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The Underlining Theme of Family in 'A Quiet Place'

Although 'A Quiet Plan' is heavily advertised as a horror/thriller movie, there are definitely underlining themes of family and what family is willing to do for one another. Not only does the love of family truly shine in this film, but it also shows how strong a family can be when their life is on the line everyday.

  • Yes, although "A Quiet Place" is labeled under the horror/thriller genre, the underlying theme is togetherness and communal efforts. I think this is apparent considering the film emphasizes the importance and value of each of the characters. Each character serves a different purpose at some point in the film where the entirety of the family wouldn't be able to survive with the removal of one of them. They are all necessary, and the most moving example of this has to be the conclusion where the only handicapped character ends up saving the day due to her discovery that she made in her father's office. – ralphpolojames 7 years ago
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  • This is definitely something I found in the film. I think it would be interesting to look at how director and co-writer John Kransinski has talked about it. He has mentioned multiple times that he saw it as a film about family and even described it as a love letter to his children. I think that would definitely add some weight to the discussion of this theme in the film, considering it seems to be a big part of how he conceived of the story – Beth Jones 7 years ago
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  • I agree that the love and dedication with the family members is the piece that holds the film together. Overall, if the family dynamic wasn't as compassionate as it was portrayed in the film, there wouldn't be as much pathos. It is a film about family that uses the horror/ suspense genre as a cloak. They stand by one another, even in the threat of being attacked by the film's creatures. For the parents especially, they stay alive not just for their own survival, but for their children's survival. – Kellie 7 years ago
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All Reality TV is Not the Same: The Impact of HGTV and American Pickers

While Big Brother, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, or any Survival island anywhere, have human interactive elements of created drama, these shows can carry a feeling of detachment on the part of the audience: It might be possible to have some vicarious pleasure in watching these shows, but they can still be seen as shows where the viewers do not have the possibility of participation. The various reality shows on HGTV (Property Brothers, Fixer Upper, Good Bones, for example) or American Pickers (on the History Channel) create a feeling that the audience can be more closely involved. Imagine hitting the road and seeing a site that looks like an odd junkyard, knocking on the door, and asking to rummage through someone's property or warehouses? Imagine inviting The Property Brothers or Chip and Joanna Gaines to be involved in picking out a house to buy, having them knock down a wall, remodel a kitchen and turn the place into your dream home? These types of momentary thoughts can seem all too feasible. If you watch HGTV enough or American Pickers, it can be easy to imagine passing a place that looks interesting and wonder if it is possible to be like Mike and Frank. We all hope to buy a house that has potential and have Joanna do her magic and turn it into the white picket fence home of our dreams.
Are all reality shows the same or do some create a greater sense of expectation than others? Do these shows have an impact on the real world of remodeling or buying junk (which might not be junk to everyone)?

  • Reality TV is biased towards consumption. While it is true that there are differences between what is being advertised on a game-show type program, in which there is obvious competition, and a home renovation show, there can be no doubt that a product or lifestyle is always being sold. – Aedon 7 years ago
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Should Historical Content be Used Accurately on TV or Solely for Entertainment?

Although some programmes these days cleverly use a timeline in history to create a fictional story, which entices viewers to be curious about what the characters' lives would be like in the time period. However, happenings and events from the time period are often altered to suit the plot of the episodes instead of the actual. Is this beneficial to the audience? Or should we be given historical truths to aid us to expand our own knowledge of history?
E.g. Reign

  • I think this is an extremely interesting topic. However I'd work on the title - I think something more engaging like "In the Making of History" or "Is History History?" Haha I don't know. These are just at the top of my head. You can always keep this title, it's totally up to you. Just a quick note for ya :) – Hals007 7 years ago
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  • This would be absolutely fun to write. All in all, it comes down to the relevance of history today in the cinematic sphere and also the purpose of entertainment. You'd have a lot to talk about the level of 'responsibility' the stakeholders (e.g. audience, film makers, government censorship) have in producing historical TV shows etc. – Sakki 7 years ago
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  • A fascinating topic! One thing you should consider is what a historical truth is - is it enough to stick to historical facts? Odd as it sounds, can you present history without making it seem archaic? Can you tell the underlying tone of a period simply by presenting it as is, or does its presentation have to be altered to our contemporary audience to understand it? After all, everything we see, we see through the lens of our time, and everything comes with assumptions we've collectively made about the past. Something big that historical fiction has to tackle is that second narrative - you either write based on your audience's historical assumptions, or you write to change them. Which is right? – gachelzbieta 7 years ago
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The Physiognomy and Psychology of Westeros' Geography

Consider the map of Westeros as a human body: 'The Neck' is located centrally, at Greywater Watch. Perhaps the farther North you go the closer you move towards the mind, and the farther South you go the closer you move towards the genitals. Contrast the frankness and unapologetic polyamory of Oberyn Martell and Ellaria Sand (from Dorne at the most southerly point of Westeros) with the celibacy expected of the Watchers of the Wall and the shame they associate with physical desire (at the most northerly point of Westeros). Near and beyond the Wall, sex acts occur literally underground (Mole's Town and Jon's and Ygritte's cave). The Wall is more than a pile of frozen blocks; it is frequently described in the novels as a living thing which 'weeps' and 'defends itself'. What if the Wall represents the human mind's need to protect itself from the madness which would result from a direct confrontation with its most profound fears?

  • I could see the Wall representing instead the Lacanian sense of the arrival of language. The open sensuality of the south would be the Imaginary that is repressed at the Mirror stage. – Aedon 7 years ago
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The Worst Time Loops of Anime

If someone ever though the Endless Eight were bad, use this list to show them the most despicable time loop shenanigans ever shown in anime. Did the time loop have some obvious logical fallacies that make people wince? Did the reasoning for time travel come straight from left field — or have no reason at all? Was the time loop so convoluted that it made Homestuck look like nothing? Explain what made these time loops bad for the show as a whole, and contributed negatively to the experience of the show.

  • An interesting topic suggestion and you get my vote. I'm perhaps one of the few who actually appreciated 'Endless Eight' as it has hidden depths and contributes greatly towards the development of a certain humanoid interface, but I can see why some disliked it. There is an inherent problem with all time-loop tales - the logical fallacies you've mentioned, but perhaps the point is to encourage the viewer to consider how he or she would handle the same predicament. – Amyus 7 years ago
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  • I don't know many examples of this but there is one, done very effectively, that I know of. It might be interesting in discussing Masaaki Yuasa's Tatami Galaxy since the entirety of the show is built around the time loop aspect. A lot of people even consider it one of the best anime series ever. Maybe people don't hear about the bad ones very often but the controversy behind "Endless Eight" has always been interesting. Some people love it while others hate it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it has to be more objective, the pros and cons of this plot device. Again, some people actually enjoyed the time loop in Haruhi Suzumiya. – Connor 7 years ago
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Approaching "Survival" in Zombie Apocalypses

Zombie apocalypse stories in TV, film, etc. deal with "survival" in some way or form. How do stories like The Walking Dead, Resident Evil, World War Z, Shaun of the Dead, The Girl With All the Gifts and others deal with this theme in thought-provoking ways? Are zombie apocalypse stories defined by a basic need to survive, or can we approach them in new, creative ways?

  • I think an interesting way to take this, at least in regards to "the basic need to survive" in these shows, would be to examine the ways in which the survival narratives can align with or oppose certain capitalist imperatives. while it isn't a zombie apocalypse story, Cormac McCarthy's "The Road" very intentionally aligns imperatives of survival with capitalism, and perhaps similar stories that also feature zombies could do something similar. whether or not this ends up condoning/promoting or dissuading viewers from follows this ethos of survival, and what that means, might be an interesting way to take this topic. – ees 7 years ago
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  • It’s useful to consider what the point of survival is. Is survival about continuing the human race? Is it about finding a solution to the problem (like in I Am Legend)? We all know that we have a survival instinct. Evolution explains it with our innate desire to keep the species going. It would be interesting to consider this from different viewpoints, particularly a Christian one. – tclaytor 7 years ago
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Orientalism in the Media

Orientalism as explained by Edward Said is the emphasising and exaggeration of particular cultures, often portraying them as exotic, uncivilised or even dangerous.
Disney's Aladdin is one example of this behaviour. Analyse some further examples of Orientalism in the media, and the implications of such behaviour in the 21st Century. Explain how this exemplifies Said's theory.

  • Not necessarily orientalism, but it might also be interesting to have a look at indigenous cultures from this perspective. If we're going to go for another Disney example, Pocahontas seems to really exoticise/appropriate Native American history and culture. It's particularly interesting that at face value, this isn't something everyone would pick up on I think (i.e. I didn't pick up on much of the problems with Pocahontas until I had them pointed out to me), so does this mean that this sort of thing has been normalised??? – PhoebeLupton 7 years ago
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  • An upcoming film to analyze for this topic would be Crazy Rich Asians and how many stereotypes about Asians are subverted in the movie. – bansari 7 years ago
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The Female Badass in Movies and TV

Throughout history in both movies and television there seems to be a recurring trend that the women badass is somewhat always second fiddle to their action or male counterparts. I think of movies like Underworld and Resident Evil, while both lead characters are both extremely badass and women, in one of the movies they have to be told by a man that they are badass because of a specific reason (their blood is stronger now because of being blessed by the last male heir of a line of vampire killers or because they are a clone of a weaker version of yourself, and were created by a man seeking power and control) However, recently there has been an increase in movies that show women as being rightfully badass without needing men to justify that they are this way. Why is that while there is an increase in women simply being badass because they are by their own rights, is still many interpretations of women's badassery needing to be justified by men?

  • Some great examples would be the recent Wonder Woman film, CW's Supergirl, and many of the female characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and several in the Black Panther film. These are just some suggestions for you to consider. Great topic! – EmskitheNerd 7 years ago
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  • Another point to consider might be how making women invincible badasses is just romanticizing them further-while it means we're no longer infantilizing women by using the virgin/madonna trope, in many ways, making them impossibly invulnerable badasses is just the exchange for one impossibly constructed trope for another. – emmybrett 7 years ago
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  • Interesting topic! Your examples make me think of how in a lot of movies, there are a lot of characters who are badass women who are usually the 'sidekick' to the main character, who usually fills this "underdog" role and is usually incompetent and most often are male. A recent example that I saw this happening was the movie version of Ready Player One. I'd really like to see this written about and taken further. :) – volarelejos 7 years ago
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  • What measure is a badass woman? What, indeed? Lovely topic. Consider defining "badass" early on as specifically as possible, so readers know what characteristics you're examining or looking for in a potential heroine. – Stephanie M. 7 years ago
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Can Writing Fanfiction Have Benefits?

While writing fanfiction can be time better spent on one's own original creative endeavours, are there benefits? I've read fanfics that have elevated original works in interesting ways, showing a deep understanding for characterisation, narrative structure, and significantly, the pitfalls those original works might have fallen into. So, can writing fanfiction teach us to be critical and inventive in *what* we write, therefore benefiting how we construct our own original works? Or can its normalisation of appropriation do more harm than good? (Then again, what goes in a post-modern society?)

  • I get that you're referring more to "artistic benefits" than "financial benefits," but the author might find this helpful nonetheless: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsTN5ZUnypQ – ProtoCanon 7 years ago
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  • When writing on this topic, it will be helpful to think about how writing fanfiction is a stepping stone to becoming a real author, if that's your goal. Although one does not have to create their own characters or setting, the story line is completely up to them and by having already existing characters, it helps the writing to narrow down exactly what the fanfiction will be about. – Mandymay123 7 years ago
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  • Like many things, FanFiction does have benefits, but when writing on this topic, make sure to emphasise how some negatives can impact the writer and how the writer can improve on them. For example, FanFiction writers generally forget to describe the character in detail - and if you plan to write your own work in the future, getting into the habit of skimming your writing isn't great. Make sure the reader is aware of the negatives and in turn knowing the negatives can be beneficial. – DylanThomas 7 years ago
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  • I think Fanfiction is a very helpful way to step into writing for those who don’t know where to start however, there are negatives: ie. using other people’s characters and settings can detriment creativity to an extent. – AshTrenwith 7 years ago
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  • This is a really interesting question and it actually falls in line with some research I'm currently doing so my PhD. I think to just tack on to what the previous people have commented, pros and cons are key. It can certainly help people develop their own skills, researching and developing characters, practicing structuring stories, experimenting with styles etc. I think it might be helpful also to think about how AUs allow fanfiction authors some real creative freedom to take previously existing characters into whole new worlds of their own. And note how many ideas that originated as fanfiction have gone on to be successful. Dare I say Fifty Shades of Grey? Its not a great example but its there. Plus, a number of published YA writers have started as fanfiction authors. (Cassandra Clare for instance has at least three successful series and a popular tv adaptation now). However, of course I think it's important to note its limitations. As someone already noted, in your own work you can't take the readership's existing knowledge of the characters or worlds for granted. The question of whether people get stuck into certain fanfiction tropes might also be interesting (how many coffee shop AUs are there?). Also, and I don't know if this would be too much of a sidetrack, but perhaps it may be worth thinking about the ethical issues with some fanfiction - real person fiction for instance can be a bit of an iffy thing. – BethLJones 7 years ago
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The conflict between heroism and villainy within My Hero Academia

The anime has characters such as Endeavor who is known as the number 2 hero despite having villainous qualities such as abusing his wife and children. On the flipside, they have Stain, a villain who ruthlessly kills people yet values true heroism. In a show promoting the idea of becoming the best hero in the world, what does it mean when characters hold opposing traits from their roles in society? Additionally, can characters such as Bakugo, Deku, and Todoroki be considered as true heroes considering their reasons for becoming heroes?

  • Interesting take on the show, I also want to add the route the show is currently going in - reminds me a lot of naruto and how sasuke was taken by orchimaru's "henchmen" but in that case he made his decision, bakugo did not but sasuke and bakugo share similar qualities so I'm very curious to see what happens there. To compare that idea to your own, I think over time (as I feel like this show will last YEARS to come) that your questions will be answered with more validity and less convoluted heroism and villains: the ways of attributing to becoming a hero and how someone walks the path of evil. - Jeet – jeet 7 years ago
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What do colors have to do with story?

Movies like American Beauty or The Grand Budapest use bright or dull bland colors to set tone and provide atmosphere. Can the same be said for exposition? Example, Sin-city is a mainly black and white movie where they use colors only to draw attention to details. So, again, I pose the question, Can colors be a main source for exposition in film?

  • The selection of a color pallete is just as essential to film exposition as the storytelling, cinematography and editing as it helps to establish the 'flavour' of a scene in visual shorthand. I see you mentioned 'Sin City' in particular. In this instance, since the film was based on Miller's graphic novel, it made sense to stay with black and white to help create the same mood and atmosphere found within the graphic novel. I'd also suggest taking a look at the recent British science fiction thriller 'Anon' (written, directed and co-produced by Andrew Niccol), which uses a near washed-out pallete to establish the blandness of a population's existence within a city that is under constant surveillance by the authorities. Good idea for a topic suggestion though and you have my vote. – Amyus 7 years ago
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  • Another good example to consider is the usage of red and yellow in The Village. M. Night Shyamalan uses both to peak efficiency in the film, to the point where the sight of the color red alone sparks a response with the viewer. – ValleyChristion 7 years ago
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  • Great work, this is an excellent topic. Check out Cinefix's video on the uses of color in film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tILIeNjbH1E&t=461s, it's incredibly informative. A color palette creates atmosphere, environment, and mood easily, and it's interesting to explore how different colors can have differing effects, and take on differing themes. – Matchbox 7 years ago
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  • I was struck by the brilliant use of colour (I am spelling this word as the Canadian I am!) in "The Handmaid's Tale." The glaring red of the handmaids' dresses against the generally dark interiors (such as Waterford's study) which evokes various things: their 'fallenness' (think, Hawthorne's Scarlet Letter); the bloodiness of menstruation and childbirth. The red dresses are in contrast (yet in direct complement) to that odd shade of green worn consistently by every wife. Both colours contrast with the lifeless khaki worn by every Aunt. The use of colour in "The Handmaid's Tale" reminds me of Julie Taymor's use of colour in her "Titus". In the Special Features section of the DVD, Taymor talks to students at Columbia University about this topic. – Jos 7 years ago
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  • The exploration of colour in film is something that has fascinated me ever since I was little. Film is just another form of visual media, so I think that there is grounds for more study on this topic within the discussion of aesthetics in film. Colour is but another aspect of mise en scene. It would be even more interesting to track the progress of colour in film, starting with hand colouring of film cells in the early 1900s all the way to technicolor and beyond. – Samantha 7 years ago
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What is Hollywood willing to take a chance on?

Recently, Hollywood has been focused on franchises, adaptations, and remakes that are guaranteed to have an audience (Disney live action remakes, Star Wars continuations, Ready Player One, Jumanji, comic book movies, etc.) What movies have come out recently that the film industry took a big chance on, and have they done well or have they flopped?

  • this is a very interesting topic, considering last year Hollywood made one of their biggest gambles on Darren Aronofsky's Mother! The film, for me, felt like a test production to see if audiences would gravitate to more artistic and experimental projects. It failed, and it is rather rare to see big studios funding new and original projects unless the director has a certain weight (ex. Spielberg). I think this could work, but I think it would be important to discuss the trend, specifically in the 21st century, of big studios supporting riskier projects and when it seems viable to do so. There should be specific films, like Mother!, but the topic should be more weighted towards Hollywood trends and what the general public is more likely to lean towards as far as genres/ideas in films. Specific films don't always work as an indicator, it is better to focus on trend and changes, even sociopolitically, anything that could influence viewership. – Connor 7 years ago
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Did Catherine of Wuthering Heights live on?

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë is a singular novel. Especially within a Victorian literary context, the heroine Catherine Earnshaw is a singular woman. Passionate, haughty and violent, even as she succumbs to Victorian strictures governing femininity and relationships and eventually dies, she forever sticks in my mind.

Though she is decidedly unlike most other Victorian heroines, I wonder if more recent literature has created characters in which she is reflected? Does Catherine live on in other literary figures? Whom most resembles her?

  • My first thought is Scarlett O'Hara from Gone with the Wind. She's very strong and passionate and does what she thinks is best, often hurting those who love her. There could certainly be a comparison between the two! – tclaytor 7 years ago
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  • Will confess that I haven't yet read Gone with the Wind... it's on the list! – Sarah Pearce 7 years ago
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  • Excellent book, though long! I love Victorian lit though. It might be interesting to compare Catherine to some of the heroines from that time as well, especially since she was different. I watched a documentary on the Bronte sisters and how shocked everyone was that Emily, a daughter of a parson and fairly sheltered, could write this novel. – tclaytor 7 years ago
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  • tclaytor - Lots have people have already commented on how different Catherine is from other C19 heroines (I just finished a PhD on Catherine, Jane Eyre and Lucy Snowe) , and there's a lot of good work out there on the topic. I guess I was interested in how she perhaps transcends time, or whether her legacy has been passed on... does her ghost enliven current novels etc? – Sarah Pearce 7 years ago
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The Art of Academic Writing

As an academic writer, I am aware of many "myths" about academic writing, which many people call rules. But what are the rules? Or should we abolish the notion of rules and become writers in our own voice rather than being so "academic"?

  • Part of the discussion needs to be on the contested idea of what academic writing actually is and how it differs between not only disciplines but also countries. – SaraiMW 7 years ago
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  • I agree with Sarai, this is a wonderful topic, but it will need to be broken down if you really want to get into the nitty gritty. Each country is different, but even the disciplines are completely different. For example: I'm an Anthropology major. With this, we use Chicago 17 or AAA to cite sources. In our wriitng, we use heavy theory and heavy concepts of our own voice with only case studies to have as a way to prove our point. This is what our data is. Now if you look at Psychology, they use APA to cite sources. Theirs has less of a 'voice' and is more about having the data of research and hard numbers to prove a point. I think this would be really good to do, just a lot of work and making sure you're organized. – AuthorAsh 7 years ago
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  • Thanks for the feedback. I agree that different countries and disciplines have different styles. my research is Business, as part of the social sciences. What is really contestable is the divide between quantitative and qualitative research and how to write it. Quantitative is similar to Psychology, while qualitative research has more "voice". – jdumay 7 years ago
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  • I definitely would agree that it’s key to note that there are different kinds of academic writing. I write in history and film and that sometimes that can involve writing almost narratively and it’s perfectly okay to be self-reflexive and sometimes even use the much dreaded ‘I’. This I know is frowned upon in other disciplines but they might write in ways that I would never dream of. Point being, there isn’t really one cohesive set of rules for ‘academic writing’, there’s a set for just about every discipline. So maybe yes, perhaps there should be more room to be experimental or flexible but on the flip side, sometimes these rules exist for each discipline for them to be comprehensible and cohesive. It’s also important perhaps to consider the fact that you have to publish and journals often have very strict rules about how the paper should be written and structured. If it is to change it needs to be across the board. – Beth Jones 7 years ago
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  • Hi Beth, Thanks for your insight. The use of the dreaded "I" is one myth I was referring to in my original post. As a social scientist, I use "I" or "we" in articles when I need to show how a person discovered something and then makes an argument based on evidence. What is annoying to me is when someone writes "the research shows" as if the "the research" is a person. What is wrong with, "Our analysis shows" or "I argue" and support the argument with data from the research? – jdumay 7 years ago
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  • I've written academically and think of it as coherent, well-developed, supported by substance, well researched, in order words what you expect of good writing in general. – Joseph Cernik 7 years ago
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Why Do TV Series End By Choice?

Over the past few years, some of my favourite TV shows (particularly animated ones and those with deep story) have come to an end – by complete choice. Especially animated ones like Regular Show, Gravity Falls, Over the Garden Wall, etc. I've been thinking about this for a while but especially as the approaching end of my absolute favourite animated series, Adventure Time, nears ever closer. Whilst this angers dedicated audiences, many others, just as loving of a show, are happy and in support of studios' choice. This topic has a lot to it and fascinates me. For example; Why do shows end by choice even though their rankings or following is not decreasing at all? How SHOULD a show end? How do producers bring justice to a show before it disappears from our screens? Most of all, I believe audiences who look deeper, like ourselves, as well as the regular every-day audience should understand the multitude of factors that bring a show to an end. There's a multitude of answers and questions regarding this broader topic and I would love to see people's opinions and comments on it!

  • I really like this question that you ask: Why do shows end by choice even though their rankings or following is not decreasing at all? My sense is that if someone is set on telling a truly compelling story, that storyteller would want to be able to determine when and how the story ends, not leave the story's telling time up to something as arbitrary as whether or not the series will be continued or cancelled. – JamesBKelley 7 years ago
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  • Absolutely, I agree. I have such high respect for shows that end to complete the story etc rather than dragging it out for profit. Even though AT is my favourite show and I’ll be very sad to see it go, I’m glad they’re bringing it to an end due to story ☺️ I wish more audiences could understand these things – inkski 7 years ago
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  • I suggest you take a look at how Babylon 5 was planned out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon_5#Writing (for many references). J. Michael Straczynski had the whole story planned in advance, but always kept "failsafes" in place. And then there was the whole mess with it being renewed at the last minute for a fifth season. Also, sometimes you can't plan for everything. I an actor wants to/has to leave, there is only so much you can do. Especially if it is the main character or one of the main characters. – tanaod 7 years ago
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Getting Started as a YouTuber in 2018

With social media being readily accessible in today's age, it can be hard to stand out and have original ideas. Getting noticed is also getting more difficult, and creating consistent content can prove to be problematic.

  • I think this is a good conversation to have, but I would also suggest drawing in the framework of what has made successful youtube channels. – SaraiMW 7 years ago
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  • Hank Green, one of the forefathers of Modern YouTube, has admitted that he has no idea how to start a YouTube channel without going back to 2007-08, when the site was first picking up traction. This is one of my favorite things about the Internet in general: no one actually knows what they're doing. The popular people on YouTube hardly ever expected to become as popular as they did, except for the ones who were famous for something before starting a YouTube channel. There is no formula for success. But most of them have some form of advice; check out the vloggers' Q&A's, for starters. Best of luck to whoever takes on this article. – noahspud 7 years ago
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  • I think part of what makes this job fascinating is the freedom it gives you to be yourself and express your ideas. Because everyone is different and has his own experiences, each YouTube channel will have its own identity and its own audience. Some youtubers, I think here of SolangeTeParle, also chose to incarnate a fictive caracter and make a channel about him or her which gives room for so much imagination and creativity. – yara 7 years ago
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Nostalgia in the Modern Era

Discuss and analyze how many tv series adapt a sense of nostalgia. Many hit tv shows present an underlying sense of nostalgia. For instance, Hulu's This is Us intertwines plot events that take place in not only the present but also the past. In Netflix's Stranger Things, the series takes place in the 1980s. Aside from these examples, there have also been many older shows that have gotten modern day spinoffs: Boy Meets World and Girl Meets World, Full House and Fuller House, and That's So Raven and Raven's House. How does nostalgia function in tv and what does it say about our society?

  • A fruitful avenue might be comparing our contemporary nostalgia for the 80's with the swell of nostalgia for the 50's in the late 70's and 80's (e.g., Grease, Back to the Future, Happy Days), maybe asking how and why three decades seem to be the magic number for these intense waves of nostalgia. – Allie Dawson 7 years ago
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  • Nostalgia can be a way to understand change on a personal level. We all look back and the older you get the farther you look back. Looking back can include nostalgia as in not really seeing that past as it really was but in distorted ways. So being aware of nostalgia helps to provide a grounding that looking back and trying to draw some lessons or observations needs to be done with care because what we are basing our insight on may be a distorted image of the past. When people say "Kids today," or "In my day," then go off on a rant about what they don't like, they are often doing so based on a distorted or embellished image of the past. – Joseph Cernik 7 years ago
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Radical Acceptance in Podcasts

Explore the ways in which interpersonal conflict is presented, explored, and addressed in popular podcasts like Judge John Hodgman (Maximum Fun) and Conversations with People Who Hate Me (Nightvale Presents). These are shows which address emotional, yet relatively minor disputes in a public, drama-free environment. What is it about podcasts like these that breeds frank honesty and polite empathy at the same time?

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    What it takes to compete as a freelance writer

    Help college students and new writers to navigate in this competitive market.

    • As as career advisor, I see this all of the time with my students. I'd like to lend helpful suggestions to the writer on this topic. – charisewilson 7 years ago
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    • I would also love to read and write more about this topic! I'm currently studying in a professional writing program, and all of my classmates have so much talent but are struggling to navigate the world of freelancing, especially at the entry level. – MeganAlms 7 years ago
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    • I would also like to know how to get started freelancing. I am an academic writer and I don't get paid or receive royalties. I would like to reverse that situation. – jdumay 7 years ago
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    • I've recently graduated from college and am currently enrolled in a professional program so this topic resonates with me! It sounds like the topic is pretty broad and general right now. So make sure you narrow it down on specifics! You can address any controversies/stereotypes that new writers have to overcome or focus on what it takes to spout out original work. I know that many other writers my age are constantly working hard to find their voice and personal style - another issue that you can address with this topic. All in all, good idea but needs to be more specific. – jay 7 years ago
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    • I just graduated from college and this is a question that I've been asking myself for a while. – larrymlease 7 years ago
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    • Writer's Market (most recent year available) Implement Google Search for contests and more. – denaelerian 7 years ago
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    • I would love to know how to get into freelance writing as a current college student hoping to make it as a journalist. – AshTrenwith 7 years ago
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    • I would say passion. Any freelance writer must have the drive and passion to write independently. – LucaTatulli 7 years ago
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    • There are several sites and companies for freelancing, however the most lucrative and legitimate would be Upwork. You have to be willing to raise yourself above the cometition, but dont get cocky. If you value writing and you're good at the craft, give it a try. – PoweredxJarvis 7 years ago
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    Miss Congeniality

    Analyse the concepts of gender and sexism in Gracie Hart's supposed journey ugly duckling to beauty pageant swan, weighing the various kinds of positive and negative depictions of women, particularly beauty pageant contestants.
    How are common tropes of the though guy/girl, the ditsy blonde, etc. presented? Are the viewers expectations challenged? If so, is that the intention of such a film? How does the film hold up?

    • I think the film did a pretty great job at representing real-life women with Sandra Bullock's character. I think the idea behind the stereotypical females in the pageant was purposeful but they used Sandra to counteract that. But I do see your point about whether or not that challenges us. – hannahshort 7 years ago
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    • I don't think it's worth distinguishing between 'positive' and 'negative' portrayals of women unless you define both definitions. What's a 'positive' depiction of a woman? One who is confident in themselves and how they present their gender? Are these definitions defined on the basis of how the characters see themselves, or how WE see them (as either validating or opposing our ideals of how women should be depicted?) You could talk about men and how they might be the ones constructing these positive/negative depictions of women... But, I would much rather say that these depictions are intentionally stereotypical to serve the wider narrative, which in my opinion, is about women competing for self-empowerment. That's what the Miss America pageant is all about, right? Why antagonist Kathy Morningside wants to crap on everyone's parade, and why Gracie struggles to get her boss (and stylist) to see her side of things. Gender certainly plays a role in these situations, and the movie shouldn't be excused for bordering on sexual harassment at some stages. But I personally think the film sends a good message. I think, on a basic level, the film subverts (or experiments) with what we'd typically associate with a 'strong, confident woman'. A strong, confident woman can be a badass like Gracie, or an attention-seeking maniac like Kathy, or fire-baton twirler Cheryl. The film first uses these stereotypical depictions to distinguish between Gracie and the rest of the contestants, but by the end, it tells us that hey, it's okay to have the best of both worlds. One thing to note is that Gracie didn't achieve self-empowerment by becoming a 'beauty pageant swan', nor did she ever lose that confidence entering the pageant as an 'ugly duckling'. She became empowered through her newfound female friends, the only thing she, a strong confident woman, was lacking. That, I think, is the significance behind 'Miss Congeniality'. Besides world peace. Yeah. – Starfire 7 years ago
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    • Miss Congeniality, I think, had a lot of female empowering concepts that they used brilliantly. The idea that a woman who was widely regarded as unattractive to the male population and undermined by her superiors ended up relying on herself to save these women who she, herself, first thought were ditsy and a poor representation of the female population but then came to find that they were real women with real opinions. The idea of the Miss America pageant in the film came across more of a battle for Gracie because of the standardised ideas of what beauty means for the female population and how a woman such as herself overcame these. I'd like to see more of how the movie overcame stereotypical depictions of women and pageants, and even villains. The whole movie is a great girl power movie that can be related, in some sense, to the brilliance of Legally Blonde. – CarlyStarr 7 years ago
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