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Batman is one of the most iconic characters in the history of popular culture. Ever since his creation in 1939, the character and his stories have gone through several changes. In my thesis, I explore and analyze the character within the nearly 20-year period in which he went through the most significant changes (1968-1986). Overall, these changes can be summarized as a shift from a lighthearted superhero consistently placed in campy situations to a dark and brooding vigilante who brutally dispatches his enemies. While analyzing the different versions of this character in this period of time, I reference the conclusions of two scholars: Travis Langley and Chuck Tate. Langley wrote a general psychological analysis of Batman by considering the essential characteristics of the character found in all forms of media. Tate concluded that Batman only uses hostile aggression for the sake of deriving pleasure form the pain he causes to criminals. After analyzing the comics as my primary sources, I have concluded that the general findings of Tate and Langley actually ignore the subtle details of changes in the humanity and self-awareness of the character through time. The lighthearted version of Batman in the late 60's is actually a self-obsessed narcissist, but as time passes, the darker mood of the character can be attributed to an increased acknowledgment of the destructive nature of his unique lifestyle. As the character grows more accepting of himself and his own reasons for continuing this lifestyle, his motivations become less self-centered. Overall, the central change of the character throughout time can be traced back to the status of his inner conflict between normal, human desires and the pure desire for constant vengeance.
ContributorsRivera-Passapera, Hiram Alfonso (Author) / Martin, Thomas (Thesis director) / Miller, April (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This paper aims to investigate how the portrayal of the crusaders in twentieth and twenty-first century film has evolved and how they have become tools in serving contemporary goals, including those of individual filmmakers and broad societal ideologies. Through the analysis of five films, in both narrative and cinematography, spanning from the 1950s until 2011, themes of redemption, maturity, and the dichotomy of "good" and "bad" are discussed, as well as their chronological evolution in regards to the crusading hero. These films, widely ranging in historical subject matter and country of origin, show a greater range of evolution for the holy war hero and the important themes widely associated with them.
ContributorsBowman, Taylor Nicole (Author) / Benkert, Volker (Thesis director) / Bruhn, Karen (Committee member) / Miller, April (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Historical, Philosophical and Religious Studies (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The following study is an attempt to analyze the idea of the abject through the grotesque representation of the female body in contemporary visual art. The focus of the paper will remain within the scheme of the modern Western ideology of physical female beauty, social affirmations, and restraints. My hypothesis is that the grotesque imagery of the female body in modern art redefines beauty and liberates the female subject by turning the gaze upon itself. The proposition of this study emerges from Julia Kristeva’s theory of the abject as it applies to the viewer and the viewed. There is a distinct relationship between grotesque ideas and the female body as it is viewed in the late 20th and 21st centuries. Visual imagery has become increasingly bold in its presentation for good or for bad. I chose the selected artists because they present dark, often socially ‘ugly’ depictions of the female body in honest, straightforward ways. I question why the grotesque is not popularly recognized on the ‘beauty scale’, yet our society craves this kind of imagery. The purpose of this study is to identify and explain abjection within depictions of the grotesque. This exploration of the female figure and its portrayal through the eyes of modern sculptors, painters, and designers aims to highlight that 20th and 21st century aesthetics have moved towards themes of grotesqueness in beauty, amidst cultural objectification and materialization. These themes perhaps present Western culture’s underlying physical insecurities and self-loathing.
ContributorsWillson, Ariane Lolita (Author) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Thesis director) / Miller, April (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Economics Program in CLAS (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
Body Integrity Identity Disorder Screenplay Abstract
The Body Integrity Identity Disorder Screenplay, tentatively entitled Detach, is a full-‐length feature film script. Based on a fascinating mental disorder (generally referred to as the acronym BIID) where an individual does not associate a limb with the rest of their body, the script follows a sufferer and a reporter attempting to write a story on his struggle.
As my creative sensibilities and skills have developed over the span of my undergraduate career, the most ambitious undertaking imaginable for myself at this moment is the completion of a feature script. This project was a significant test of my storytelling skills and ability to format an unusual tale into a conceivable film.
I am proud of the end result and believe that the final version of my screenplay is an accurate representation of my taste as a filmmaker. I hope to actualize this project one day and help facilitate a transformation of the script into a feature film.
The Body Integrity Identity Disorder Screenplay, tentatively entitled Detach, is a full-‐length feature film script. Based on a fascinating mental disorder (generally referred to as the acronym BIID) where an individual does not associate a limb with the rest of their body, the script follows a sufferer and a reporter attempting to write a story on his struggle.
As my creative sensibilities and skills have developed over the span of my undergraduate career, the most ambitious undertaking imaginable for myself at this moment is the completion of a feature script. This project was a significant test of my storytelling skills and ability to format an unusual tale into a conceivable film.
I am proud of the end result and believe that the final version of my screenplay is an accurate representation of my taste as a filmmaker. I hope to actualize this project one day and help facilitate a transformation of the script into a feature film.
ContributorsKitnick, Benjamin Allan (Author) / Bernstein, Gregory (Thesis director) / Miller, April (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Film, Dance and Theatre (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
The depiction of mental illness, schizophrenia in particular, within film is a unique phenomenon that film directors have decided to undertake more so in the last 20 years than ever before in cinematic history (Wedding & Niemic, 2014; Robinson, 2004; Gabbard & Gabbard, 1999; Wahl, 1997). Countless filmmakers have taken on the challenge of depicting this complex, yet degenerative condition that entails auditory and visual hallucinations, disorganized thought and speech, and delusions. Its portrayals are usually exaggerated and romanticized, and convey a sense of separate "Otherness" with those who have a mental disorder. And while filmmakers try to encapsulate the schizophrenic experience, it is not without psychiatric error and regarding the person who has schizophrenia as a spectacle. This unfair and ostracizing view of people who have schizophrenia is fueled by films like A Beautiful Mind and The Shining where the film either creates impossibly high standards for schizophrenics to perform at, or the film paints the character as a violent savage. In either case, the end result is the marking and, usually, denouncement of the schizophrenic for their illness. What filmmakers tend to overlook is how much the public learns from the cinematic portrayals of these disorders, and that their films are contributing to an overarching issue of public presumptions of actual schizophrenia and how it is perceived. While the Hollywood approach offers a depiction that is usually more tangible and enjoyable for masses of audiences, spectators should recognize that these are artistic interpretations that take liberties in their depictions of schizophrenia. Viewing these films with an objective mindset to better understand the inner workings of schizophrenia is absolutely crucial in arriving anything close to the truth behind this mental illness that has been demonized long enough.
ContributorsFraga, Nicholas Andrew (Author) / Miller, April (Thesis director) / Cavanaugh Toft, Carolyn (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Department of English (Contributor)
Created2015-05
Description
This work examines three common practices—yellowface in Cloud Atlas (2012), whitewashing in Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and absence in Firefly (2002)—employed in popular science fiction that represent Asianness and disregard the Asian body. Though the creators purport to have progressive ideals at the center of their production choices, their works call on Techno-Orientalist and Orientalist tropes and divorce them from the Asian body, implicitly continuing the Orientalist argument of Western supremacy even in representing Asianness.
ContributorsTse, Kassidy Laurane (Author) / Miller, April (Thesis director) / Rondilla, Joanne (Committee member) / Department of English (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-05
Description
This thesis is a two-part theatre and literature project on The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde. The research component will consist of gathering information from the origins of this play in writing and in production to further understand my knowledge of the time it was written in and how it has been interpreted over the years. The theatrical elements will come as I direct and produce my own production of the play, and compare my research of Wilde's play and past productions to my own directorial decisions in attempt to make a successful student performed play.
ContributorsMarnick, Courtney Melissa (Author) / Miller, April (Thesis director) / Brown, Dori (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-12
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
Colorism- "Prejudice or discrimination against individuals with a dark skin tone, typically among people of the same ethnic or racial group"- is a social problem that has plagued India for decades. This thesis aims to identify how colorism has been transported across oceans and countries and, not only transplanted, but transformed within the second generation demographic-- who are those whose parents immigrated here from India and were born in America. In order to identify how second generation Indians, see color and how it operates in their lives, I sat down with 10 individuals who are attending Arizona State University in pursuit of their undergraduate degrees. I asked them questions relating to social cohesion, society's set beauty standards, proximity to Indian culture, involvement with social media, the origins of colorism, and lastly privilege. Based off of the narratives and experiences they shared with me I concluded that, in terms of colorism amongst this demographic, individuals tend to care more or focus more on their own skin tone as opposed to judging others based on theirs, due to the fear of being othered by the community they are in- whether that be Indian or American. They may not necessarily feel shunned or not accepted by certain community's standards, but they most certainly feel the pressure to conform to both in various situations in their lives. Because of these conclusions, I think colorism operates within this community but has transformed into a concept of transnational beauty and wanting to be seen as beautiful point blank. Not beautiful for an Indian girl or handsome for an Indian guy, and most certainly not beautiful for a South Indian man or women. With further research and more individuals sharing their narratives and experiences, this demographic and generation can reduce the importance the Indian community places on color and widen the definition of beauty.
ContributorsLokareddy, Nikitha (Author) / Bhattacharjya, Nilanjana (Thesis director) / Miller, April (Committee member) / Department of Marketing (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2018-05
Description
This thesis explores the emergence and evolution of the term ‘binge-watching’ and considers how this practice of television consumption became a widespread cultural phenomenon. For the purposes of this project, binge-watching will be defined as watching several episodes of a television series in a row, without stopping (trips to the bathroom and kitchen excluded). This type of television consumption has become increasingly popular due to the rise in digital streaming content available on sites such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Video. This paper focuses on Netflix, the foremost streaming service used in the United States, because of its implementation of features that allow for easier binge-watching, such as its autoplay countdown feature and its personalized rating system which recommends new content to users based on their preferences. Not only has binge-watching become a popular form of television consumption, the term itself is prevalent in advertisement, critical media discourse, and casual conversation amongst spectators, prompting questions about its etymology. Very little research has yet been published on the topic of binge-watching and what those who consume television this way are doing to their bodies and minds – essentially placing consumers in the midst of an uncontrolled experiment. Future research should be pursued to address these gaps in literature and understanding of this phenomenon. This paper sought to piece together the conflicted responses to the practice of binge-watching, with both producers and viewers lauding how technology enables viewers to have a sense of agency and control over their viewing practices, while also admitting that such practices may have a detrimental impact on the industry and spectators’ physical and mental well-beings.
ContributorsTaylor, Emma Lynette (Author) / Miller, April (Thesis director) / Dove-Viebahn, Aviva (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2017-12