Lee College Critical Thinking Student Conference Fall 2013 for Folklore and Humanities

Bayer Conference Center, Thursday, December 5,  from 10:50 a.m. to 1:45 p.m.

Mary Rombadant (11:25)

The Power and the Passion of Alt-J

A wave of guitar reverberates in the ear and smooth, haunting voices emerge from the headphones. Alt-J is more than just another band crawling to the top with their unique sound, and their songs are much more than a party filled with good beats. The sophisticated song lyrics on their album An Awesome Wave are encrypted with a sea of subtext and extend past the usual boundaries of indie music by addressing gender, social class, power, domination, and oppression through allusions to literary works and films. Many of their songs relate to “pop culture as a wave that “washes over you and makes you feel good”[…] but also to the escapist quality of Hollywood cinema and television…” (Kooijman 22). Alt-J hits these social issues head-on while making a listener really understand the meaning behind their songs.

Nicholas Espinoza (11:55)

 Zombie Takeover

Now more than ever, zombies are becoming the pinnacle of modern day pop culture in America.  The media is feeding America’s newfound hunger with shows like The Walking Dead and movies like World War Z. The zombie fascination really steamrolled after George A. Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. The film horrified audiences across the nation so much that major controversy was brought up to question about the film’s intense plot. Roger Ebert says, “The kids in the audience were stunned. There was almost complete silence. The movie had stopped being delightfully scary about halfway through, and had become unexpectedly terrifying…”  Zombies have become important to American Culture because they have revolutionized the modern monster, pushed the morality of mankind, and established an enormous following ever since their popular explosion in 1968.

Stefany Romo 

Lady Gaga: Taking Over Pop Culture

Lady Gaga, formerly known as Stefani Germanotta, stampeded her way into pop culture in 2008 with her record-breaking debut album The Fame. Lady Gaga adds life to her songs with the mind-blowing performances that she puts together. The wardrobe she chooses to wear is far from normal; whether she is wearing a meat dress, go-go boots, or claws on her hands, she doesn’t care what the tabloids say about her abnormality. Lady Gaga reported to Oprah she “was and is a freak, a misfit, a lost soul to her fellow travelers,” anything, but not just an image. Lady Gaga is a unique artist to today’s world of pop culture because her character portrays the importance of non-judgmental values, her songs are a hybrid mix of music genres from the tune of pop to classical, and her fashion sense foreshadows a cutting edge style.

Erendida Hernandez (1:05)

Motifs in Frankenstein: The Consequence of Crossing Borders

In today’s time, the icon Frankenstein is considered to be nothing more than a way to frighten children, but back when the novel was first released by Mary Shelley, the themes and motifs located in the book were what caught the people’s attention. A lecturer in Romantic literature at the University of Sheffield named Angela Wright, comments, “[Mary Shelley] thought these people had crossed a line… [when working] on the re-animation of corpses.” The novel has been analytically scoured by scholars to understand what Mary Shelley was attempting to convey in her novel and how it judges the interactions between man against nature as well as man against man. The novel Frankenstein does this by covering the ideas of the consequences of crossing boundaries, whether scientifically or socially accepted and questions whether science is overstepping the line of “playing God” and when a juvenile is mature enough to take responsibility of creating new life.

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Nakailla Kirkpatrick (12:10)

“Life is a box of chocolates”:  Forrest Gump as Window into Ignored Margins

 Forrest Gump is a 1994 American romantic comedy based on a 1986 book. Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump plays the role of a not so intelligent man that takes the audience through over 40 years of history, in which he is an important person in each event. Not only does he go through his life meeting all these famous people or achieving these wild dreams that others wish they could, Forrest pushes the boundaries of the normal life and strives for the best just because that is the way he was raised.  Online, Leichtman states, “Forrest Gump included the difficulties of the lives of the socially marginal and the issue of whether life is simply a matter of fate, or whether it also essentially involves the choices made.” Winston Groom’s  Forrest Gump is a iconic movie because it explores marginal lives, shows boundaries being challenged, and depicts morality of social class and race.

Tyler Woodward (11:00)

Texas Rodeos: The Traditions of Lone Star Celebrations

The Houston Rodeo is one of the most vital celebrations in the state of Texas because it embodies ethical, professional, and institutional values, it reflects cultural background in the rule area and shows the relationships between public and private. The Houston Rodeo is one of the many traditions still held in the state of Texas today. The huge rodeo celebrations are a very welcoming, fun, and rewarding place to be. From the mouth-watering food to the country concerts at night, Texas rodeos are very family-friendly place, because there is always something to do for everyone. Over the years, rodeos have changed so much. For example, Ralph Clark states, “The joining of competition with the gatherings would be the spark for what we now see as rodeos, originally two different aspects of western life joined to become a unique sport.” Most people think the Houston Rodeo is just the same thing every year, but it drastically changes in so many ways.

Jenni Miller (12:35)

The Beatles: The Politics of Pop

Slamming against Britain’s high tax bracket while delving into the world of psychedelics, The Beatles have an enormously impacting amount of diverse themes coming from their music. The Beatles album, Revolver, is culturally prominent because it demonstrates economic-based themes, challenged social order through their music, and also compared relationships between what was supposedly marginal and mainstream. In a Rolling Stone Internet article, an anonymous author states, “The album… made it thrillingly clear that what we now think of as ‘the Sixties’ was fully – and irreversibly – under way.” Songs like “Taxman,” “Tomorrow Never Knows,” and “Eleanor Rigby” represent worldly themes that are important in culture, such as Britain’s economic status at the time,  marginality of some social classes, and the negative attitude toward the emergence of hard drugs.

Mason Brackeen 

Drag Queens: A Historical Perspective of Controversy and Individuality

From birth, gender identity has always been the epitome of childhood surroundings from the different colors painted on walls and the toys played with to the shows people are sometimes putative to watch, much less enjoy. As such, people are often forced in our culture to conform to such a mundane frame of mind that society cannot think outside of the box—in other words, people cannot grasp or comprehend the concept of gender bending. However, the perception of Drag has for years broken this fabric and revolutionized the act of illusion. Drag Queens are a crucial subculture of the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) community because they maintain a large importance for historical revolution in the gay community, represent a subculture that is fearless and vexing to today’s societal standards, and signify the continued movement for change in the world today. This emerging Drag culture consolidates the act of female impersonation and the artistic expression of the individual through stage performances, cosmetics, and various other outlets of creation. Referencing Drag Queens, blogger Joy Martin-Malone had so eloquently expresses, “Laughter is what helps us persevere; it lifts us out of our struggles… They are artists.  They are able to conceptualize an idea and transform themselves… They are risk-takers.” This self-expression, usually a derivative of some sort of personal struggle, social issue, or ideology has sky-rocketed Drag culture into the spotlight of many films, social venues, and theatres over the years.

Niki Sutton 

Wiccan: An Esoteric Culture

As early as 560 B.C., Wiccan culture has been perceived as evil and taboo. For hundreds of years, witches have been removed from society by means of exile and persecution, such as being burned alive, thrown into water with rocks tied to their feet, and other forms of torture. There is proof of this in Leviticus 20:27: “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them” (KJV). Only because of their religious views and different ideas of “normal,” these people were put under this torture. Wiccanism is a significant culture because it subverts the stereotype of what people imagine when they hear “witches” or “witchcraft,” the disagreement of what is thought to be normal or abnormal, and it explores people’s ethical and religious values. This historical change – from persecution to being accepted – paved the way for modern society to be more tolerant of other religions and cultures.

Abbey Valencia (1:25)

Tattoos: A Vital Community

Tattoos over the last thousand years have evolved into a worldwide phenomenon. As so people ask themselves, “Why do people inflict pain upon themselves, especially when the process results in a permanent mark upon the body?” (Hewitt 1) There is no one solid answer as to why there are millions of reasons people mark their body with ink, and every one reason is essential. Tattoos are vital to people because they are a form of art expressing one’s cultural belief and can show personal memories and generally distinguish the characteristics of a person. Thus, they fall under the following subcultural groups: remembrance, identity, marginality, and the difference between the abnormal and normal.

David Fanestiel (1:10)

The Road

People try to prepare for when the world collapses but can someone ever be ready? Based on the novel of the same name The Road tells the story of a father and son fighting for survival in the post-apocalyptic world and what they will do to survive. The film is important because it shows how people are conflicted when trying to preserve social order in the face of savagery and explores how hope keeps people going in the future. The two main characters in the movie, The Man played by Viggo Mortensen and The Boy played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, must survive when the world has collapsed from an unknown event. According to Peters Travers, “The few who survive have utterly lost their moral compass,” but the boy still has his. The Man is determined to protect his son because he doesn’t want to leave his son without the skills to survive in this new world. His son is uncomfortable with the decisions that have to be made in this new bleak world: “The movie resists any tendency toward making the child cute, or the two of them heartwarming” (Ebert).

Alejandra Pena (1:15)

The Significance of Tattoos

Tattoos are significant because they are beautiful works of art that show certain events that people may have gone through in their life time, things that are valuable or precious to them, and also their cultural, religious, and personal beliefs. Tattooing has been around for many years. Although tattoos have a significance to some people, to others they may seem deceiving.  In  society today, people with tattoos are often seen as delinquents or people with no good intentions. I believe that people shall not judge another by what they have on their skin if they do not know the story behind it, for, “Tattoo can thus serve as both a transmission of and a challenge to differing forms of authority, in a double movement that encompasses the status of the designs; at once more than skin deep and marking the skin as a surface, the patterns remain both inside and outside the body” (Ellis 37).

Jessica Grubb (1:40)

Shock Rock: Obliterating Social Constraints

From its beginnings, rock and roll has functioned as a genre of music that taps into the raw, unadulterated emotions that, although exhibited by everyone, are, in many branches of society, perceived as inappropriate. No other subcategory of rock and roll displays these taboo emotions as effectively as shock rock. Shock rock is an essential part of rock culture because it embodies the traditional attitude of rock and roll, encourages people to take part in gender exploration, and questions the social boundaries of what the majority may see as acceptable or unacceptable.  In his book, Rebels with Attitude: Subversive Rock Humorists, Lain Ellis states, “Youths emit the screams of joy and pain that most learn to contain or privatize. These outbursts – in rock and elsewhere – are often raw and uncivil because young people act out, oblivious (or resistant) to the decorum that comes with maturity and social manners. Rock humor harnesses such primal emotions, theatrically parading, loudly antagonizing, or just spitting on constraints. It exceeds the reasoned and rehearsed humor of even the most rebellious practitioners of other arts.” Whether an audience member is enthralled or appalled by the antics of shock rock, it  undeniably forces its spectators to question their social and gender norms.

Grace Patiño (1:00)

Alice as Symbol of Boundary Breaking

The Alice series is an important series because it pushes the boundaries of juvenile fiction, it changes minds on what some people people perceive to be inappropriate or appreciate content in a book, and it differed from the common predictable ending books. Naylor talks about issues that some parents might not be comfortable telling their kids about but some believe that she should not do this in a series meant for underage kids. Phyllis Reynolds Naylor begun the Alice series in 1985. Later, it started developing in the 1990s with ideas of intimacy from the 70s, with such people that wanted to stay way from intimacy in the 80’s, and how they joined together in the 90s (Jones 90-91). Even now this makes some people excited and others scared, which in all should mean it is an important and powerful series.

Jose Rodriguez (12:50)

Mexican Corridos: Mexico’s Music Culture

Every great villain has his story, but the way it is told is different. In corridos, famous cartel members stories are told in the form of a song describing who they are and what they do. Many of their stories are based of Mexico’s traditions and their way of life. Mexican corridos are enspired by the culture and history of Mexican traditions. According to Joseph, “The musical characteristics of the corrido demonstrate a simple folksong style in contrast to the form’s classical antecedents.” Mexican corridos are made up of culture and history based of Mexico’s history.

Brenda Garcia (12:45)

The 1970s:  When Horror Crossed with Religion

The dark living room is suddenly filled with the screams of the viewer, and on the screen a horrific image pops up that causes them to jump in their seat. The movie The Exorcist by William Friedkin, is an iconic movie because it probes religious values, explores the boundaries between good and evil, and analyzes the middle class by targeting people who are wealthier. The movie is uncomfortable at times because as the movies shows “male violence is inflicted physically upon the young female body in a fashion that is only justified ideologically as the work of god” (Hantke 111). Although the movie is forty years old, it is still a great influence for many directors wanting to get into the horror genre and still speaks to issues.

Oscar Ortega (12:55)

The Many Meanings of Superman

Superman is not only a comic book character but an iconic persona that many have tried to replicate since his debut in 1939. To a lot of people, Superman is just a regular superhero in a comic book, but to others Superman gives a different meaning to the word power. Superman is an iconic character because of his ideal power, resistance, and human identity. Eco states that Superman’s image “is not entirely beyond the reach of the reader’s self-identification” (14). Even though Superman is a comic book character, he will always live in the hearts of many.

Maria Alfaro (12:30)

Day of the Dead: The Power of Celebration

In the last days of October, many towns across Mexico prepare for a three day celebration. The Mexican people celebrate El Dia de Los                  Muertos or the Day of the Dead, a tradition based on a mixture of Catholicism and ancient Mexican/Aztec culture. This is a huge holiday and tradition for the country of Mexico because the people use these three days to honor their deceased loved ones and friends. The most important days are November first: it is All Saints Day this day is devoted to the angelitos the little children whose souls were still pure when they passed away. November second is All Souls Day on this day the souls of a deceased adult are celebrated. Author Carlos Miller writes about the celebration and states “that only the finest dishes and things should be offered to the soul of the departed person, everything should be prepared with the most dedication and care” (2). Many families gather at the grave of their loved ones and do some maintenance on the grave site. The families also build alters with the decease person favorite things like toys, favorite liquor, and favorite foods. Part of the tradition includes building candy skulls with a name written on it so the soul can find the way to the living world. These events are part of a tradition that’s been celebrated over three thousand years. For the people that are not familiar with El Dia de Los Muertos, this celebration might scare because of the thought of celebrating death, but this holiday doesn’t celebrate death. The Day of the Dead is a dedication to the people that were lost and many people see it as an opportunity out of the entire year for their love one’s soul to come back to the living world and visit them.

Caitlin Carter (11:45)

Marilyn Monroe: Symbol and Star

Marilyn Monroe has been an unwavering iconic female actress since the 1950s. Although she died, her figure is still being held in high esteem today. According to David Thompson in his book Marilyn Monroe: A Life in Pictures, Marilyn Monroe is “legendary” (5) and her “icon a smiling postage stamp for all the ages” (5). She is an iconic Hollywood actress because she maintains important Hollywood traditions, she has universal likeable traits, and she pushed the boundaries of everyday actresses. Although she may have passed away decades ago, Marilyn Monroe will continue to be a symbol that women look up to and men want to have.

Devani Salinas (11:40)

Day of the Dead: Celebrating Our Past, Honoring Our Future

The Day of the Dead tradition, also known as “Dia de los Muertos,” is mainly a Mexican Holiday celebrated by Hispanics all over the world. It is a two-day holiday that is celebrated on November 1^st and November 2^nd. Families who celebrate the ancient tradition often visit their loved one’s graves to remember and honor them. Traditions include building altars with the deceased favorite foods, favorite flowers, and materials that express what the deceased enjoyed. Altars are decorated with sugar skulls and marigolds that are important symbols of Day of the Dead. The National Geographic online article about the Day of the Dead tradition states, “Dia de los Muertos recognizes death as a natural part of the human experience, a continuum with birth, childhood, and growing up to become a contributing member of the community.” By maintaining ancient beliefs and representing the Mexican culture, the Day of the Dead tradition serves to honor the past and celebrate the future.

K.K. (10:50)

The Many Reasons for Tattoos

People get tattoos for all different reasons, but one cannot truly categorize individuals by the number or look of their tattoos. Seeing tattoos from many different perceptions and figuring out the latent meaning is the only way to know what it truly stands for. The deeper one digs the more meaning one may find about the reasons that people get tattoos. Tattoos symbolize cultural views of difference between people because they can embody gender, race, and personal values. I personally have a tattoo for personal reasons and memories. Sanders hits the nail right on the head when he mentions, “People use appearance to place each other into categories, which aid in the anticipation and interpretation of behavior, and to make decisions about how best to coordinate social activities” (1). Not all people are as they may seem: never judge a book by its cover.

Christian Ross (12:15)

Fight and Die Over and Over Again: Live-Action-Role-Playing

This research is to show the cultural history and future of Live-Action-Role-Playing. The people that participate in it have vast imaginations and intricate backstories to their character. They also lead double lives, almost like superheroes. Stark states, “In real life, they drive your trucks, and make your copies. They teach your children, and repair your computers, and when you have a heart attack, they’re the first on the scene” (ix). When they step onto the field of battle, they become elves, dwarves, demons, angels, or whatever their imagination perceives them to be. This type of cultural lifestyle promotes social order by providing a festivity to escape modern troubles, gives people the chance to live a different lifestyle, and offers alternative desires and values to enjoy.

Lauren Wilson (11:05)

Mardis Gras: Traditions and Festivities

Mardi Gras is a culturally rich carnival celebrating New Orleans’s roots and their Christian beliefs. Mardi Gras is an iconic festivity because it challenges social order, blurs the social and and personal, and evokes some subconscious desires. Tourists from around the world come to New Orleans just to participate in the fun and excitement during Mardi Gras. The bright colors, flashy costumes and floats, and overabundance of eye enticing food brings “magic and mystery to New Orleans, with dazzling floats…and masked balls” (“Mardi”). This is a historical party.

Sheldon McBay (11:50)

Taoism: Traditions and Worship

Taoism is one of the oldest living religions of China and continues to live on despite it slowly fading away as time moves on. On the BBC website it states, “Before the Communist revolution fifty years ago, Taoism was one of the strongest religions in China” (Taoism).  After said revolution it was hard to determine just how many people actually follow Taoism at all.  The religion fascinates me since it’s not much of a religion to worship as it is more of a way to live. Although it has smaller deities worshipped in temples, Taoism is vital because it is more about the way one should live naturally in society in terms of physical health and the way one can eventually reach spiritual divinity. The way to that divinity is called Tao, which usually translates as “The Way.” It is very unclear what the Tao is and how to achieve it, but it is said that if people think they have found “The Way,” they haven’t. So the question is: How does one find “The Way?”

April Watkins (11:30)

The Culture of Tattoos: Traditions and Customs

Although painful to get, tattoos are known throughout the world. Tattoos are cultural because it is a universal tradition both past and present, its way for people to express themselves, as well as a way for tattoo artist to show off their talent. In Customizing the Body: The Art and Culture of Tattooing Clinton Sanders states “Tattooing has become more widely practiced (that is, more popular) and has, therefore, come to be seen as less odd, unusual, rebellious, or otherwise deviant” (Viii). Tattoos have become more known in today’s society more so than in the past. This is because more people are getting tattoos, and they are more mainstream.

Kylie Turner (12:05)

The Legend of Rodeo Queens

The idea of a Rodeo Queen will forever be perceived as a beautiful young girl that rides with grace and beauty, thinks intelligently, and talks with meaning. As Laura Witcher, a past Rodeo Queen, says, “It’s a very intense competition but very rewarding!” As a Rodeo Queen, one must be ready to answer any and all questions from visitors of the rodeo and even children. Tammie Turner states, “A Rodeo Queen is not only the face of the rodeo but a role model, she promotes the sport of rodeo and preserves the history behind it.”

Tyler Gobert (11:15)

Radio: The Exploration of Racism

The film Radio works to bring awareness to many of the stereotypes to which Radio was subjected. The film points out misconceptions that were common of the 1970s.  In this film, racism affect people’s identity, how the fear of the mentally challenged can cause changes in social norms, and how two men can change and overcome the culture of a community. The book A Different Three R’s states, “That the prejudices of a town and the prejudices of a school are intertwined” (Allan 106). So, in the same way, the movie portrays the prejudice of a town and condemns a man because of his color and metal issue. The film reveals how two men can overcome social norms, racism, and culture norms to become the inspiration and legend of a town.

J. Hart (11:10)

Tatts: An Unique Art Form

Tattoos are unique designs in their own way because some hold personal memories, some blur between normal and abnormal, and some prove the body is a place for personal freedom. I personally like tattoos. I have what they call a “tramp stamp,” even thou I am not a tramp. I wanted it there because I liked the way tattoos looked on the lower back. When I got it done, at first I didn’t know what I wanted. I just wanted my name in the midst of it. The person who tatted me came up with the rest. As John Dececco states, “A tattoo artist has to be a kind of jack-of –all- trades. He must turn into a psychologist, a con-man, an electrician and a jeweler to work with fine parts and to repair his needles.” (173) This means, regardless of what someone wants, a tattoo artist has to be able to draw it and fix any tools that may become broke or unusable.

Mario Hernandez (12:00)

Hip Hop Music: The Politics of Music

Hip Hop is important in our society because it is used as a form of intense self-expression. It is utilized within every culture across the globe since the beginning of time. Like in all areas of humanities, music has evolved with the times to keep the listeners interested and intrigued. Hip hop is a popular genre of music that has been created into a subculture that influences many young people in today’s society. The foundation of hip hop is built on providing listeners with a powerful, in your face delivery that can sometimes create controversy amongst conservative citizens. As Busta Rhymes raps, “Hip-hop reflects the truth, and the problem is that hip-hop exposes a lot of the negative truth that society tries to conceal. It’s a platform where we could offer information, but it’s also an escape.” Since its origin, hip hop has been culturally based in the black community. The pioneers of hip hop were black men and women who were gaining a voice in the United States following the Civil Rights movements. They began to mix the strong melodic elements of jazz and the thumping, high energy of rock and roll to create a unique form of music. To this new sound, they incorporated a tone of voice that was in tune with the beat and powerful in its message and delivery using rhymes and metaphors.

Lee College Critical Thinking Student Conference Spring 2013 for Folklore and Humanities

 May 1st, 12: 30 Bayer Conference Room

A Roundtable Discussion of The Maria Paradox presented by Lee College Huma 1305 Students.

Many Latinas experience anguish reconciling cultural values with contemporary expectations.  Written by two psychologists, The Maria Paradox uses an accessible, anecdotal approach to spotlight the various conflicts Latinas face in their capacities as daughters, mothers, wives, and lovers.  This book is impo rtant because it addresses issues that not only the Latino culture fails to acknowledge or discuss, but also society as a whole.

The following Folklore presentations take place on Jan. 29th, Bayer Conference Room.

Jami Renwick, 10:40

The Art of Tattooing as a Folk Subculture

Trey, Lee College student

Tattooing will continue to evolve from being an act of deviance to being viewed as a beautiful folk art subtype that expresses cultural, religious, or personal traits and values. This process has impelled the movement of tattooing into popular culture. According to John Roberts in his book, Secret Ink: Tattoo’s Place in Contemporary American Culture, “The old way of looking at tattoos (i.e., socially and criminally deviant) maintains its hold for many in this society. The pairing of the rapid expansion of tattoos against this old way of thinking has resulted in ‘the creation of a sort of cultural war… over the definitions and meaning of tattoos in society’” (1). The consistency and change of tattooing has developed over the years, from originally being a mark of aboriginal peoples to becoming a youthful sign of Western deviance. Now tattooing has developed into a form of aesthetic self-expression that meets the four criteria of subculture theory: identity, commitment, consistent distinctiveness, and autonomy.

 Karina Acosta, 9:40

Day of the Dead: The Continuity of the Tradition

Day of the Dead is a well-known tradition celebrated in Mexico. This celebration consists of family gathering at their lost loved ones graves to honor their death. The family brings certain materials that express the deceased character. For example, they bring the deceased favorite flowers, along with a prayer. Some Mexicans, who once lived in Mexico, come to the United States and continue the same rituals and traditions of Day of the Dead. According to Hajovsky, the “Owners Macario and Chrissie Ramirez regularly commemorate Dia de los Muertos at their shop, all the way through and after the feast days of All Saints Day Nov. 1 and All Souls Day Nov. 2” Day of the Dead is a custom that immigrant Mexican families continue to celebrate even when they move to the United States, though the practice often changes.

 Carla Johnson, 10:50

Davy Crockett:  A Self Made Folk Hero

Davy Crockett is not only a person studied in Texas History, he is also a tall tale, legend, self-made folk hero and an example of dynamism and continuity.  In one tall tale, Davy Crockett saved the earth, “[He] climbed right up on those rays of sunlight … [and] gave the earth a good hard kick to get it started” (Schlosser).  If a person were to ask, most people in Texas know a story about this icon.  Davy Crockett sought to make himself a folk hero; he demonstrated bravery against all odds at the Alamo further cementing his legendary status and his actions provided fodder for folk story tellers for years to come.

Jason Case, 10:20

The Rave Life Generation

The Rave Lifestyle is characterized by bright lights, bass-themed music, wild clothes, drugs, and the philosophy of ‘PLUR’ (peace, love, unity and respect,).  I believe it holds great significance because of the effect it has on mainstream music and on the people who live it.  According CNN Entertainment, Glenn Mendlinger, managing director of EMI’s dance music label Astralwerks, states, “Dance music has always been around but I really feel that this time it had absolutely crossed over the line and permeated popular culture, and when it gets into popular culture that’s when these types of things happen with music.”  Rave lifestyle is growing in popularity, and the people that make up this folk group share distinct music, outfits, philosophy, and so much more.

E. Shillingford, 10:00

Jounen Kweyol, A Folk Ritual

Jounen Kweyol, a festival that celebrates the mixture of French, African, East Indians and    indigenous people on the Caribbean Island of Saint Lucia. Even though some have migrated to the United States, St. Lucians in the Houston/Baytown area still observe and celebrate their culture annually on October 28.  As one author notes, “This occasion is observed by creole speaking peoples throughout the world grouped into an international organization called Bannzil Kweyol” (Charles). The traditions of this mixed culture are disseminated through generations through folk language, folk music, folk dance, food, and dress. Jounen Kweyol is folkloric because it preserves folk speech, music, and dance.

Haley Graham, 10:10

Tupac Shakur: A Hip Hop Folk Hero

Tupac Shakur was a folk hero by turning his self-taught poetry into hip hop music. He used his words creatively to address sensitive topics that society dealt with, such as shootings and teen pregnancy. Through his music, Tupac was able to bring people together and help them cope with unpleasant events in their lives. People from the projects and ghettos all over America were able to relate to his music. During in an interview with MTV, rapper Eminem exclaimed, “He made you feel like you knew him. I think that, honestly, Tupac was the greatest songwriter that ever lived. He made it seem so easy. The emotion was there, and feeling, and everything he was trying to describe. You saw a picture that he was trying to paint” (qtd. in “2Pac Legend”). His poetry remains powerful to people everywhere and a huge influence in the hip hop world.

Debra Sims, 10:30

Slam Poetry as Folk Group

Slam poetry has been a folk group tradition since the 1960s that embodies the struggle for poetic individualism and distinct vernacular poetry.  One author, Jasper Green, claims “When literary discourse often seems blanched of any real material or academic to the point of unreachability, are certain to instruct, rouse, and perhaps most of all, delight the spectator” (45).  As a folk group, slam poetry stands for unity and a community of people that share a passion for oral traditions that reflect change and continuity.

Kaitlin Rice, 9:30

UFO Cults: Lifestyle, Subculture, or Folk Group?

For many, a belief in extraterrestrials is a hobby; however, for others, it is a lifestyle. Since the beginning of time, many people have believed that life exists outside of the planet. This idea of alien existence has consumed the thoughts of certain individuals, and this shared belief unites these individuals and has created a folk group of their own. Though many of the festivals and conventions are for entertainment, some take their beliefs to an extreme. UFO cults can become dangerous not only to members but to society. The Heavens Gate UFO cult is widely known because of a mass suicide that took place in March of 1997. “By killing themselves, they reasoned, they were not dying. They were simply shedding earthly ‘containers,’ and this was necessary for them to enter heaven’s gate.” This phenomenon has become so widespread that folklorists should research the folk group in order to understand their various beliefs and traditions.

Dana Shepard, 9:50

Comic Book Fan Culture; A Modern Subculture

The comic book community is a unique group that has manifested itself as a bridge interconnecting fans of all walks of life committed to folk practices. Since its birth, the comic book industry has experienced extreme popularity and prosperity.  “The act of reading comic books is effectively an act of participation in a greater cultural process; an act of maintaining the social contract” (Saussure). Unfortunately, it has also been the subject of intense scrutiny. Just like the comic book industry, the fans of comic books have also been subjected to insults and stereotypical comments. As an esoteric observer, I am interested in the glue that holds this community of fans together while maintaining their refined urge for reading and collecting comic books.  Although I do not share their interest in comic books per se, I can identify with their aesthetic desire for collecting a particular item of personal interest.

 Yesenia Gonzalez, 9:20

 Harry Potter Fandom

Harry Potter is a worldwide cultural phenomenon. Set in a magical world, the Harry Potter series tells the story of the “boy who lived” and his quest to fight the evil Lord Voldemort in the traditional good vs. evil style. Even though it sounds completely cliché, Harry Potter has extraordinary influence in the everyday norms of the fans of this folkgroup. As JK Rowling  herself (writer of the Harry Potter Series) says, “Harry Potter fandom has become a global phenomenon with its own language and culture, its own wars and festivals…” (Anelli, xii.) From online communities and tattoos to even summer camps for Harry Potter, my research will show how these fans integrate the world of Harry Potter into their everyday practices.

The following Humanities presentations take place on Tuesday, Jan. 30th in the Bayer Conference Room.

Chelsea Riendeau, 12:30

Shortbus: Beyond the Controversy

Shortbus shocks many viewers. I find it compelling because it is inhibited. In a review, of the movie, Shortbus, Rob Gonsalves explains, “Chockablock with sex acts hetero and homo, Shortbus isn’t really about sex. It’s about intimacy and honesty, and how those things thrive – or don’t- in post- 9/11 New York” (2). Shortbus touches on gender and sexual orientation, shows the relations between supposedly normal compared to abnormal, and explains the process that the characters  goes through; therefore, it highlights how rituals can change and challenge everyday life. By the end of the movie, both of the main characters, Sofia and Jamie, were able to overcome many obstacles that had got in the way of their everyday life. Both of the characters experienced some normal vs. abnormal parts of their life, which began to change their everyday rituals.

Brett Underwood

Remember the Titans

The Remember the Titans has won eight movie awards, including Best Actor.  The film is highly important because it shows that no matter what race or cultural background people come from, if they work together they can overcome any obstacle and overcome stereotypes. Friendships can form, no matter what. Online, Velez says, “The film focuses on the issue of race and how students’ perspectives gradually changed from one of fear to one of understanding.”  The kids and coaches of T.C. Williams High school pulled together at a difficult time and won against the odds.  Set in the pre-Civil Rights era, the film depicts how abnormal behavior — the mixing of races — actually can become normalized and productive.

Joseph Cummings, 1:00

The Brony Phenomenon/ My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fandom

The term “brony” comes from combination of the words bro and pony. Fahey defines a brony as, “… someone so enamored of the Hub Network animated series My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that they’re willing to identify as a member of a group despised by a large percentage of the internet.” Bronies are interesting because they break the stereotype that men can’t like girly things, they get together in social gatherings or conventions to talk about the show, and they try and get inspiration from the show for fan art, music, and creativity. This phenomenon has become worldwide starting from America all the way to Japan. From online to real life, they incorporate some of the show’s behavior and quotes into everyday life.

Melissa Cardona

Dark Knight: The Anti-Corruption Crusader

The Dark Knight amassed more than $500 million dollars in sales in the United States, second only to Titanic. This reflects the immense resonance that the story has had for its American audience, as well as the power of film to capture people’s imaginations. The film also explores and illuminates people’s inner strengths and weaknesses. The Dark Knight symbolizes corruption in the world because it examines the dark side of human nature, explores the power of symbolism, and illustrates how a confrontation with evil may very well lead people to commit even greater evil, in the name of justice. The author John Porterfield points out, “The chaos provides the basis for the profound psychological twists that make The Dark Knight an engrossing film about the ethics and tragedies that flow from the battle of the opposites, forcing us to examine the limits of human morality and to acknowledge the good and evil potential within us all” (273).

Rain Ruiz, 12:50

South Park: The Art of Shock

Nothing is sacred when it comes to comedy and South Park, created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker, takes full advantage of that. South Park puts gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, history and any taboo subject that is otherwise spoken of in private on national television to explode the comfort zone of all viewers. As a result, these once taboo topics become a common conversation point and generate big laughs among all those who have experienced South Park. By ceaselessly testing the limits of our culture’s tolerance, South Park asks us to examine the things we think we know, why certain words and actions are prohibited, what we desire, and what we are teaching our children. South Park asks us to think about what is truly harmful and what issues we really should be outraged about. “Breaking the silence of our cultures repressions could be the starting point that helps us to think, analyze our desires and aggression, and become good” (Young). If people take the opportunity to discuss the show, why it is funny, and what it symbolizes about American culture and desires, then the show need not be mindless, vulgar, or corrupting but rather a path to thinking that helps viewers to live with one another, and with themselves.

Justin Starkey, 1:30

Purpose and Use of Tattoos

Tattooing has influenced many cultures around the world since its creation. It has evolved from a relatively hidden tribal process of passage from youth into adulthood to forms of religious expression and self-expression worldwide. Now, especially in North America, tattoos are used almost solely for self-expression. In Bodies of Inscription: a cultural history of the modern tattoo community Demello states “North American tattoos fulfill a need to inscribe the self as an individual and as a part of, or in relationship to, a group” (1). Over the ages, tattoos have influenced many groups of people and even worked their way into the culture of most of the world, making long loved art form more important.

Nancy Juma, 12:40

Tattoos and Cultures

I always wonder why people go through so much pain during tattooing just to prove a statement. Some cultures use tattoos as an initiation to a community, therefore they symbolize bravery and commitment. Tattoos are vital because they have a symbolic meaning; they represent different cultural groups and show the relations between private and public life. The photographer, Chris Rainer, points out, tattoos are “a visual manifestation of each person’s approach to life and the journey they wish to take” (qtd.in Tucker 62). Lastly, tattoos show the relationship between personal and public life and that is fascinating.

Lisa D. Rodriguez, 1:10

The Mexican Goddess of Death

“La Santisima Muerte” is the goddess of death and is very well known in Mexican culture as the protector of dark souls. Once knowledgeable of this controversial saint, many are able to differentiate the religious and ethical values that are of importance to those that are loyal to her. She is a highly symbolic goddess because she represents a marginal Hispanic subculture, she expresses aesthetic norms, and she reveals rituals and beliefs. As author Andrew Chesnut states “… more affluent believers keep their devotion to the saint of death private” because this saint has been condemned by the Catholic Church (12). She is many times linked to Mexican drug cartel members that look to her for protection from their enemies as well as from authorities who may come between their illegal activities. Choosing to research Saint Death as my topic will allow people to gain knowledge and understanding about a faith that is spreading like wildfire, not only in Mexico, but in Deep South Texas too.

Caidin Pierce, 1:40

 Leonardo Da Vinci: An Era of New Reason

Although Leonardo’s projects were in many ways very unsuccessful, some people think they are so compelling because they seem like he can see into the future. Da Vinci’s life works preserve, challenge, and create boundaries because he set out to defy cultural, aesthetic, and technological norms. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) is the epitome of a Renaissance man (Wade). As a child, he embraced the pencil, and as an adult he would cling to the brush, he so elegantly moved. His life was lived in a time of cultural change: this too he embraced, redefining the ideas for the generations to come. He had an immensely imaginative, inquiring mind.

The following presentations take place on Thurs. May 2nd

Thursday, May 2, 8:30 – 8:45: 

Debbie Long, The Help: In Search of Self

For women, the early sixties marked a time when society stood at the threshold of a new era. The ending of an era of domestic servitude and the beginning of an era of a newfound freedom in education and the workforce was dawning. In The Beauty Myth, Naomi Wolf addresses these difficulties of women dealing with this newfound freedom. Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help provides fictional examples of trailblazers who resist traditional gender norms in order to have meaningful lives. The Help illuminates the way society represses women by limiting their ability to find fulfillment and truly discover themselves.

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Thursday, May 2, 8:45 – 9:00:  Anabely Perez, Masculinity in Far From Heaven

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Thursday, May 2, 9:00 – 9:15:\

Kaylon Wheeler, Existentialism in The Hunger Games

In Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games, Katniss endures an incredible transformation from an ordinary poverty-stricken Seam-dwelling girl in District Twelve to a victor in the infamous gladiatorial Hunger Games of Panem. According to Jean-Paul Sartre’s work “Existentialism,” Katniss stands as a representation of an authentic existentialist as her life’s responsibility broadens from the welfare of her family to the dire needs of the twelve districts of Panem. Throughout her adventure with the Hunger Games, Katniss progressively develops an existential mindset that encourages her to maintain her humanity in the most inhuman circumstances. Through the protagonist, Katniss Everdeen, Collins implies that individuals must realize their existential responsibility to humanity and act accordingly for the betterment of the environment and society.

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Thursday, May 2, 9:15 – 9:30

Cotie Klenk,  American Psycho, or The New Manifesto

For a long time now, physical possessions have continued to increase in importance to the human race. This topic of consumerism, as well as the idea that humans struggle within classes in their society, is discussed in Karl Marx’ Manifesto of the Communist Party. Patrick Bateman, the protagonist in Bret Easton Ellis’ critically acclaimed novel American Psycho, is a man immersed so far into modern culture and consumerism that he fails to possess any traits other than that of the surface. That is to say, Bateman is completely out of touch with his emotions as a result of his belief that material possessions and wealth define a person. American Psycho shows the logical extreme of capitalism’s focus on materialism and how this creates a lack of meaningful relationships, which is exemplified by Bateman’s being a serial killer.

Lee College Critical Thinking Student Conference Fall 2012 for Folklore and Humanities

Intro to Humanities, Room 222, Thurs. Dec. 6th

10:50 – 12:05 will include the following:

Andrea Meese

Breaking Social and Psychological Boundaries in The Blind Side

The Blind Side confronts issues of racial and economic stereotyping, expresses the effects of self-fulfilling prophecies, and proves that breaking flawed social boundaries can bring about life-changing experiences. The Blind Side is a 2009 movie based on the true life story of Michael Ohr, an offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens. In the movie, Michael’s journey from homelessness to NFL football player is largely based on the kindness of a stranger named Leann Touhy. In today’s society, the idea of a wealthy white family taking in a homeless black boy from the projects is scoffed at by people. Yet, when Leann sees that Michael is in need, she chooses to break these flawed boundaries set forth by society by taking him in and caring for him. Continuing to choose to break boundaries, Leann and her husband Shawn, eventually adopt Michael as their son. Michael’s life had been inundated with negative self-fulfilling prophecies that need to be broken for Michael to become productive. To break the cycle of negative self-fulfilling prophecies, Weinstein states, alternative interventions need to be implemented by family, other schools, or teachers (9).  By accepting Michael into her home, and believing in him, Leann provides the opportunity for Michael to break the cycle of negative self-fulfilling prophecies in his life, completely altering the course of Michael’s existence.

Morgan Cupps

The Devil in a Blue Dress: A Film Noir Interpretation of Racial Tensions in the 1950s

The 1950s bring to mind the image of the American Dream, white picket fences, and 2.5 children. With this image, it is hard to forget that segregation since existed and skin color meant everything. The 1995 film adaption of the novel The Devil in a Blue Dress, set in 1948, takes the point of view of an African American to show the darker side of the decade. The film addresses racial tensions in several ways. It shows that only whites were considered the higher class, hotel and nightclubs were restricted by race, and interracial dating would isolate couples. According to Buendia, “… racial unconscious involves the latent and explicit meanings of racial subject and spaces coexisting in states of representational tension” (7). What is meant by this is each race had to stay in their place because if they crossed over in areas that did not belong to them, they were creating tension and upsetting the balance. The Devil in a Blue Dress portrays this tension and the racial boundaries by having an African American overcome it all to solve the mystery within the story. The film is significant because it showcases the relations between the public and the private, the racial boundaries of the time period, and the differences between high and low classes in Los Angeles.

Diana Sosa

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas: History and Humanity

In The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, two young boys, Bruno and Shmuel, want to become friends, but boundaries cause conflict in their friendship. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a powerful movie because it explores class stereotypes, psychological conflicts within each of the characters, and breaking parental boundaries that will help the characters see the truth. Set during the Holocaust, one boy is German, Bruno, and the other is a Jew, Shmuel, but it is hard on them to understand why they can’t be friends. Their innocence and their parents hiding the truth lets them know something is wrong about the whole thing, but they just don’t know the truth. In a web page article, Rea suggests, “Bruno, by his ignorance and innocence, becomes as much a victim of his father’s epic malfeasance as the Jews sent to the camp to starve, to die.” Being a German soldier, Bruno’s dad has a duty to let his children know to hate the Jews, he even gets a tutor to come to their house and teach them the German ways. Another German soldier has to live with a secret — his dad’s disapproval — so his family doesn’t get hurt as well. The movie helps viewers see children’s sacrifice, desires, and honesty.

D.R.

Ice Cube’s Predator

Gangster rap music has a negative “rap” in today’s society, and it has been that way from when it was first created. Although a lot of the blame can be contributed to various artists of the industry, they are still solid rappers out who in fact rap about a cause and look to change the situations they rap about in their songs. One of the many rappers who rap for a cause is Ice Cube, a MC out of Los Angeles, California. According to Gail H. Woldu in the book The Words and Music Of Ice Cube, “Cube’s album entitled Predator is [An] evocative social landscape of the most important issues confronting Ice Cube’s constituency—black urban dwellers—that illuminates racial tensions and police brutality in Los Angeles in the early 1990’s” (45). I will dig inside this album released by Ice Cube and shatter the stereotypes of the gangster rap genre, I will shed light as to what cultural traits shape the gangster rap subculture as a whole, as well as how politics play a part in the establishment of Cube’s music.

Jonathan Jaime

Interpreting Classical music and the Classical Period

Through the use of classical music, what seems today like an ancient type of music, the human senses are affected greatly for it gives listeners a sense of sadness, fear, anger, happiness, and just plain boredom. In the online article “From Emotion to Perception” published on Science Direct, psychologists conclude that the strongest emotions are only triggered by something if it is accompanied by music, not just by using a visual aspect (Baumgartner, Esslen, and Jacken). This type of music is extremely complex, which makes the audience more susceptible to different interpretations of the sounds and energy coming towards them, creating a plethora of feelings. Classical music is seen as the lost art of composers and artists like Beethoven, Haydn, and Mozart, but it is still prominent today because it has broken through the barriers of high and low culture, affects most human senses, and represents an era that has almost been forgotten today.

Intro to Humanities, Room 222, Thurs. Dec. 6th

 12:15 – 1: 25 will include the following:

 

 Ashley Dvorak

Defining Modern Day Tattooing

In today’s society, many influential people including celebrities are tattooed; changing the stereotype from being something frowned upon to something more acceptable. Gay acknowledges, “During the 1960s and 1970s, rock-and-roll musicians, bikers, and others who wanted to defy accepted dress and cultural patterns began to prominently display their tattoos – or in their jargon, their “tats” or “ink.” Today people with tattoos are everywhere. They are shown in advertisements, on television shows, and in magazine and newspaper photographs. Even a glamorous toy icon, Barbie, comes with temporary tattoos.” Tattooing is very significant because it defies the normal stereotypes of marginality. Tattoos use the body to explore one’s aesthetics and there are an infinite amount of meanings and symbols behind tattoos. The images can vary from memorials of friends and family to religious and patriotic themes.

Paulina Priske

The Movement of Ideas

Bob Marley is meaningful because his songs have touched millions of lives with his constant message of peace, and also shaped the future of Jamaica. His music was a Reggae type of music, and he also helped with the formation of Rap and Rhythm, and Blues. In his opening lines of his songs he spoke about the history and the strength of his enslaved ancestors. Marley’s main focus was how he could unite people and create peace over his land. He once said, “My life is only important if mi cyan help plenty people. My life is for people. That’s who mi is.” This quote is very inspiring because it gives out a positive message to the meaning of his songs. Over time his music reached international fame, meaning not only was his music spread all over Jamaica but also around the world, which is very incredible. In John Rockwell’s article in The New York Times he states, “With his superb songs and arrangements, his rapt appearance and charismatic stage personality, Bob Marley and his group, the Wailers, won audiences for reggae all over the world, and influenced countless other musicians. Mr. Marley’s concerts were hours-long, almost mystical events, with whole arenas standing and swaying to the insinuating rhythms and reiterated chants of his songs.” Bob Marley had the ability to spread his influential message around the world and symbolizes the power to overcome stereotypes, break boundaries, and represent Jamaican culture and black pride.

Jami Renwick

The Evolution of Tattooing

Traditionally, tattoos were typically significant among gang members, biker boys, and tribal people, and were commonly viewed as a deviant, rebellious, and uncommon symbol. Tattooing has evolved over the years from being a deviant action to a form of self-expression that has become more acceptable in society. According to Margo DeMallo in her book Bodies of Inscription: A Cultural History of the Modern Tattoo History, “In each stage of its artistic and social evolution, the tattoo itself has been redefined, moving from the mark of the primitive to a symbol of the explorer, a sign of patriotism and a mark of rebellion, to where it stands for many today, as a sign of status” (3). Tattooing is significant because it represents a form of aesthetic self-expression, no longer symbolizes youthful deviance, and expresses cultural, religious, or personal traits and values.

Mariah Bravo

The Day of the Dead: A Complex Hispanic Holiday

The Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated mainly in Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and relatives who have died. The celebration occurs on the 1st and 2nd of November in connection with the Catholic holy days of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, which take place on those days. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. Observance of the holiday in Mexican-American communities in the United States has become more important and widespread as the community grows numerically and economically. In an online article, Palfrey believes, “Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl (known in English as “The Lady of the Dead”).” Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world; for example, it is a public holiday in Brazil, where many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray to their loved ones who have died. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similarly-themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures. Needless to say, this amazing tradition has made its way all around the world. The day of the dead is a high culture holiday that significantly shapes human identity while preserving social order not only in the countries that it originated in but all over the world as well.

Kaley Castillo

The Mystery and Power of Zombies

In zombie films, humans struggle through economic and technological destruction, gender stereotypes, and relations between what is supposedly normal and what is supposedly abnormal. Online, Petsko says, “They come out of the night, shuffling towards us slowly, inexorably – pitiless, mindless and voracious. They care for nothing but their own continued existence. Unchecked, they will devour everything in their path.”  Zombies take place of the human form but are completely the opposite, mentally and spiritually. They have no purpose on Earth but to bring chaos and destruction. Zombies do not have a mindset plan other than devouring any human flesh they see. In all zombie films, they act the same: vicious, out of control, and animalistic. The zombie films settings mostly partake in cities with large populations because it has more people that have a higher chance of becoming the infected. Zombie films, like Dawn of the Dead and Resident Evil have different types of zombies. In the new version of Dawn of the Dead the zombies run, and in Resident Evil the zombies not only run but also are intelligent and strong. The main character of Resident Evil is a woman named Alice, who is immune to some experiment taken on her. Alice’s abilities of strength and power are abnormal from regular humans. Yet, by being a woman, Alice symbolizes power and strength.

Jaime Soria Jr.

MS-13: A Subculture  

The MS-13 gang is one of the most terrifying gang worldwide. The gang initially started in El Salvador then spread its violent ways onto Honduras, Mexico, and eventually America. According to McKenna on an online article, “The gang is notoriously violent, relentlessly cruel and merciless, with plenty of well-documented public crimes, such as a San Francisco member who killed a family for briefly blocking his car.” This quote shows how the new members will do anything for their gang. Since the beginning of organized crime, gangs are a significant part of America by offering violence and corruption to the community, promoting anarchy and differences between gangs causing conflicts on each other, and becoming a public tragedy to the young boys and girls. All gangs have their way of representing their gang from gang sings to decapitation of victims. Every gang has a rival like the Bloods and the Crips, but the gang MS-13 doesn’t just have one rival they believe that anyone who is not in the MS-13 mafia is a threat to the gang even civilians. Gangs affect the public terribly by sounding the public with violence and drugs. Children are an easy target of for the gangs. Gangs are like a virus they will destroy its surroundings and never go away. This gang is significant because it expresses the role of performance in a member’s everyday life, relations between the public and the private; conflicts between social and the personal, and reveals representations of groups, including stereotypes of gangs.

The Human Condition Seminar, Social Science, Room 118, Thurs.  Dec. 6th

 8:10-8:20  Guillermo Roa

The Sinner Priest in The Power and the Glory

Christians often struggle with how to live a spiritual life in a material world, yet life’s difficult questions can be answered through religion.  Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” suggests that some of the answers can help us achieve the spiritual life we crave the most. Plato describes the “cave” in which people are imprisoned and the “chains” that keep the prisoners from achieving enlightenment, or the spiritual life.  For the Christian, the cave represents the world of materialistic things. In Graham Greene’s The Power and the Glory, the “whisky priest,” being a symbol of a truly spiritual person, struggles to live in a town where religion is banned, believing in the power of God and religion but struggling to overcome temptation and sin of the world.  These struggles humanize the priest, or teach him what it means to live with sin.  The Power and the Glory suggests that the truly spiritual figure must become humanized by living in the cave and learning how to bring others to enlightenment.

8:20-8:30  Kiara Allison

The Poisonwood Bible: The Demoralizing Effects of Colonialism

Generally, people are influenced by the authoritative figures around them. However, leaders that have ill intentions or imprudent ethics can manipulate their subordinates into accepting a false reality. In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” puppeteers are leaders who cast shadows, or inaccurate depictions of life, to the manacled prisoners below. Similarly, Nathan Price, a character in Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Poisonwood Bible, attempts to spread the Word of God to a Congolese village. His selfish ambition and misconception of the gospel cause pain and suffering for the natives as well as his family. Plato’s text offers an alternative to the “imprisoned natives” by illustrating that in order to attain enlightenment a prisoner must reject these shadows and, at the beckoning of a compeller, ascend out of the cave and into the light. Plato suggests that people must make the conscious decision to abandon their current state of ignorance and seek out truth. In the novel, Leah Price, Nathan’s daughter, recognizes his corruption and rejects his teachings, adopting the Congolese culture as her own and serving as a compeller for the inhabitants of the Congo. While Nathan represents the disparaging power of colonialism, Leah demonstrates how cultural and spiritual enlightenment can bring forth prosperity and enrichment.

 8:30-8:40 Jairo Monasterio

Amores Perros:  Love’s a Bitch

The cliché that love is blind is explored with director Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu’s film, Amores Perros. The film shows how the characters are like the prisoners in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” where the prisoners are men chained to a cave in such a way where all they see are shadows.  In the film, “love” is a driving force for each character, but the audience questions if  love is just a shadow.  Iñarritu’s film takes three different situations to show how love, as a Platonic “shadow,” can ruin lives.

8:40-8:50 Alan Troppy

C for Compeller

 In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” there is a role present to those in the cave known as the compeller, or one who knows the Truth and is determined to enlighten others of their ignorance. This is an important role in a society that lacks the presence of critical thinkers and is a monumental role that needs to be filled.  In the world there are many compellers who lose sight of enlightenment and good intentions; one example of this is the tragedy of 9/11. 9/11 was a horrific scene, and the leaders at the time were concerned that our nation was not invincible, but in the fear and lapse of judgment, they began to take away some of our freedoms rather than find another way to protect without limiting the people. This lapse of judgment is apparent in V for Vendetta through the character of the High Chancellor, Adam Sutler, who controls the people’s lives as to who they may worship, when they may go outside and what they can or cannot watch. V is the compeller that reveals the true nature of platonic enlightenment, freedom and the self-realization of their trapped state in the cave of oppression. His role as the compeller works to show that the entire government has lost sight of their enlightenment and good intentions. In the film V for Vendetta, we learn how to become a great Platonic compeller to those trapped in the “cave” that surrounds them.

 8:50-9:00  Rowland Sauls

The King’s Speech:  Finding One’s Voice

Psychologically, our flaws bring us down in the eyes of others and make us seem devalued to ourselves. Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” helps its readers understand that to be enlightened and come out of the cave we inhabit, we must neglect the opinions of others, known as puppeteers, put faith in ourselves through listening to compellers, and eventually move past our flaws to be enlightened.  Enlightenment leads us to be the best we can be by compelling others and helping other humans. The 2010 film, The King’s Speech, tells the story of how King George VI dealt with his own flaws, specifically his speech impediment, and how he let it affect his self-worth by listening to his puppeteers, who tested his ability to be a great leader through World War II. However, his compellers help him realize his self-worth by encouraging him to overcome his flaws, giving him not only self-actualization, but also ascension from the platonic cave of depreciation he was previously in. The King’s Speech shows its audience that our flaws chain us to believe the false reality that our flaws make us failures, preventing us from being the persons that we need to be, want to be, and are obliged to be.

 9:00-9:10  Marshall Schmitt

1984:  A Dangerous Concoction of Enlightenment and Power

For Americans, freedom has been an important aspect of life from the earliest stages. It has been inscribed on our hearts and engraved in our minds that we have the freedom to pursue whichever truth we like.  The outcome, it is suggested, is often determined by how hard we work and ultimately how much money we obtain.  Plato demonstrates another progression of finding truth in his “Allegory of the Cave.”  In this theory, prisoners are chained and must realize their situation in order to free themselves, or be compelled to the surface, in order to grasp the full truth.  Afterwards, they should go back in the cave to compel the others.  In George Orwell’s novel 1984, a grim alternative is faced wherein those who have been enlightened have become corrupted in their rule over the common people and have exploited those people to perpetuate their power and rule.  Orwell’s novel demonstrates the perils of leadership when faced with a dangerous concoction of enlightenment and power.  This ultimately causes the leaders to use their enlightenment as a tool for exploitation and control rather than enlightenment, protection and education of the common man. Functioning as warning to the world about this kind of society and how the totalitarian ideas have already taken hold today, the novel shows that we must question everything to preserve our freedom.

9:10-9:20 Maggie Ferraro

9:20-9:30 Break

9:30-9:40 Saul Blair

Fifty Shades of Plato

Fifty Shades of Grey relates the story of a young, awkward female college graduate who enters into a socially-taboo relationship with a young, attractive, and cryptic CEO.  This Cinderella-style relationship escalates to physical levels that conventional societal values and norms abhor.  With the popularity of this book, curiosity about women’s desires and the evolution of society’s acceptance of sexually explicit material is rising to previously unknown heights.  Dubbed “mommy porn,” this novel piques the interest of even disinterested readers regarding its value by asking why society has eschewed such relationships publicly yet reveled in this book.  This novel lauds the words and phrases that depict what society has condemned in photography and film, and still many women embrace this novel as liberating.  Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” uses shadows to convey the obstacles that prevent enlightenment for those who are captivated by the false images that these shadows project.  Fifty Shades of Grey challenges traditional views on sex and relationships by revealing that a Cinderella-type shadow will ultimately lead back into the same old repressive “cave” women have come to scorn.

9:40-9:50 Zachary Orth

No Country for Old Men: Killing Them Socratically

In modern society, the importance placed on money is stronger than ever.  The presidential debates of 2012 were focused nearly completely on money, from the national debt to cutting funding for the Public Broadcasting System.  The greed of today’s world is similar to what Plato points out in “Allegory of the Cave” when he describes the unenlightened leaders that bicker over money and power.  In the novel, No Country for Old Men, a sociopath, Chigurh, is driven by a duty to make people accountable for their transgressions and life choices, especially when they place more importance on money than humanity.  In their moments of enlightenment, Chigurh kills his victims, preserving their enlightened state.  In No Country for Old Men, the character of Chigurh serves as a compeller who brings to light the dangers people face when they serve their own self-interest.

9:50-10:00 Catherine Wood

Mona Lisa Smile:Finding Freedom in a Girdle

For a woman in the mid-twentieth century, wearing a girdle meant pain and limited mobility, but at the same time it meant poise and elegance. It was something that a woman during that time could not go without due to gender expectations. With Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” audiences realize that in the 1950s, gender roles, like girdles, were “chains” that held the women of the time back, especially the women who had the potential to get an education. In the movie Mona Lisa Smile, Katherine Watson, a liberal teacher from California, shows a group of women how to break those chains and achieve their education. Most of the students do not find the enlightenment that Ms. Watson wants for the conservative Wellesley College.  However, the film offers limited examples of women who discover that enlightenment through education provides a small measure of freedom in their restricted state. Mona Lisa Smile shows that women should cast aside the “chains” of gender expectations in order to gain fulfillment.

Lee College Critical Thinking Student Conference Spring 2012 for Folklore and Humanities

Zombies: Outrage and Lore 

The website can be viewed here.

WK Hettinger (Wed., Old Edythe, 9:20)

With the phenomenal release of George A. Romero’s 1968 cult classic film Night of the Living Dead, zombies  have continued to rise from the grave and walk into more homes than ever before.  The notion of zombies has moved from the Carribean Islands’ Voodoo magic that turned people into mindless slaves to the real chance of biological, chemical, and viral warfare that turns people’s loved ones into walking brain-eating monsters. The end result is a full-on “Zombie Apocalypse.”  In an article by Daniel W. Drezner, professor at Tufts University and author of Theories of International Politics and Zombies, he states, “The living dead is the perfect 21^st – century threat: They are not well understood by serious analysts, they possess protean capabilities, and the challenge they pose is very grave.”

As humans have become more and more fascinated with zombies over the years, the threat has moved into mainstream American culture and media so much so that the Center for Disease Control recently released an article on how to survive a zombie apocalypse.  CDC spokesperson Dave Daigle told FoxNews, “People are so tuned and dialed in on zombies. The idea is we’re reaching an audience or a segment we’d never reach with typical messages.”  With this popular release and classic Hollywood movies, zombie fandom obsession has moved from just being movie plots and themes to crazed survival tactics.  Hence, the phenomenon of zombies is widespread because of subcultural superstition and fandom regarding the undead, ongoing human lore about surviving through a zombie apocalypse, and  consistency and change regarding society’s view of a zombie apocalypse aftermath.

The Persistence of Superstitions in the Modern Age        

See website here:

L. Aguilar (Wed, Old Edythe, 10:10)

Superstitions are mysterious in both their origins and logic, yet are still well-known and are disseminated on a daily basis. Not a day goes by without hearing about someone crossing fingers, knocking on wood, watching out for black cats, and avoiding stepping on cracks, whether to warn of bad luck or to have fun jumping over crevices on a sidewalk. Since such beliefs sound a bit foolish, people wonder why they are so entrenched in our culture and followed, by some, almost religiously. From Adam and Eve to a spilled salt-cellar in Leonardo Da Vinci’s Last Supper to todays’ Friday the 13^th franchise, superstitions have molded and evolved to fit contemporary society despite the advancement of science and technology. However, since humans face uncertainty and instability, Janet Goodall argues, “these superstitions are manifestations of belief in human power” to have influence on an otherwise unpredictable universe (316). Superstitions are significant because they informally educate and entertain, balance conservative and dynamism in their survival, and function as comforting customs to believers facing insecurity.

Chinese Ethnic Dance

Alysah Ensley (Wed, Edythe Old, 9:35)

The Chinese Lion dance is culturally important because it is made up of dance movements that represent Chinese culture and identity. Chinese dance is disseminated all over the world and gives people of other cultures a sense of Chinese influence. Its execution is often dominated by consistency rather than change because it applies, according to Chinese Dancing, “a sense of historical importance to the culture” (4). The art of Chinese dance is created through the use of identity and inherited by historical practices (that are often shared). Lion dancing is used to “tell stories that often have lessons that are hidden within the dance” (De Moines  2).  These types of dances are made up of stories that are used to teach lessons to people in regards to the way (it is believed) they should act. Facts and Details implies that this type of folkdance produces a sense of ethnocentrism for many Chinese families (1) because there is a sense of pride in their ability to hold on to their historical heritage. “This in turn,” states Chinese Folk Dance “will result in the acculturation of outsiders (versus the Chinese) when it comes to Asian culture”(1). While Lion Dancer implies that because times are changing, there will come a day when outsiders will no longer feel the need to assimilate to the Asian culture because the Chinese culture will one day experience a drastic change that will require a more dynamic Chinese society (3).

St. Lucian Carnival

Karla Mason (Wed., Old Edythe, 9:45)

From as early as 1965, Saint Lucia Carnival has been a festival that its citizens look forward to annually. Over the years, compared to its initial relation to strong cultural values of the island, Carnival in Saint Lucia has evolved into a more contemporary exhibition of costumes. The Saint Lucia Carnival season, from May 28 to July 30, is made up of Ole Mas, J’ouvert, Junior Carnival, and Carnival Monday and Tuesday. Music is an essential part of this festival. The carnival activities begin with Calypso and lead up to small concerts, plus they illustrate social commentary, such as political topics and sex scandals in song (“Saint Lucia”). Calypso is a genre of music used during the carnival season. However, calypso is generally not used during the parade because Soca is used instead. Soca is used by most West Indian Carnival festivals and has become more lyrically explicit and highly energetic, keeping with the unique culture of Saint Lucia. The Saint Lucia Carnival is a very significant festival to its citizens because it helps portray their freedom through dance and music, display consistency and change, exhibit hybridity, and disseminate the history of the island’s culture, including  happiness and or suffering, through  themes chosen by the carnival bands.

Texas Country Music

Abbe Zlomke (Wed. Edythe Old, 10:00)

Texas country music is profound because it stands out against the more popular pop country music of today, it signifies Texan heritage, and it disseminates Texas culture to those that are new to the state or live outside of it.  Texas country music sounds nothing like the more popular mainstream country music of America.  When people hear Texas country music, they will say that it sounds distinct from Lady Antebellum or Carrie Underwood.  Ramiro Burr states, “In Austin during the ’70s, there was the rise of various strains of country and rock fusions called “redneck rock” and “outlaw country.” Its heroes were singer/songwriters like Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker and Gary P. Nunn. These artists played wide-ranging fusions of country, rock and folk music that was accepted in Texas but not sought after by the Nashville country-music scene” (3). Texas country music is what makes Texas unique and stand out.  The music acts like a story that  holds Texas heritage within even as some Texas country artists are finally reaching the popularity need to reach notional charts and radio stations and are able to tour outside of Texas.

The Human Condition:  Seminar Presentation Schedule, Thurs, May 3rd.

8:20-8:30  Bayer, Caleb Shaver:  Existentialism and Invisible Man

Many people base their view of themselves as human beings on the organizations that they are involved in. Furthermore, these people often look to these organizations to decipher how they should live their lives. In sharp contrast to this way of thinking, Jean-Paul Sartre’s “Existentialism” asserts that we are defined by our actions alone, and we cannot look to any organization to determine our self-worth or what we should do in a given situation. People realize that they are nothing except that which they do by experiencing what Sartre termed as anguish, forlornness, and despair. Respectively, these terms mean that we: (1) understand that when we make a choice for ourselves, we are also choosing what we believe to be best for all mankind; (2) we understand that we alone choose our being, and (3) that we cannot have faith in people we do not know just because we believe that those people will do what is best for the good of humanity. At the same time, in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible Man, we see an unnamed main character that bases his values as a human being on the organizations he is affiliated with and looks to these organizations to help him determine what actions he should take at any given time. Through experiencing anguish, forlornness, and despair, the main character in Invisible Man realizes that he is only defined by his actions, and no outside forces can determine who he is as a human being, illustrating that nothing good can come from allowing anything but oneself to determine who one is as a person.

8:30-8:40  Bayer, Rebecca Carranza:  Nip/Tuck: Beauty with a Knife

“Tell me what you don’t like about yourself,” says a sly doctor whose only intention is to encourage further mutilation in the name of beauty. The question pulls forth a universal thought of how one is unsatisfied with his/her self-image. Everyone has the urge to look in the mirror and examine one’s self for imperfections. Some people are able to accept themselves as they are, but others are haunted by the flaws and need to go to someone to enhance their beauty.  This type of people and the sly doctor are presented in a popular television series Nip/Tuck. Nip/Tuck is a show that follows the lives of two extraordinary plastic surgeons, Sean McNamara and Christian Troy, who “help” women become what they believe society wants them to be. Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth shows how beauty is a behavior altering, psychologically grating concept that is about much more than mere appearances but of how male institutions are intact and subtly controlling and hindering women’s advancement in self-respect and esteem (Wolf 10). Nip/Tuck reveals how The Beauty Myth poisons women who alter their bodies to meet forever changing beauty standards, thus destroying their self-esteem and perpetuating male domination.

8:40-8:50  Bayer, Hooriya Sulaiman: The “Mask of Masculinity” in Slumdog Millionaire

The way boys perceive the ideas of society plays an important role in shaping their character. According to William Pollack, the author of Real Boys, consciously or unconsciously, men try to put on “mask of masculinity” to show off their manliness to the world. There is this unwritten, yet generally accepted rule of society, perpetuated by extremely rigid gender stereotyping which has unfortunately been the caveat by which they have been raised, for generations. Starting at a very young age, young men have chosen to wear a mask of masculinity to hide their real self in order to honor this so called “Boy Code.” In Real Boys, Pollack explores this veil that society dons over its boys by various injunctions such as “The sturdy Oak,” “Give ‘em hell,” “The Big Wheel,” and “No sissy stuff.” The most assertive tool that men use for showing off their manliness is by using violence, or “giving ‘em hell.” The character of Salim, the brother of the protagonist Jamal, in Danny Boyle’s Oscar winning film Slumdog Millionaire is a great example of a youth weighed down by the pressures of the society that he lives in. Because of the societal pressures and role models of gangsters, Salim believes that power and money comes only to “hard- hearted” men. Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire, through the character of Salim, illustrates that, once men fall into the “black hole” of societal pressures, attempting to break free from “mask of masculinity” or show their real emotional side leads to serious consequences.

8:50-9:00 Bayer,  Dimarg Fontenelle:  Modifying the Boy Code in Courageous

The traits of strength and courage are stereotypically used to identify a real man. These seemingly ideal characteristics may cause men to shape themselves into these traits.  When men follow these traits William Pollack refers to as “The Boy Code,” they slowly become emotionally detached in relationships. Alex Kendrick’s film Courageous shows a father who is unable to fully engage in relationships with his children because of his adherence to “The Boy Code.”  In Courageous, Michael epitomizes the “Boy Code’s” idea of strength and courage until the death of his daughter. However, out of tragedy, Michael recognizes the failure of his inner restraint, the expectations of the “Boy Code.” In coming to terms with the death of his daughter, Michael demonstrates that males can have much more meaningful lives when those lives involve full emotional connections, fracturing the traditional expectations of masculinity.

9:00-9:10  Bayer, Michael Ellis:  Secret Detrimental Sacrifice in The Hurt Locker

Many have attempted to accurately define the qualities of a real man; one author that precisely pinpoints the male gender codes is William Pollack. In Real Boys, Pollack describes the nature and characteristics used to define qualities of real men through his Boy Code, which is defined as the core rules and guidelines that men use to define their masculinity. The four injunctions of the Boy Code include Sturdy Oak, No Sissy Stuff, Big Wheel, and Give’em Hell. The four injunctions directly define different aspects of masculinity. In the film The Hurt Locker, American soldiers demonstrate the daily life and routine a soldier experiences while being deployed to Iraq during time of war.  The Hurt Locker is reviewed as “powerfully realistic” and has been hailed by critics as “one of the great war movies” (The Hurt Locker, blurb). This film assists the public in the understanding the requirements to become a perfect soldier. It is the Boy Code that makes it possible for a soldier to survive in a time of war. The film The Hurt Locker illuminates the fact of Pollack’s Boy Code, a requirement to one’s survival in war conditions, as a moral sacrifice that is detrimental in civilian life.

9:10-9:20  Bayer Sallie Escalona:  Real Women Have Curves: Female Rivalry in the Family

Beauty brings to mind the trust that beauty equals value. Author Naomi Wolf writes in The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women that women are part of a myth that is based on beauty, thus causing women to be divided against one another. The film Real Women Have Curves directed by Jim DeNault exemplifies the conflict between mother and daughter based on these principles which society places on women.  The characters of Anna and her mother Carmen are from a Hispanic family that lives in East Los Angeles. Anna is forced by her mother to work in her sister’s dress factory and turn down a full scholarship to a university in New York City.  It is not until Anna asserts her understanding of her own worth not based on beauty that she becomes empowered against her mother’s wishes.  Therefore the film demonstrates Wolf’s assertion that competition among women threatens all relationships among women including their own families.

9:20-9:30 Break

9:30-9:40 Bayer, Tanya Hutfless:  The Powers Within: Finding Neverland

How significant is a mother’s love to her child? Immediately after separation from the mother’s womb, we take our first breath that indicates we are no longer physically one with the mother. Through this most wonderful event of birth, not only is life introduced, but this is also the instant where the “experience of separateness” happens as well (Fromm 8). Psychologist Erich Fromm believes that this very experience “arouses anxiety” and leaves an individual powerless as a human being, as explained in his work The Art of Loving (8). “Separation anxiety” includes feelings of uneasiness, nervousness and unsettling worry brought on by premature separation from something or someone such as a mother or caregiver. The film Finding Neverland (2004), directed by Marc Forester, is a story based on the real life events of playwright James M. Barrie. We discover that James is a man that never wants to grow up after he loses the love and attention from his mother after his brother’s death. James finds himself at the crossroads of his career when his latest play is a flop that threatens his future. Meeting a widow Sylvia and her four adventurous boys, however, enables him to overcome his “separation anxiety” which inspires him to write Peter Pan, his best work yet. James Barrie in the film Finding Neverland suggests how overcoming “human separation anxiety” through love frees people from their “unbearable prison” (8) of isolation.

9:40-9:50 Bayer, Crystal White:  Existentialism: How to Avoid the Inhumanity Portrayed in Lakeview Terrace

Existentialism gives power to the individuals to control their destiny provided they become what they have planned to be, live authentically, and take responsibility for themselves by making choices that are “good” for all humans. An existential lifestyle states that anguish and despair are conditions of understanding the consequences of our actions and how they affect those around us. In the film Lakeview Terrace, Samuel L. Jackson’s character Abel Turner is a prime example of what can happen to an individual who chooses to value the self over others. When the anguish and despair brought on by circumstances beyond his control implant in his heart and soul, Abel loses control over his thoughts. Abel believes his beloved wife had an ongoing affair with a white man and she was in his presence when her untimely death occurred. This loss of self-control sends Abel in a rapid downward spiral as he attempts to justify his anguish and despair by retaliating against his new neighbors, a bi-racial, newlywed couple. According to “Existentialism” a life lived only to please the “self” results in an inauthentic life, a life without purpose or meaning. Humiliated and enraged by his wife’s indiscretion with a white man, Abel becomes self-absorbed and makes irrational decisions, demonstrating that those who act for themselves rather than all humans are on a destructive rather than a constructive life path.

9:50-10:00  Bayer, Toni Bates:  Twelve Step Programs Can Return the Lost Soul to Love

Addicts of all types are emerging in modern culture. The nature of addiction is taking a heavy toll in society, but there is a solution. A return to love as defined by Erich Fromm, in his book The Art of Loving (1955), offers four base characteristics of a truly loving person: care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge (30). Fromm refers to these as the four pillars of love. The twelve-step program as explained in the book Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions (1952), published by Alcoholic Anonymous World Services Inc., was designed specifically to help people lost in addiction repair family and societal ties. The program teaches them how to love and to be loving again. Fromm’s four pillars are stepping stones that help addicts incorporate this program into their lives.

10:00-10:10  Bayer, Hannah French:  The “Boy Code” in the War

Many fathers teach their sons to be a “real man” by hiding their emotions, putting on a brave face, and sometimes by fighting. When they teach those things to their sons, they are teaching them how to follow the rules of the “Boy Code.” William Pollack’s book Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons from the Myths of Boyhood examines the “Boy Code” and its four injunctions, the “Sturdy Oak,” the “Big Wheel,” “Give ‘em Hell,” and “No Sissy Stuff” (Pollack 22-23). Young boys who abide by and follow the rules of the “Boy Code” are unable to face their emotions, causing them to resort to violence by hurting others or even themselves. The film The War focuses on a young boy, Stu Simmons, whose father is a war veteran dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder while also trying to keep his son from following the “Boy Code.” The War illustrates the damaging emotional effects, potentially deadly consequences, and negative influence the “Boy Code” injunctions have on adult men as well as young boys.

10:10-10:20 Bayer, Cristian Johnson:  Real Boys in Gran Torino

10:20-10:30  Bayer, Sasha de Santiago: Educating Rita and Gender Codes

Machuca: A Story of Hope and History

Hilda Alvarez (Thurs, Bayer, 11:55)

Machuca is significant because it educates people about the horrible events affecting a young boy’s point of view, provides a view of Chile in the 1970s, and illustrates how two different people of different social classes can come together. Machuca is a film based on the events in Chile in 1973 under the presidency of Salvador Allende, who was the first Marxist president in Latin America. In an online article, Bhatia persuades, “Machuca is an intriguing political drama that showcases the tragedy of a society which in turn deeply affects the core existence of humanity.” During his presidency, Chilean politics exploded as strikes, economic problems, and lockouts were happening.

The Heritage and History of Hula Dance

Lacey Shay (Thurs., Bayer, 12:05)

Hula dance is significant because it conveys Hawaiian history, disseminates Hawaiian culture worldwide, and features dancers using their bodies to illustrate island symbolism. Prior to the arrival of Christian missionaries in the 1820s, the dance was known for rituals to Hawaiian goddesses and as a way to record history. After Hawaii had been invaded by the missionaries, Hula was banned. It later reestablished and transformed to a mean of entertainment to connect audiences to the traditional roots of Hula. The dance radiates all over the world and showers people of other countries with Hawaiian influence. According to a Hula history website,  “Though modern influence has touched Hula dancing, its ancient roots can be seen in movements that symbolize nature with all its contrasts.”

Samba in Brazil

Marisol Rodriguez (Thurs. Bayer Conf., Room, 12:35)

Samba was born and developed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, between 19^th century and the beginning of 20^th century. Rio de Janeiro is most known and identified for its musical expression, Samba. Samba did not have great success when it was first introduced and recorded, but in 1917 it all changed with the recording of “Pelo Telefone” (“By Phone”). “Pelo Telefone” achieved great success with its style of samba and popularized the genre. Samba became associated with Carnival, the biggest holiday in Brazil, and from there on it spread across the country by taking its own place in the music market. With the origin of Samba music, a set of dance styles originated in Brazil also. These types of dances all have a lively, rhythmical style of dance, but not one dance can be claimed with certainty as the “original” Samba style. Samba is significant because it’s a hybrid style of dance, art, and music, it incorporates traditions and conventions, and it disseminates Brazilian culture to the world. As Carole Boyce Davies addresses, “Samba and the ever changing, spontaneous street dances in secular manifestations were the more influential forms of social dance and interaction that established early notions of performance – culturally, aesthetically, and socially – apart from other modes of living tradition, learning movement and social behavioral patterns” (69).

Portal 2 and Mythology  

Stebbin Varner II (Thurs, Bayer Conf Room, 12:55)

Mythology in today’s modern culture is something commonly read in books or studied in museums. Amazing stories such as Hercules, Jason and the Argonauts, and Achilles are popularized by the media through fast-paced and dramatic action films. A more recent and different approach however is from the popular videogame, Portal 2. McNeilly of gamesradar.com states, “The complexities of Portal 2’s story and setting invite a deeper look at representations of gender, myth and capitalism.” On the surface, Portal 2 is an intuitive and humorous puzzle game depicting robots and various types of media references. However, if one delves further into the subtext and reads between the lines, Portal 2 is actually a play on the mythology of Prometheus and also the story of Pandora’s Box.

Soca Music: Native Music Of Trinidad & Tobago

Shannon Soogrim (Thurs., Bayer Conf Room, 12:15)

Soca Music originates from Trinidad and Tobago. It is important because it is how the people speak their mind using hybrid styles of music and a multicultural variety of instruments. Soca music combines calypso, dancehall, reggae, chutney, jump up, creole, and buyon music to showcase the island’s traditions. It also uses a variety of instruments like the drums, steel pan, parang, trumpets, and a wide horn section that make it unique and the most popular form of music in Trinidad. According to the book Carnival: Culture in Action, Riggio explains, “Hybrid song forms reflect alliances, transgressions, and contestations, that are constantly taking place in a society that is restless, hyperactive, driven, by an excess of adrenaline, and imperfectly contained, and defined by a multitude of shifting and intersecting boundaries”(227).

Jazz and its History

Anjelisa Frederick (Thurs., Bayer Conf Room, 1:15)

Modern Jazz music is significant because it is a hybrid of hip hop and regional music, provides young and old people to listen to African American heritage, and links jazz bands from today to the early 20s and 30s. South African trumpet legend Hugh Masekela says, “I think that anybody from the 20th century, up to now, has to be aware that if it wasn’t for Louis Armstrong, we’d all be wearing powdered wigs. I think that Louis Armstrong loosened the world, helped people to be able to say ‘Yeah,’ and to walk with a little dip in their hip. Before Louis Armstrong, the world was definitely square, just like Christopher Columbus thought.”  African Americans jumpstarted jazz music by combining the sounds and rhythms of different cultures around the world, thus made it hip and complex.

The Power of Tattoos

Trena Rodriguez (Thurs., Bayer Conf Room, 1:05)

Tattooing is significant because it shows represents peoples artistic skills and expresses a person’s self-being, it provides a sense of hybrid multiple cultures, and is used as a form of a ritual by members of the Army, Navy, Marines, and Air Force. Tattoos are described as forms of art and symbols of people’s personality. Clinton Sanders argues In Customizing the Body,” I use the case of tattooing to explore which factors increase or decrease the likelihood that an activity will be defined as ‘ artistic,’ it’s product defined as ‘art,’ and / or the worker producing it defined as an artist.” Cate Lineberry concludes, “These permanent designs—sometimes plain, sometimes elaborate, always personal—have served as amulets, status symbols, declarations of love, signs of religious beliefs, adornments and even forms of punishment.” Hence, tattoos often symbolize different meanings from various cultures worn on the body as a form of art, identity, and personal history.

Jimi Hendrix: My Hendrix Experience

Joe Carter  (Thurs., Bayer Conf. Room, 1:25)

Jimi Hendrix is by far the most popular guitarist to pick up a guitar. His strive for success was no walk in the park. To separate himself from others, he studied those of great success before him then molded the styles into an experience like no other. Jimi Hendrix was a shy man who preferred to talk through six chords, and when those six chords began to speak, everyone would listen. No notes were put together like any other, no performance was ever performed the same, no song was played as previous times before, and no stage was safe when Jimi Hendrix was up to deliver. Hendrix’s poetic lyrics, as singer-songwriter Peter Case once said, “… created memorable and dynamic original phrases of speech, blazing lines that stick in your head forever.” The way he would play on and on without singing a word came from his roots of being a bluesman, and his life story resembles a folk hero for modern times.

Public Enemies: A Gangster Tale

Salandra Pierre (Thurs., Bayer Conf Room, 12:45)

Public Enemies is a great American. movie that depicts the Depression Era.  Some may not view Public Enemies as anything special, but truly they have not seen the beauty of the film.  Christian Bale says audiences will be able to find parallels between then and now, particularly with the current economic crisis. “With the Depression and the extreme injustice, it was a time where people felt screwed over by the fat-cat bankers,” he says, “Whole families were losing everything. It’s something that sounds familiar nowadays. Naturally, in that kind of climate, people are going to champion someone like Dillinger who seem to be taking it back for themselves of the film.”  Public Enemies is important because it embodies gangster lore and conventions, characterizes John Dillinger as a folk hero despite his criminal ways, and depicts the Depression era issues. This movie does a great job of showing all these aspects and also provides an abundant amount of action and realness that keeps the audience holding on.

Day of the Dead: Holiday of Rememberance

Holli Urrutia (Thurs., Bayer Conf. Room, 12:25)

Day of the Dead, which is primarily known as Dia De Los Muertos, is a holiday originated by the Aztecs for as long as 2,500 years ago. Mexicans then adopted the holiday and made it their own by adding festivities and food. It is now celebrated throughout the world in many cultures. Day of the Dead is celebrated on November first and second. Shawn Haley writes, “At the time November first and second, the dead return to their former homes on earth for a while to eat, drink, sing, and be entertained and to visit with their loved ones”(1). Day of the Dead is significant because it’s a holiday to celebrate lost family members, represent Mexican culture, and ritualize food and offerings for the continuity of life after death. According to Shawn Haley, “The influence of El Dia De Los Muertos has on their daily lives is immeasurable. It affects everything they do and has an impact on the way they see the world and themselves in it” (2).

Lee College Human Rights Art Exhibition and Symposium, April 26, 2012

Discouraged Dialogs — Human Rights, Borders, War Zones and Bodies:
Lee College Human Rights Art Exhibition and Symposium

The Human Rights Art Exhibition and Symposium at Lee College in Baytown, TX, on April 26, 2012, will serve as an educational event and address global and regional human rights concerns. The exhibit has been held at several locations, including the University of Texas Pan American, Universidad de Monterrey, Mexico, Progreso Art Gallery, Mexico and South Texas College, McAllen, Texas. This exhibition will draw attention to war zones as both literal and metaphoric spaces involving people coping with issues of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, militarism, and economics. In addition, the events will address the way arts integrate these issues in complex, multilayered, and vivid forms. Sponsored by English instructor and folklorist David Ensminger and art instructor and practitioner Jennifer Herzberg, the conference will also feature a month-long exhibition of related work at the Lee College Art Gallery. As an event open to the public, the exhibit and symposium aim to illuminate human rights issues and encourage contemplation, reflection, and activism that seek to connect viewers on an emotional and personal level to the issues at stake. Furthermore, participants hope to encourage dialogues, confront the many horrors and injustices still found in our modern world, and draw attention to unique problems found in the nearby border region of the U.S. and Mexico.

The exhibit at Lee College is culled from the South Texas College permanent Human Rights Art Collection, which has grown steadily each year due to the generous donations of participating artists.  In addition to this selection, the panelists from the symposium will display several of their own artworks that follow the general theme of human rights and social justice.  There will be over 40 pieces of art on display surveying a wide variety of styles, media, and concepts.

Contact for Event: Instructor David Ensminger, densminger@lee.edu.

Presenters include:

Phyllis Evans, Assistant Professor, Chair of Visual Arts and Music, South Texas College (Artist, Graphic Designer).

Dr. Rebecca Riley, Vice President of Instruction, Lone Star College, Kingwood (Artists & Panel Moderator)

David Ensminger, Instructor of English, Folklore, and Humanities (Scholar, Archivist, Musician, and Activist).

Future Akins, Associate Professor of Art, Texas Tech University, (Master of Art Education Coordinator & Feminist artist)

Ed Check, Visual Studies School of Art Area Rep, Texas Tech University, (Co-founded the Caucus for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered, Queer Issues in the National Art Education Association)

Pedro Perez, Instructor of Art, South Texas College (Painter & Graphic Artist)
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Richard Lubben, Instructor of Art, South Texas College (Painter and Coordinator of the humanrightsartexhibit.com)

Jennifer Clark, Associate Professor of Political Science, South Texas College (Women’s Studies President & Organizer of the Human Trafficking Conference at STC)

M.C. Farris, Assistant Professor of Design Art, University of Texas Pan American (Painter/Art Ed)

 Schedule of Events, Black Box and Art Gallery lobby, April 26th

8:00—9:00 Reception: food and social gathering.

9:00—10:00 Shades: Rights, Resiliency, and Healing Environments: K-leigh Low

Brief look into Human Rights  and Disability Rights and how survivors come to recognize and own their resiliency through creating their healing environment in artistic ways.

10:00–11:30: Artists Presentation

Artists will provide a short summary of their work and direction.

11:30 –12:30: Lunch and social gathering.

12:30-­1:30: Human Trafficking Discussion: Jenny Clark, Phyllis Evans, and Richard Lubben

Presentation on human trafficking, work by the STC Women’s Studies Committee & the Annual Human Rights Art Exhibit

1:30–2:30: Student Symposium

Including:

Matthew Miller

Existing and Future Perceptions on Gender Identity

When humans are born, they enter the world free of any concept of male or female.  Over the course of a human life, people are taught information about gender.  Gender is not synonymous with a person’s sex.  People adopt a gender identity that feels the most natural to them or is the most socially acceptable.  This gender identity is something at the core of a person that in large part defines how they interact within society.  People carry this identity with them, often unchanged, for their entire life.  Gender is a construct of the human psyche formed over thousands of years of conditioning.  As a part of the human identity, gender roles are challenged by outside factors like laws that impinge on same sex relationships, mass media’s portrayal of gender, and religious doctrines regarding masculine and feminine roles.

Dimarg Fontenelle

Achieving Self-Actualization in Temple Grandin

In the film Temple Grandin, the world is seen as a series of pictures through the eyes of Temple, but society’s inability to comprehend her point of view threatens her development. She is able to remember things using photographic memory. This unique ability is the result of her autism. The diagnosis of being autistic presents Temple as different in the eyes of the world. In learning to help her daughter, Mrs. Grandin also encounters similar obstacles. Similarly, Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” suggests a prisoner who is trapped by the chains and shadows in the cave but sees past the shadows and breaks free from these chains. The journeys of Mrs. Grandin and Temple are better understood when observing Temple Grandin through the lens of “The Allegory of the Cave.” Mrs. Grandin, determined to fight against society’s misconceptions of her daughter’s autism, is forced to deal with chains and shadows that society imposes on her as a woman. Temple, too, faces the obstacles of society’s mistaken beliefs of her developmentally different character. Temple Grandin allows us to see that it is possible to overcome the obstacles, chains, and shadows present in society, leading to self-actualization.

Michael Ellis

 Masculine Shortcomings in “How to Tell a True War Story”

In war, battles are won, and battles are lost. Through these battles, human lives are lost forever, denied the ability to inhale the fresh air of a new approaching season, robbed of the chance to grow old with their loved ones, never again to feel an emotion of any sort. War is not fair. How does one survive the harsh conditions that war instills on a person? Some say that it takes a real man to go to war. In William Pollack’s Real Boys, Pollack describes the nature and characteristics that men have used as guideline to define themselves as real men. The “Boy Code,” as defined by Pollack is the core rules and guidelines that men use to define their masculinity. Pollack uses four different types of injunctions to clarify his standard “Boy Code”:  Sturdy Oak, No Sissy Stuff, Big Wheel, and Give’em Hell. Through two of these injunctions, Tim O’Brien’s “How to tell a True War Story” brings to light the secrets of the stories told by soldiers about war time experiences. O’Brien’s “How to tell a True War Story,” illustrates how the “Boy Code” can cripple a person’s moral sense of humanity during war by depriving individuals of their core sense of emotion.

Leo Tanguma — Visionary Muralist

Sara Hernandez

Leo Tanguma is a Mexican-American from Texas who has painted murals for more than 40 years. The most recurrent theme in his numerous murals across the years have been the struggle for human liberation and human dignity Tanguma has painted murals in poor barrios, ghettos, public schools, universities, prisons, churches, airports, in one migrant camp, and even in stately art museums. More importantly, almost all of his murals have been painted with young people, troubled youth, and street people, as well as with highly educated artists and numerous university art students.  Tanguma has painted with young school children as well as senior citizens. Tanguma is a big inspiration to Mexican-American people because his paintings speak up for pride, heritage, and fight for freedom.

2:30–4:00 Panel Discussion

Conversations too personal/too political/too unfashionable are encouraged as five artists share their private/public ideologies in relationship to their artwork.  Issues will include, but not be limited to, feminist spirituality, isolation of place and gender, oppositional subcultures, and discarded art movements.  Artists will openly share their fears and frustrations experienced during past attempts at open conversations concerning these philosophies. In addition, each artist will address the concept of intent as it relates to his or her work.

4:00–5:00 Art Reception

LEE COLLEGE

200 Lee Drive

Baytown, TX 77520

(281) 427-5611

Visual Vitriol Punk Poster Show at Lee College

The Lee College Art Association, Instructor Jen Herzberg, and folklore and English instructor David Ensminger just installed a Visual Vitriol poster show at the Cyber Cafe/Student Lounge on Lee College campus in Baytown, TX celebrating women in punk! The exhibition will adorn the walls of the cafe seating area until the last Thursday of October, so stop by and check it out, and post more flyers if you have any! The advert/flyer was designed by my student Mickey Holiday, replete with a photo taken by Ensminger of Mel Hell from Zipperneck!

The curatorial crew!

Instructor Ensminger discusses the posters with a Spanish class

Installation Discussions Begin for Punk Flyer Exhibition, documented by Mickey Holiday

Instructor Ensminger Installs Flyer Show Celebrating Women in Punk!

Following the release of his book Visual Vitriol, published in June by the Univ. Press of Mississippi, Instructor David Ensminger, assisted by the Art Association of Lee College, is co-curating an exhibition of punk flyers celebrating the contributions of women to the restless legacy punk. The show will run from Mon Oct 17th – Mon Oct. 31 for free at the Jane Tucker Student Activity Center cyber cafe and student success center on the main campus in Baytown. The photos above and below, shot by student Mickey Holiday, document the first meetings to plan the event.

Lee College Humanities Conference May 2011

Lee College “Critical Thinking in the Humanities!”

Lee College, May 3rd and 5th, Bayer Conference Center .

8:30 am – 11 a.m. each day

Including:

Terrence Herman (Lee College) Tues. 8:45

Wall Street: Becoming a Real Man in America 

In business, academics, and politics in America, the existence of male egotism and competition has a negative effect on our society as a whole. The 1987 film Wall Street directed by Oliver Stone addresses a problem that plagues the business community — the overall masculine dominance of men. William Pollack’s piece Real Boys explores gender codes and their detrimental effects. The arrogant, egotistical, and highly ambitious character of Wall Street, Gordon Gekko, teaches a boy how to become a man using certain codes that our society feels is suitable and exposes the boy code problems as well.

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Toni Bowdoin (Lee College) Tues. 9:00

Boy Code and Disconnection in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

 

In his Pulitzer Prize winning play, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Tennessee Williams illustrates the difficulty men have in dealing with issues that fall outside acceptable male gender codes by focusing on one man’s detachment from his family.  Using William Pollack’s Real Boys, my presentation will discuss the male gender code’s “the big wheel” and “no sissy stuff” injunctions and explain their restrictive nature. My presentation will also discuss William’s character, Brick Pollitt, and show that because he is unable to accept feelings that fall outside the boundaries of the boy code, he suffers greatly, and he is unable express himself to the people closest to him.  In his critical essay, “Brick Pollitt as Homo Ludens: ‘Three Players of a Summer Game’ and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof,’” Charles E. May asks the question, “What, apart from its function as catalyst for the dramatic action, does Brick’s detachment mean?”  (49). Using Pollack’s theories regarding the boy code, my presentation will show Brick’s detachment proves that the restrictive nature of the boy code can lead to disconnection and eventually, “… [make] us strangers to ourselves and one another…” (5).

 

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Cheryl Dabney (Lee College) Tues. 9:30                         

Gender Codes: The Imprisonment of the Male in The Birdcage

This research paper uses the film The Birdcage to illuminate the flaws of heterosexual mainstream society defining a man with the gender codes that are critiqued in William Pollack’s Real Boys.  I will show the ramifications a society faces when conforming to Pollack’s male code from its effects on the male homosexual, male heterosexual, and those whose lives they touch.  In addition, this research illustrates how the code prevents the follower’s ability to love fully, in accordance with Erich Fromm’s tenets in The Art of Loving.  Using Pollack and Fromm, I will show how a male homosexual couple’s inability to conform to the code’s injunctions free them to express “love as an activity” (Fromm 20), while a heterosexual father’s compliance and full immersion in the code prevents him from loving or truly knowing anyone, including himself. With this result, I postulate the homosexual couple is capable of rearing children free from the chains of conformity and with unconditional love.  Adhering to Pollack’s Boy Code not only imprisons the male, but it prevents him from loving fully with Fromm’s tenets, adversely affecting his relationships.

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 Evelia Martinez (Lee College) Tues. 10:00am

He’s Just Not That Into You: The Dating Game

He’s Just Not That Into You by Ken Kwapis illustrates the necessity of philosopher Erich Fromm’s four pillars of love through his characters Gigi and Alex. Kwapis proves that youth’s concept of love is influenced by sex, drugs, and alcohol. In contrast, Fromm states that “the active character of love becomes evident in the fact that it implies the basics elements […] [of] care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge” (24). In the film, both Alex and Gigi go through a series of orgiastic states and meaningless relationships before creating a fulfilling concept of love not based on beauty and sexual appeal but emotional satisfaction. As the film progresses, the characters prove that their success is based entirely on their labor to achieve knowledge, care, respect, and responsibility for one another.

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Hai Bui (Lee College) Tues. 10:15

How to Love for Dummies: Failing in Love in He’s Just Not That into You

As we grow older, true love is made prominently clear as we begin to establish the difference between falling, staying, and being in love. When we were in elementary school, we were told that those who teased us were the ones that truly liked us. As we progressed to middle school, we gradually developed innocent crushes that came and went. Then, we were voting for high school sweethearts, and suddenly we were engulfed with infatuation, love, and relationships. When we leave high school, we begin to notice the difficulty in attaining and maintaining true love. First, we have to determine whether we are actually in love. Second, we have to find different avenues to stay in love. According to Erich Fromm, the foundation to a successful relationship begins with four pillars: care, respect, responsibility, and knowledge. In Ken Kwapis’s film He’s Just Not That Into You (2009), the characters lack Fromm’s four pillars.  Four couples struggle to distinguish love in their relationships, resulting in affairs, scandal, and divorce.

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Candy Martinez (Lee College) Thurs.  8:30

Contradicting the Male Code in A Walk to Remember

 

William Pollack’s Real Boys illuminates four injunctions society expects men to follow. Maintaining the injunctions can often push males to commit insidious mischief throughout their lives. A Walk to Remember portrays a young man who follows Pollack’s four injunctions but then eventually defies and contradicts the male code, learning new morals and living a meaningful life.  Author Bridget Murray states in her review of the film that the main character Landon is pushed to the limit to enforce and uphold the reputation that society has told him to follow.  Based on Landon’s background, he is widely known to be a rebellious individual who follows the crowd and only thinks of himself. After spending more time with Jaime, the preacher’s daughter and Landon’s classmate, Landon realizes other reasons for living exist other than spending everyday trying to satisfy the expectations of society he has been following through the past years. Learning to live for himself and his loved ones allows Landon to revise his beliefs and to grow in accordance with what he believes benefits his life. Rather than engage what society says boys should act like, Landon goes against everything he has based his life on in order to become a new individual with new morals, showing the audience the value of living outside of restrictive gender code.

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Holly Hollingshead (Lee College) Thurs. 8:45 

The Beauty of Behavior in Memoirs of a Geisha               

Bob Marshall’s film Memoirs of a Geisha depicts women in an ideal Japanese lifestyle. Behavior and beauty coincide in their life and control a geisha’s actions. Memoirs of a Geisha supports Naomi Wolf’s The Beauty Myth because the film fulfills Wolf’s philosophy that in many cultures, beauty “prescribes” behavior. Wolf states that the Beauty Myth imposes on “women’s faces and bodies all the limitations taboos and punishments of repressive laws, religious injunctions and reproductive enslavement” (16). Similarly, the behavior of the geisha, when combined with beliefs and superstition, was heavily monitored by the people they were associated with.  Honor was their most valuable possession. Men created the institutions in which geishas performed, were the enforcers of their behavior, and rewarded the “desirable” – the geishas.

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Avery Lewis (Lee College) Thurs. 9:00

Defying Traditional Notions of Love In Rent

Two men walking down the street in tight and flashy clothing while holding hands and openly showing affection insults some people. The more flamboyant a man is about his homosexuality, the more he is judged. As the years have passed, men and women have become more comfortable with homosexuality. Although in some places homosexual relationships are still unacceptable, different states allow marriage or union. Some people argue that a homosexual relationship is harder to maintain in our society as opposed to a regular heterosexual relationship. In The Art of Loving by Erich Fromm, he bases one of his theories of love on heterosexual relationships by stating that a homosexual relationship would be “a failure” (31). Ironically, in Rent, Angel and Collins, two homosexuals, show care, responsibility, respect, and knowledge, which are the four pillars that Fromm advocates.  Rent is an urban film based in the slums of New York City in the 1980s released in theaters on November 27, 2005. Rent deals with a group of friends, all living in poverty, who have to go through the experiences of fighting for their homes, surviving AIDS, and finding love. The film’s homosexual, heterosexual, bisexual, and straight characters have AIDS, are addicted to drugs, and all try to make a living. This project discusses how Angel and Collins, who both have AIDS, prove that Fromm is mistaken because their relationship invokes Fromm’s own pillars as they fight for survival and respect.

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 Stebbin Varner II (Lee College) Thurs. 9:15

Kane’s Many Loves

Charles Foster Kane is a man of wealth, mystery, controversy, and scandal. Kane had done it all: touring Europe and Africa; forcing high end politicians to eventually resign because of his newspaper slander; and creating an exotic paradise. Through all of this, he cares about having a lover. However, the relationships, while not short lived, were complicated and strenuous to both Kane’s ideals and the women themselves. Both of Kane’s relationships begin positively; however, they both also seemed as if they were just love at first sight. In my presentation, I will show how Erich Fromm’s pillars from The Art of Loving can be used to analyze not only Charles Kane’s love life but also his complicated love for the press, power, and even his search for his lost childhood.

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Stephanie Williamson (Lee College) Thurs. 9:30

Mean Girls: The Ugly Side of Beauty

 In high school, a person’s image is made to seem like the only important thing, and being at the top of the social ladder is what a person strives to accomplish. Being on top, though, is not as glamorous of a life as it can be perceived to be. Society pushes a never ending list of expectations that girls, especially, must live up to.  Naomi Wolf explains and criticizes these pressures that women feel in her work The Beauty Myth, explaining that as “the weight of fashion models plummeted to 23 percent below that of ordinary women, eating disorders rose exponentially. . . new technologies of invasive, potentially deadly ‘cosmetic’ surgeries developed apace to re-exert old forms of medical control of women” (Wolf 11). The movie Mean Girls (2004) illustrates Wolf’s points. This film, which has been called the one of the best high school movies of all time by Entertainment Weekly, has been watched by women of all ages and grossed more than $129 million. In Mean Girls, the group that is at the top of the social ladder is called “The Plastics,” and these girls clearly live by and promote “the beauty myth,” harming themselves and others. The movie explains the struggles that the new girl, Cady Heron, has to experience about social pressure and fitting in when she tries to become a “Plastic.” Through Cady Heron’s painful adherence to “The Plastics’” rules and ultimate rejection of their version of “the beauty myth,” viewers learn how to stay true to themselves despite what others push upon them.

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Dacqrin Stewart II (Lee College) Thurs. 9:45 

Training Day: How to be A Real Man

 

In 2001, the movie Training Day directed by Antoine Fuqua, was released as a police drama film. The movie begins by introducing Ethan Hawke as a man named Jake who is applying for an LAPD position as a Narcotics officer. Jake begins his first day of training under the supervision of Denzel Washington’s character, Alonzo. The movie follows the two main characters through a twenty-four hour period as Washington’s character, Alonzo, tries to teach Hawke’s character, Jake, how to be a great narcotics officer in Los Angeles. The movie Training Day shows the audience the danger, twists, and uncertainties of being a narcotics officer or any man who lives by a corrupt male code. William Pollack, who is the author of Real Boys: Rescuing Our Sons FromThe Myths of Boyhood, explains that all males risk being controlled by a code that includes four injunctions that demands them to act a certain, ultimately damaging way. Alonzo invokes the danger of Pollack’s four injunctions of “Give em hell,” “the big wheel,” “No sissy stuff,” and “the sturdy oak” as he teaches his trainee, Jake, to be more like himself.

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Erika Pena (Lee College) Thurs. 10:00

50 First Dates: Love as The Cure For Isolation

Paracelsus once said, “He who knows nothing loves nothing. He who can do nothing understands nothing. He who understands nothing is worthless” (Fromm ix). Likewise, a life without reunion of love based on knowledge and action leads to isolation; however, when love is found, a person blossoms. Unfortunately, though, most individuals “fall” in love rather than “stand” in love (4). Because they are unwilling to labor for love, they are unable to prove true love through the four pillars that Erich Fromm introduces in The Art of Loving. Fromm states that one must know, respect, care for, and show responsibility for his or her love. Director Peter Segal in 50 First Dates introduces viewers to an enviable man, Henry Roth, who demonstrates the evolution of an individual who fights to acquire love by laboring to use Erich Fromm’s four pillars of love. In the film, Henry overcomes his separateness by caring for Lucy, proving to be responsible for her, showing respect, and taking the time to know her. People such as Henry Roth learn the actual meaning of love, which transforms them from selfish to selfless people, overcoming their separateness. Henry Roth symbolizes how to cope with isolation and nothingness by sincerely seeking and accomplishing a noble union with a partner, which allows him to discover his self-worth.

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Christopher Fernandez (Lee College) Thurs. 10:15

The Four Seasons of Kane

The iconic movie Citizen Kane has been known as the best film of all time. Citizen Kane has been divided into so many segments that film makers use pieces of the film as prototypes for them to match. Film after film has not been able to compare to the success of this movie. But who really is Charles Foster Cane? In this presentation, I will use William Pollack’s “Boy Code” to segment Kane’s life into four main parts. Pollack labels the injunctions of the “Boy Code” as “Big Wheel,” “Sturdy Oak,” “No Sissy Stuff,” and “Give ‘em Hell.” Kane uses these injunctions to ensure his success but at the cost of his own emotional stability and his love for others. His ability to turn a small newspaper business into the most important newsfeed in New York, his protection of his feelings in his marriages, and his ability to strike fear into his political rivals shows his adherence to the code. Nothing stops Kane from upholding what he thinks a man should be. Charles Foster Kane is a man that clearly demonstrates the pros and cons of following a code that society has set for men to follow.

Lee College Folklore and Humanities Conference Dec. 2010

Sub-title:

Lee College “Critical Thinking in the Humanities and Folklore!”

Lee College, Dec. 6th (Edythe Old Studio) and 8th (Tucker Hall).

8:30 am – 12 pm each day

Including:

Rachel Hendricks (Lee College) Mon. 10:15

Heavy Metal: A Woman’s World

http://girlmetal.wordpress.com/

From the days of Iron Maiden and Metallica to Cradle of Filth and Breaking Benjamin, heavy metal has been both a widely loved and highly controversial genre of music. The screeching guitars, long hair, and tight black shirts worn by muscled-up males were just part of what became a convention of the music industry. No one ever thought that women would one day be ‘headbanging’ on those same stages, challenging these gender boundaries, and making their own marks in the world of metal music. From Wendy O. Williams to Sharon den Adel, women throughout the years have taken a stand and turned this seemingly anti-feminist genre, in which women are often exploited, into a powerful means of musical expression and a worldwide stage for advocating women’s rights. These extraordinary women are out to prove that whatever boys can do, they can do it better and make it louder, and they are not afraid to challenge gender norms. As Laudanum’s Becky Hawk expressed, “I am a female bashing the drums and growling vocals in the male-dominated genre of doom metal. My statement is through my actions” (Ryan 57). Whether self-expressed feminists or just die-hard rock’nroll women, these women have created a sub-culture in the music world that is steadily gaining worldwide renown. My presentation will highlight some of the most popular and charismatic female metal artists and prove that metal is no longer just a boy’s playground but a vibrant and meaningful outlet of creativity harnessed by women all over the world as a means of social and musical expression.

Taylor Harrison (Lee College) Wed. 9:45

Female Skateboarders: Coping in a Male-Dominated Subculture

A Film Presentation

Female skateboarders are culturally significant, for they challenge normative gender roles. In the world of skateboarding, females are greatly outnumbered. Because it is an extreme sport that requires a lot of physical and mental endurance, the common participants are male. Because I have many friends who skateboard, I notice that female participants in the sport are scarce. As Alana Young and Christine Dallaire point out in their article “The Discourses of Young Female Skateboarders,” the concept of “edgework” is introduced “to characterize the illusionary sense of control experienced during the skilled performance of a dangerous leisure activity demanding mental toughness and the ability to overcome fear in the quest for highly valued powerful sensations.” This presentation will explore the traits that shape female skateboarding identities, such as gender and cultural backgrounds, as well as ways in which women skateboarders cope in a male-dominated subculture. Because women are seen as weak and inferior to masculine male athletes, relations between what is supposedly normal and abnormal will also be discussed.

Savannah Hamilton (Lee College) Mon. 9:30

Steampunk as Modern Subculture Mash-Up

A Film Presentation

Steampunk is a thriving subculture in the United States. It coexists with the contemporary society yet is distinctive and different than that of our society’s norms. Steampunk is full of those seeking to be in a group so that they may work and socialize amongst those who also enjoy the fantasy idea of, “What if technology had not advanced from steam power?” These individuals live alternative lifestyles based on this fantasy idea. The goggles, Victorian clothes, and the exposed gears show that they belong to a particular group, steampunk, and define themselves as different and unique. These steampunks choose to dress, look, and act the way they do for many reasons, including the love of history, like the 19th century Victorian era with its steam powered machines and the ever growing excitement in the air stemming from inventions. Another reason they choose this subculture is for the hybrid styles: one can usually spot a steampunk wearing goggles, a top hat, exposed gears and speaking in a dramatic Victorian style, depending on the character they are choosing to portray. Lastly, steampunk is the reaction to modernism; many steampunks flock to this subculture for reasons of “utter soullessness and disposability caused by modern technology. There are so many simple, flashy, technologies these days, objects you enjoy for so long before you just stop appreciating them” ( Datamancer).  Steampunk is a small escape from the boorish overplayed advancements of this day and age.

LaDonna Battle (Lee College) Mon. 9:45

The Rich Background of Gospel Music

From the time of slavery, people sung spirituals to help encourage and give them hope that they could make it through the fight. The music explored the way that people relate to their everyday life and obstacles that they faced. I think about the slaves who worked in the fields in the heat of the day, knowing they had to finish or complete what was demanded of them from their masters or be beaten. They would sing gospel songs, which would help build and strengthen them before they came to a breaking point. Also, gospel music evoked faith. According to Chitado, “Gospel brings to the fore the long-standing issue of the relationship between Christianity and African culture.” Gospel music caused the slaves to face many obstacles without fear. Slaves relied on the spirituals to convey personal problems, and religious faith carried mass ways for survival. It was like their own secret languages with rich meaning within the lyrics to help listeners. Another critics posits, “What today’s gospel music is and what it is becoming is part of the continuing evolution of African- American music” (Darden). Hence, gospel music is culturally important because it symbolizes ethnicity, heritage, faith, and ongoing spiritual beliefs.

Taylor Schmitt

Texas Country Music: From Small Beginnings in the Lone Star State

The stereotype of cowboy boots, big belt buckles, and riding horses to get from place to place is automatically pinned to any person who lives in Texas.  Another inevitable staple of Texans, especially, is country music.  What makes Texas country music, exclusively, different from American country music?  According to Aaron A. Fox in the book Real Country: Music and Language in Working-Class Culture, “Country music is, in Texas, an essential resource for the preservation of community and the expression of white…working class identity”(21).  Texas country music is a genre of its own because it specifically addresses stereotypes of country music, looks at the acknowledgments and denials of differences among human beings, and explores the relations between “high” culture and the assumed “low” culture of Texas.

Leah Herrera (Lee College) Wed. 9:30

Dora the Explorer: Cultural Syncretism Controversy

Pasted on infants’ bottles, toddlers’ easy-ups, preschoolers’ T-shirts, and kindergartners’ “backpack, backpack(s),” Dora the explorer has been an emblem of cultural syncretism, but her educational purpose — to celebrate multiculturalism — has developed an ongoing controversy about maintaining the cultural integrity of gender, race, and social class in America. The makers of Dora the Explorer blur American gender roles by portraying Dora as a seven-year old female with short hair who wears plain T-shirts and shorts and who asks millions of preschoolers to join her in heroic adventures. In the fall of 2009, the makers of Dora gave her a matured feminine appearance solely for to market Mattel toys and computer devices to the immature female population of western civilizations (“Dora Grows”). Moreover, Nicole Guidotti-Hernández, from the University of Arizona, concluded that “immigration, migration, and settlement in the multiethnic Latino diaspora,” are emulated through episodes of Dora the Explorer. The Latino diaspora is re-created in the language, music, colors, and architecture that exist in every Nickeledeon Production of Dora the Explorer. However, Dora does not cross only Latino cultural borders. She also brings English-speaking culture to France, Russia, and Africa due to exported programs. Furthermore, Dora the Explorer highlights issues of social class. Dora and her family’s style of attire and architecture unintentionally portray Latino culture as uniformly impoverished. Therefore, American audiences of the television show might conclude that Latinos are inferior to the Anglo-American and African-American populations (Simpson 76).

Ashley Rocha (Lee College) Mon 10:45

The Renegade Girls of Rockabilly Style

http://rockabillygirls.wordpress.com

Rockabilly is a hybrid of both Rock and Hillbilly music from the 1950s. The women in this era represent their own subculture by dressing in retro-chic vintage clothing and duplicating Elvis era hairstyles, yet adding an edgy twist consisting of tattoos, unnatural hair colors, and assertive attitude. Although these women have a hardcore interior, they still flaunt their femininity by the way they present themselves. I will explore how the pin-up style – tattoos and vintage dress – subvert gender norms, explore taboos, and redefine beauty. According to Hal Negro, “Rockabilly was going to be the next big thing” during the late 1970s, yet it still thrives today as well (183).  Famous women like Bettie Page, Jean Harlow, and Marilyn Monroe were famous pin-up model pioneers who paved the way for models from the punk era to today’s Suicide Girls and pin-up subgroups.  

Mariso Pardo (Lee College) Mon 11:15

Vampires in Hollywood

Vampires have taken over the world, it seems!  From Louis de Pointe du Lac (Interview with the Vampire) to Edward Cullen (Twilight), the media has reinvented Dracula.  Since the icon first came out in theatres in 1931, Hollywood has dissected this villain and turned him into something more sexual and emotional than scary.  In The Monster Book, Stacey Abbott states that vampires were thought to be foreign monsters that take over the “modern environment.” Since the late sixties and seventies, when public interest increased massively, Hollywood has experimented with this character and according to Abbott, “challenged and helped redefine traditional vampire mythology.”

Mason Ball (Lee College) Wed. 11:45

From Rural to Cosmopolitan: The Influences That Have Helped Change Country Music

Country music has gone through many dynamic changes over the past 50 years. Country and Western music was typically the music that represented the Southern United States during the 1950s-1970s. From the 1970s to present day, the country music genre has changed from fossilized traditions to blurring boundaries between country, pop, and rock’n’roll. This was caused by the commercialization and urbanization of the country music industry. According to the author of Lost Highway, Colin Escott, “Country music had finally won its mass audience, but what had it lost? Its strangeness and its soul, perhaps”  (137). Currently, country music artists hold worldwide tours that span several continents and cross over several different cultures. Some country artists combine the genres of country, pop, and rock all in the same song.  Acts like Lady Antebellum, Taylor Swift, and Carrie Underwood are artists that represent the Country/Pop hybrid genre. On the other hand, acts like Jason Aldean, Miranda Lambert, and Brooks & Dunn are artists that represent the Country/Rock convergence. This presentation will examine how country music has been influenced by factors such as money and the bright lights of fame to forever change the genre from its original rural roots to a more cosmopolitan style.

Jazmine Landry (Lee College) Wed. 11:15

Spartacus: Gladiators from History to Film

Spartacus is the story of a man who fought back all obstacles placed against him, from enslavement to his ultimate freedom.  The visually appealing HBO show gives viewers a modern glimpse on a historical subject while feeding an audience’s lust for blood, guts, and glory. While throwing in a handful of bloody bodies, death, and extreme brutality, the filmmakers briefly illustrate how classic gladiators are depicted in films. Within these depictions, common historical deviations are present, veering away the “authenticity” of the historical Spartacus, the great slave of Capua. Combining visual clips with historical facts, I will reveal how gladiators’ bodies, supposed values, and historical context are explored in modern media.

Joann Cossio (Lee College) Wed. 9:15

Quinceaneras: A Hispanics Girl’s Transition from Childhood to Womanhood

Quinceaneras are the Hispanic celebration of a girl becoming a young woman on her 15th birthday. It is a very formal event with family and friends who celebrates this young woman’s transition from childhood to womanhood. These extravagant parties are not only to celebrate a young woman’s birthday but also for the parents to let other families know their success in America. According to an article by Julia Alvarez “…immigrant families in the U.S. show off their success by throwing fabulous parties for their daughters.” Everything that happens at these celebrations has a deeper meaning to it than people who are not part of the Hispanic culture think. The traditions of quinceaneras are very important to the Hispanic people, and over the years the traditions have not changed much. This presentation will examine quinceaneras as culturally specific rituals and representations of public ceremony and reveal how young girls cross the boundary into womanhood.

Dustin Hoyt (Lee College) Mon. 11:00

Bodybuilding: Sculptors and Athletes

In today’s society, an elite culture of individuals dedicate themselves to the best possible physical health, aesthetically pleasing muscular structure, and the overall well-being of the human body. These artists push their bodies to the limit, testing their will power, pain tolerance, and hunger while casting off the shackles placed on them by society. As a culture, bodybuilders are completely narcissistic, yet objective artists and athletes. I will provide evidence that bodybuilders use the human body as their pallet. I will describe how they compare and contrast to ‘normal mainstream’ society, and I will enumerate the contributions this culture has upon the humanities.  According to Pumping Iron, society does not understand all of the hard work, planning, science, and dedication that go into the shaping of the body. As such, bodybuilders constitute a subculture that transcends gender roles as well.

Denzel Thomas (Lee College) Wed. 10:15

Eras of Greek Sculpture

http://nakedgreeks.wordpress.com

Greek sculptures were white due to the marble resources that were at their expense. Bronze was also used in sculptures. Together these two materials were used during all the periods of Greek sculpture. There are three main periods of Greek sculpture: Archaic, Classical, and Hellenistic. The art sculptured in the Archaic period is similar to the appearance of ridged, Egyptian sculptures, such as the Kouros statues. The statues in this age have dated back to 600 B.C. until approximately 480 B.C. Classical period sculptures turned to a more realistic portrayal of the human body.  Women during this time were depicted bare, often with elegant robes. These Classical Greek sculptures date back from 480 B.C. to 323 B.C., such as Zeus of Artemision. In this depiction of Zeus, he is a realistic, naked sculpture of the Greek god pointing from fingertip to fingertip. The Hellenistic period started shortly before 300 B.C. The art was designed to capture the strength of youth and courage. Steward observes that the views often created images of athleticism and nudity, which makes it more difficult to see the distinctions between the Classical and Hellenistic period, because of this nudity (4). Such sculptures can be identified by these characteristics, like the Aphrodite of Melos, for example. All sculptures portray the gods and humans alike. In a similar fashion, because the sculptures are depictions of gods with human features, the Greek gods were similar to humans in personality and physical appearance. This is seen not only in art but in Greek stories of the gods as well.

Nicole Moser (Lee College) Wed. 10:00

Gospel Rock Music: Sending out the Message

Religious rock’nroll music is a pervasive part of contemporary culture and reflects  many critical areas, such as boundaries set by social norms,  including gender roles and the relations between public and private messages about faith. Bands such as Casting Crowns, For Today, and Flyleaf reach many different types of people that are generally associated under the label of a ‘Christian.’ Through bands like these, people outside of the Christian world may take an inside look at how these bands explore the war between  religion and atheism, the role of women in Christian society, and the public relationship people may have with God versus the private relationship Christians as a whole have created with God. Sara Diamond express that contemporary gospel rock “… is a political movement rooted in a rich evangelical subculture and…the motivation is to preach the Gospel and to save souls, but also, with equal urgency, to remake contemporary moral culture into the image of Christian scripture” (1).

Mayra Chavez (Lee College)

Punk Rock Women Wed. 10:45

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Modern Punk Rock has evolved over the last couple of decades. Punk Rock bands such as Blondie and The Patti Smith Group revolutionized the genre with their many musical and fashion contributions. They were not “normal” in the way that society had expected them to be. Their songs contained an aggressive undertone, and they sang about the issues that nobody dared to talk about, such as traditional gender role reversals in modern society. Their wardrobes consisted of mostly masculine clothing. This was due to their idea that projecting a masculine stage persona would enable them to be taken seriously. Carola Dibbell says, “Patti Smith wasn’t butch, but she was definitely macho, albeit in a kind of goofy way–consciously overstated tough guy. It was a redolent punk pose that came naturally to her, as well it should have: she helped invent it.” They changed the way that the feminine role was viewed. Instead of seeing women in the pretty make-up and made up hair, fans saw women who broke gender boundaries by chopping off their hair and wearing safety pins on their ears and face. But wardrobe and controversial songs were not the defining characteristics of these women. The love of their craft and the message of their lyrics made them the musical pioneers that revolutionized an entire musical community that was once marginalized.

Erik Herrera (Lee College) Wed. 11:30

Tattoos of the World

I will analyze and discuss how body tattoos are an aesthetic part of the American culture along with other cultures of the world. The beauty of one tattoo in one culture can be seen as something completely different in another culture. Subcultures of marginalized people play a huge part in the aesthetics of tattoos too. For example, in American inner-city gangs, gang members must have a tattoo of the gang’s name or sign to show commitment to their crew. Also, tattoos can be culturally specific, since tribe members in the Third World must receive tribal tattoos to show passage into adulthood and commitment to their tribes.

AJ Deculus (Lee College) Wed. 11:00

The Social Movement of Raves

The culture surrounding raves have always been heavily shrouded by drugs and people’s opportunistic greed. Yet, the rave scene is one place where a person’s age, sex, and race do not matter. Outside people who do not understand the rave scene stereotype the people who attend them as drug users and homosexuals. The drug ecstasy is seen as the evil that drives this culture but actually the music and the togetherness that is felt by everyone involved when they gather drives the scene. Though ecstasy is used by most who attend raves, it is not used for the purpose of excess but to lower a person’s physical and mental inhibitions that the mainstream world promotes. Yet, the ideals of mainstream society continue to try to put a stop to this movement of peace and harmony. Although the music is now considered mainstream, the message the music is supposed to be sending is continually being distorted to sell records. At one time, raves were considered pure by the people who attended them. As the author of the book Generation Ecstacy, Simon Reynolds says it best in his book: “The first events were word-of-mouth microraves: fifteen people in someone’s room with a sound system and strobe. Gradually escalating into hundreds…” (144). In my presentation, I will show a history of raves, including how they started in the warehouses and countryside fields of Europe and moved into inner cities and towns of the U.S. My presentation will also show how the music has grown as some of the beats and DJ’s have become mainstream and famous. Yet, some DJs remain true to their electronic roots and their hybrid form of music.