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This study focuses on the cinematic version of Magic Realism, a literary genre popularized in Latin America but cultivated around the world. Specifically, this thesis examines the films Wizard of Oz, Powwow highway, and Encanto in order to understand the concept of the disillusioned “American dream” and to explain the complex colonial relations between Ameriopeans, Indigenous Americans, and Latin Americans regarding beliefs of “American Dreams.” This project examines Magic Realism as a tool to understand the power of colonialist ideas and how groups adopt or resist the “American Dream” paradox, arguing that, ultimately, Western Magic Realism is the “American Dream.”
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This study focuses on the cinematic version of Magic Realism, a literary genre popularized in Latin America but cultivated around the world. Specifically, this thesis examines the films Wizard of Oz, Powwow highway, and Encanto in order to understand the concept of the disillusioned “American dream” and to explain the complex colonial relations between Ameriopeans, Indigenous Americans, and Latin Americans regarding beliefs of “American Dreams.” This project examines Magic Realism as a tool to understand the power of colonialist ideas and how groups adopt or resist the “American Dream” paradox, arguing that, ultimately, Western Magic Realism is the “American Dream.”
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This project explores the challenges that first-generation students with immigrant parents experience in higher education and life in the U.S. This thesis will approach the topic from the perspective of parents, faculty, and students at Willamette University, but will also include the experiences of first-generation students overall. The purpose of this study is to examine the intergenerational trauma from immigrant parents of first-generation students and its effects on the communication with their children, as well as to understand the identity crisis and mental health issues present in these communities in order to find ways to address them and establish our own agency.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Latin American Studies
Approximately 11.5 million immigrants reside in the United States, most of them Latinos and undocumented, who often arrive in the country at a young age. Teenage Latinos were brought by their parents to fulfill the “American Dream.” The majority of these young adults struggle immensely to reach their dream as they face discrimination, education disparity, cultural setbacks, and language adaptation. The purpose of this study is to create a vision plan for an accessible and inclusive program that serves as a bridge between current students and graduates in order to help the former achieve their pursuit for higher education.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Latin American Studies
This project focuses on the effects of outside contact in the Hawaiian Islands, namely, international and domestic tourism and the United States occupation. While the tourism industry has had some positive impact on the local economy, this study argue that the influx of foreign investments has had a mostly detrimental effect on the politics and overall economy of the Islands and on native cultural practices. We will discuss the gentrification of the Islands and the displacement of long-time residents. We will also research how colonialism and imperialism are at the root of the issues that Hawaii faces currently.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This research project explores the ways in which Competency-Based Education (CBE) can enhance academic performance at the university level. First, this study examines the origin and evolution of CBE, starting with the fundamental research by Ralph Tyler and Benjamin Bloom. Next, we will explore the use of CBE in current universities, starting with the classrooms here at Willamette, and then expanding to include the use of this pedagogy in universities around the world. Finally, we will explain how the growing use of technology in higher education after the COVID-19 pandemic can facilitate the implementation of CBE in the classroom.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This thesis analyzes the reasons for gender inequality—including wage gap and lack of recognition—between women's and men’s soccer on a global spectrum. This study will dispel the preconceived notions that try to explain this inequality, namely, that women have less athletic talent, that women are weaker or that women’s soccer is less pleasing to watch and generates less revenue. The main purpose of this research project is to disprove these false narratives and to demonstrate that the root cause behind women’s disadvantageous position in the male-dominated, global space of soccer is sexism.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
The goal of this study is to emphasize the need to foster and improve the relationship between archaeology, and the policies to protect cultural heritage sites, and the well-being of present-day local communities. This research focuses on the Orkney islands, an area with a plethora of archeological sites and a tight-knit community. Through interviews with local Orcadians, this project aims to understand the perspective of community members on issues related to the cultural heritage sites they live amongst. This thesis intends to give a voice to local communities and protect their interest as well as their cultural heritage sites.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This study centers around the city of Granada, a tourist destination in Spain, most famously known for the historic Alhambra fort and its elaborate palaces. This project argues that graffiti and street art are not simply tags or illegible writing on urban spaces, but contained walls with poetry, political outrage, and short stories. My thesis will show how in Granada graffiti acts as a means of self-expression, as well as social and political commentary, for both tourists and locals alike. The results of this study will define graffiti, explore its norms, and lastly, delve into public perception.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies
This project explores the relationship between medieval European and Traditional Chinese Medicine. This comparative analysis will be done through research studies, medical informative textbooks, and the study of historical backgrounds of ancient origins. The concept of balance will be explained in further relation to the Yin and Yang philosophy in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the “Four Humors” in medieval European medicine. This thesis will discuss the way in which these medical systems are related to modern healthcare, including an exploration of the elevance of the history of medicine and its cultural interconnections in the contemporary world.
Faculty Sponsor: Ana Montero
Discipline: Global Cultural Studies