California State University (CSU): Open Journal Systems
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Film Review: Blood Quantum by Jeff Barnaby
Get PDFJeff Barnaby’s film titled Blood Quantum (2019) entices the viewer to explore sociological dimensions of race, ethnicity, power dynamics, colonialism, and oppression. Along with an academic perspective, the addition of zombies, gore, and character regression/growth creates a thrilling journey to watch and enjoy. The film takes place on the fictional Red Crow reserve of isolatedMi’kmaq in Canada. Traylor is a policeman on the reservation and begins to encounter animals that should be dead but come back to life. The first human encounter he experiences is when he must bail his son, Joseph, and his estranged son, Lysol, from a police station off the reservation. A man sharing the cell with them suddenly attacks and they have to subdue him, but he doesn’t back down due to being a zombie. Soon after, things begin to get more intense on and off the reservation for those who are not Indigenous. The film then jumps six months later to where the journey fully begins, and it is explained that the Indigenous individuals are immune to the virus while white people are not
Music Review: Cavetown’s ‘Guilty’ Through a Sociological Lens
Get PDFAs a moving piece with emotive lyrics and imaginative storytelling, “Guilty,” by indie/alternative singer-songwriter Cavetown (2021), paints an image of loyalty and pain through the metaphor of a dog\u27s relationship with their owner, given the album name Man\u27s Best Friend. Beyond the metaphor, the lyrics of this song have a multitude of different interpretations, and as a result, it resonates with many on various levels while remaining sociologically sound. There are layers to this song as it covers a range of themes involving mental health, fear of isolation, identity management, and humans’ need for connection in society
Jailed! : Observations of the Societal Structure of a Jail Housing Unit
No full textThis article is an autobiographical account of the thirty days that I spent as a detainee at the Manhattan Detention Center (MDC). Given little to no information about the circumstances that warranted my arrest and detention, I began my own investigation into how the criminal justice system differs from its representations to the public and how it systemically fails certain communities. I observed that the environment in incarceration fosters the creation of a unique society. Using conversations with fellow detainees on their past and present confinement, I studied the makeshift societal structure within MDC. Focusing primarily on the housing unit, which was a barter system trade community, I was able to introduce minute system changes and observe their overall effect. The end result was a stronger interconnected community based on mutual respect and the elimination of marginalized status. Further study on the communities that arise in various incarceration environments could lead to better jail and prison conditions, more positive outcomes for detainees upon release, and a potentially a decrease in recidivism rates
Separation over Immigration in the Latino Community
No full textThis paper goes over the rising anti-immigrant sentiments in the Latino community that has become increasingly apparent after the 2024 election. Through social identity theory and crimmigration theory, I examine why these sentiments have arisen, along with an elaboration of what historical events have contributed to the rise in anti-immigrant rhetoric in recent years. The paper overall highlights that Latino immigrants, in an effort for self-preservation and stability, are separating themselves from the broader Latino community and have created a group of Latino immigrants who support anti-immigrant policies
Discussing the Difficulties Language Barriers Impose on Legal Proceedings
No full textThousands of people are criminally and civilly tried by the United
States government everyday. English is the language of common-law, in which
most legalese stem from. Courtroom discourse has notorious been dominated by
niche legalese, a subset from day-to-day English. For a defendant who does not
speak English, or has a limited English proficiency (LEP), language barriers can
impose difficulties on any court proceedings where Legal English may
dominate. Language barriers are perplexities in communication or
comprehension between individuals speaking different languages and dialects.
The Legal English used in legalese is designed to make legal proceedings sound
official, but can also be difficult to understand. Due to preconceived gaps in
discourse between Legal English and day-to-day English, discrepancies between
both native-English and non-native English speakers (or limited English
proficiency; LEP) is posed. This can potentially lead to difficulties carrying out
criminal proceedings. Difficulties such as lack of interpreters or accurate
interpretation for defendants, loss of nuance in translation of legal text, delays in
proceedings, diminished defendant credibility (DDC) in testimonies, and due
process are all at stake when defendants do not speak the dominant discourse.
Conducting criminal proceedings solely in Legal English puts LEP individuals at
risk of injustice. On many occasions language can be the only thing standing
between a defendant’s freedom and their incarceration. Through critical analysis
taken from a variety of literature, this paper focuses on the difficulties language
barriers impose on legal proceedings.
The Importance of Identity: A Visual Criminological Analysis of Intersectionality
No full textA traditional single-lens reflex camera holds a mirror at the core of its
mechanism. The mirror allows for light to reflect whatever the lens is focusing
on to the viewfinder for the photographer. This mechanic holds no greater
significance other than its intended function to give the photographer the
opportunity to preview the photograph before taking the image, but I find great
poetic symbolism in it. The photographer and the subject, tied together by their
own reflections and a string of light– they are inseparable. This idea became my
philosophy as a photographer but also an artist viewing photographs– the images
are always informed by the photographer and vice versa
Sunday Morning
Get PDFTanner heads down to the local park to search for a specific bird he needs to complete his birdwatcher\u27s guidebook, but he finds something else instead
