Journals @ KPU (Kwantlen Polytechnic University)
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The Big Bad Wolf in Sheep's Clothing: Kubrick’s ‘Shining’ on Domestic Abuse in The Dark and the Wicked (2020)
Get PDFThe thorough scholarly dissection of Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980) has yielded many results, among which is a reflection, led by Jack Torrance’s “Big Bad Wolf” impersonation, that centres on the implicit theme of domestic abuse. This wolf metaphor stands as the starting point of an examination of Bryan Bertino’s The Dark and the Wicked (2020) through the lens of The Shining’s domestic violence narrative. Both films, although widely different status-wise, and directed forty years apart, seem to tackle this thematic idea through common cinematic elements: prowling shots, hints of fairy-tales, and cannibalistic patterns, together depicting the home as the hunting ground of a patriarchal predator. The domestic abuse theme, subdued in The Shining, remains textually absent from The Dark and the Wicked, but their synoptic analysis shines a new light on the missing genesis of the characters’ devouring trauma, as diverted through its visual narration
The Floating Coffins: Cataleptic Terror and Prismatic Vision in Watson and Webber's The Fall of the House of Usher
No full textThe scholarship surrounding Watson and Webber tends to acknowledge an ideological conflict between the filmmakers and modernism itself, a strange tension as their films seem at once to aspire to the folklore and fables that underpinned Gothic literature and to the geometric violence of modern art. This tension drives their work here, where splintering imagery establishes the film’s emotional tenor. Kaleidoscopes, prisms, countless stairs, and phantasmal anagrams are not political aesthetics for Watson and Webber; they serve instead as the emotional substance of the film, rendering the impossible house itself absolute in its dynamic mise-en-scène. In this video essay, Stephen Broomer explores the filmmakers’ debts to Vorticism, Dadaism, and the Gothic tradition
Development and Preliminary Validation of the Teamwork Expectations and Attitudes Measure (TEAM)
Get PDFTeamwork is essential for success in any group project and understanding how well a team functions can assist both students and teachers with learning. This paper outlines the development and preliminary validation of a new self-report measure of students’ perceptions of working in a team, the Teamwork Expectations and Attitudes Measure (TEAM). Two pilot studies, sampling a total of 438 undergraduate students, were conducted to develop and refine the initial items into a 14-item unidimensional measure. A validation study was then conducted with a sample of 226 undergraduate students. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the revealed unidimensional structure with high internal consistency. Correlations between the TEAM and other theoretically relevant variables provide evidence of convergent, discriminant, and criterion validity. Our results suggest that the TEAM has acceptable psychometric properties and may be useful to students, educators, and researchers as a tool for assessing team functioning
The Thing at Forty
Get PDFJohn Carpenter’s The Thing opened forty years ago in a box office crowded with science fiction films, and failed to win acclaim. Since then, it has been recognized as a classic horror film. This review explains why audiences have kept coming back to The Thing by examining the kernel of the real around which it wraps. It starts by considering the ways in which Carpenter’s film returns to its sources and continues to reverberate. Next, it argues that the film’s narrative returns us to an unnamable trauma. The story holds, but it is interrupted by moments of sheer visual enjoyment. At the same time, the film’s practical effects return us to the cinema of attractions. By returning us to its own history, to those traumas that stand beyond the reach of art, and to the history of cinema itself, The Thing keeps viewers watching, and watching again
Psychology Practicum with KPU Central Advising : PSYC 4010 Summer 2022 Practicum
No full textThis poster illustrates my practicum experience with KPU Central Advising and working alongside the central advising team. My role included working as a student assistant and a peer advisor for first and second-year KPU students. In my role, I took on several projects such as creating social media posts, assisting advisors in the course planning workshops and family orientation day workshop and meeting with students. I also discuss what psychology classes were applicable and utilized in my practicum experience and the challenges, skills, and learnings I acquired. Finally, I discuss future career endeavors this experience can assist me in securing the foundational skillsets it provided me in my pursuit of becoming a therapist
Genre Theory and Stranger Things: Breaking Boundaries, Nostalgia, and Pop Culture Influences
Get PDFNetflix’s original series Stranger Things took over the world with its scary monsters, likable characters, and nostalgic 1980’s rural setting. In this article, I analyze genre theory, specifically how this trending television series embodies the horror genre at its roots with its mangled monsters and demon like villains, while also touching on the truths of society and adolescence. Through the use of reference to the two latest seasons, I draw upon examples and argue about how the classic elements of the horror, such as the physical monster and body, are at the foundation of this show, yet it is the corporation of the sci-fi and drama elements that showcase the ways the show breaks boundaries of what the audiences may expect. Giving a brief breakdown of genre theory as a whole and its evolution from simple patterns to providing a deeper meaning through more modern films, I reference film scholar Thomas Schatz to illuminate how Stranger Things shifts from using certain conventions within genre and twists expectations. I analyze the importance of having aesthetic complexities and themes, such as the coming-of-age struggles and mental health issues, while never backing down from the scary, demonic, and otherworldly dangers presented in each season. Lastly, I breakdown how the use of the 1980’s provides viewers with the perfect nostalgic feeling that has aided in the influence in the rise of trends and pop culture icons
KDocs 2023 Opening Night Report
No full textA review and summary of the opening night for the 2023 KDocs Film Festival
Are Humans Naturally Monogamous?
Get PDFThis paper explores the concept of monogamy as a social construct imposed on humans rather than a natural behavior. While monogamous relationships are common in all human societies, exceptions exist, and consensual non-monogamy (CNM) is growing in popularity. CNM includes various relationship models that allow individuals to love multiple partners, negotiate agreements for what is permitted outside of the partnership, and minimize infidelity and its negative outcomes. Economic resources and mortality rates can influence mating systems in societies, with areas with more resources showing more promiscuous systems. The paper highlights the controversy surrounding typical mating patterns in humans, with evidence suggesting that our common ancestor engaged in sex for pleasure, and humans gradually moved away from a “free love” society into an agricultural society. The rise of agriculture allowed individuals to own land and initiated the institution of monogamous marriage as an economic arrangement. However, it remains unclear why patriarchal societies limited themselves to monogamy as increasing wealth could have increased reproductive success in polygynous males with multiple wives. The paper concludes that monogamy is not a natural behavior, and there is a growing movement for CNM as an alternative.