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Then and Now: Comparing the Representations of Gender, Race, and Class in Rom-Coms from the 1990s to Today
Get PDFThe formula of the romantic comedy is relatively consistent. The couple meets, they get closer, there are trials and tribulations in their relationship which lead to a confession of love, and they live happily ever after from that point on. Popularized by films such as When Harry Met Sally (1989), Sleepless in Seattle (1993), and You’ve Got Mail (1998), the rom-com genre had a modern resurgence in the 1990s led by the films of Meg Ryan, and has continued to have many moments of relevance in the decades since. Romance can be a divisive genre. People who enjoy it do so because it is often lighthearted and has feel-good messages, with the assurance of a guaranteed happily-ever-after. On the flip side, people who criticize it have concerns about the familiar tropes being too predictable, about stereotypical representations of gender and sexuality, and critiques that it lacks uniqueness in storytelling due to an adherence to formulas and genre conventions. However, given the collective popularity of romance-themed shows, films, novels and social media content, there’s no doubt that the genre continues to be a major part of our current media environment. This genre is important to study because romance-themed media are about so much more than just love: they touch on so many aspects of identity, including race, class, and gender. Through a feminist lens, this thesis project will examine the various depictions of representation through eight different romantic comedy films of two distinct eras: films from the 1990s, and films from the later 2010s through the 2020s. My research is guided by the following research questions: How are characters, particularly women, portrayed in the genre, especially in relation to a romantic partner? How are different aspects of identity examined through a romance-centered lens? How do aspects of gender studies help us examine the portrayals of the characters in these films? This topic is important to study because there are so many ways to make commentaries through film and popular media, and vehicles such as films continue to be a pedagogy of sorts when it comes to attitudes about gender and sexuality. This type of analysis of a specific genre contributes to the conversation surrounding the progressive nature of representation of varying identities along a spectrum, as highlighted in most recent work in the gender studies field
Inequality in the Participation of Women on Corporate Boards
Get PDFIn recent years, studies on gender inequality have increased because of the 1995 World Conference on Women, which aimed to increase women’s participation in decision-making and exercising power. This paper investigates this research question: How does participation by gender on corporate boards and in directorships impact the rest of the decision-making positions? We conducted this study to give evidence of the gender inequality that exists on boards of directors and within leadership positions in Mexico with the aim of proposing strategies to remedy this situation. The hypothesis is that if men make up the majority of corporate boards and directorships, the difficulty for women to attain these positions increases. This exploratory study originates from the 2019 report Women in the Boardroom: A Global Perspective and analyzes reports of 29 companies listed on the Mexican Stock Exchange, including financial services, media technology, telecommunications, consumer products, industry, energy, and health sectors. The results show that in the countries studied, including Mexico, the predominance of men in directorships and corporate boardrooms prevails. We highlight that in countries where women have been included in decision-making positions, the presence of women in functional directorship positions is increasingly common. Although in Mexico a movement to demand the constitutional right to equality was followed by the establishment of positive measures in favor of women, the initiative to set gender quotas as a fair practice in forming corporate boards and filling directorship positions has not taken hold. This has motivated us to argue for a norm in favor of equality in the positions of directors and board members
Book Review: Organized Muslim Women in Turkey: An Intersectional Approach to Building Women’s Coalitions
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Book Review - Rebecca Boyle, Our Moon: How Earth\u27s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are
Get PDFThe Maltese Gender Corrective Mechanism—Dashed Hopes and Aspirations?
Get PDFThis paper explores the media discourse surrounding the implementation of the gender corrective mechanism in Malta, focusing on online English-language newspapers from March 26, 2019 to May 2022. The study analyses how women journalists, experts, and politicians perceived and reported on this legislative initiative, which aimed to address the underrepresentation of women in Maltese politics. By conducting a reflexive thematic analysis, the paper identifies recurring themes related to the historical context, barriers to women’s political participation, and the effectiveness of the quota system. The findings reveal varied perspectives among women on the mechanism’s potential to foster gender equality in parliament, highlighting both support and criticism of the quota’s impact on democratic processes. The study underscores the significance of media representation in shaping public understanding of gender-related political reforms
Avoiding Sharks in the Publishing Sea
Get PDFSometimes the role of a library can be misunderstood or underestimated. The common misconception is that a library is just a place for books, magazines, and videos. This concept is very last century, or indeed, last millennium. There are different types of libraries, librarians, and what is offered. When some people think of academic libraries, they think of the stereotype. A quiet place to read a book or journal and type a paper. An academic library is more than that. Part of an academic librarian’s role, as faculty themselves, is to assist other faculty (those who teach courses and are part of an academic department) in their scholarly endeavors. This sometimes involves assisting in their research but can also involve assistance with publishing
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam: Impacts at Play for Egypt
Get PDFAs fresh water is required for human survival, access to water resources greatly benefits human societies. Over the last 50 years, there has been an increase in dam construction around the world. Dams are built to store water and regulate a river\u27s flow, as well as to raise the water level upstream to facilitate flow into a channel. Furthermore, they offer numerous benefits, including controlling floods, improving irrigation, acting as storage, being a water supplier, and generating electricity. Nonetheless, dams also pose serious hazards. Ethiopia began construction on a 6000-megawatt dam called The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in 2011, along the Blue Nile. Once this project is complete, it will be the largest hydropower dam in Africa. The project has caused tension between Ethiopia and the surrounding riparian countries, primarily Egypt, which depend on the Blue Nile as their main water resource. This project aimed to understand the significance of the Nile River, what the GERD project is, how the dam is structured, the benefits and controversies of the GERD, the possible impacts of GERD failure, and what could be potentially better alternatives to the GERD
The Impact of Community-Based Programs and Restorative Justice on Reducing Black Youth Involvement in the Juvenile Justice System
Get PDFWhat are the contributing factors that lead Black youth into the juvenile justice system? This inquiry aims to delve into the experiences of Black males categorized as juvenile delinquents. With arrest and conviction rates significantly higher among Black youth compared to their White counterparts, it is crucial to assess whether their experiences are comparable and to identify the underlying reasons for these racial disparities. The researcher is tasked with uncovering evidence-based practices to address and rectify these racial inequities within the juvenile justice system in the United States. This paper concentrates on adolescents aged 13 to 19, specifically Black youth, also called African Americans. The scope of the analysis encompasses the juvenile justice system from the point of arrest to placement within juvenile facilities, which include detention centers for temporary holding, group homes providing supervised residential care, boot camps emphasizing behavioral correction, residential treatment centers offering therapeutic support, long-term secure facilities for extended stays, and prisons. For this research, a juvenile is a young person who has committed or is accused of committing a criminal offense (Merriam- Webster, 2024)