidelines that now exist.
ContributorsAdamo, Madison (Author) / Fey, Richard (Thesis director) / Mack, Robert (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2021-05
Description
The Lord of the Rings films are an immensely popular early 2000s film trilogy. Yet the films’ popularity goes deeper than critical acclaim. The films have a cult following, enough for the films to have frequent theatrical re-releases and for Hollywood to begin producing more Lord of the Rings content starting in 2022 with Amazon’s Rings of Power. Why do these films, the first live-actions adaptations of Tolkien’s books, have such long-lasting appeal? Academic scholars have thoroughly attempted to answer this question. Some scholars have even utilized the theories of Carl Jung—including his theory of archetypes—to explain the purpose of certain characters within the films. Few, however, have utilized Jung’s theory of archetypes in great depth alongside his theory of the collective unconscious. This piece attempts to supplement the works of previous scholars in explaining the Lord of the Rings films’ appeal by emphasizing subconscious appeal, utilizing the theories of Carl Jung. Specifically, this piece analyzes the characters of Gollum as a portrayal of the shadow archetype, and the characters of Aragorn and Arwen as the anima and animus archetypes respectively. Further, this piece argues that Jung’s theory of the collective unconscious in humans not only be applied to the portrayal of the race of men in the films, but also to the races of elves and orcs. Elves and orcs are shown to have similar but different collective unconsciouses which viewers can then subconsciously compare to the collective unconscious of men portrayed. This analysis serves to explain a number of subconscious appeals of the Lord of the Rings films which explain their immense and long-lasting popularity.
ContributorsLassila, Clifford (Author) / Mack, Robert (Thesis director) / Loebenberg, Abbey (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics (Contributor) / School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (Contributor)
Created2023-05