This thesis presents a close reading of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City as a case study of the ethics of curation and the presentation of human versus animal narratives in the museum. Museums have arguably become institutions of entertainment, as stages of glorifying the long-gone but are equally mirrors of societies present day values and morals. By drawing from Benedict Anderson's concept of the census, the thesis examines the census within the museum as a means of categorizing and fetishizing the foreign, ranging from the animalizing strategies of the indigenous cultures to the anthropomorphizing, or assignment of human attributes, of wild animals.

Let Me Tell You is a short documentary series exploring the teachings of sexual health education over the past few decades. My thesis advisor was Lily Henderson. The project utilizes archival footage and interviews with young people and sex educators to examine teaching methods from the past, state policies on sex education in schools, and controversies surrounding parental control and bodily autonomy of students.

This documentary took root in my sex ed experience in Columbia, SC. Moving from Philadelphia in 2009, I was 11 years old and still trying to find my footing in a new state, with new friends, and a new environment. The fifth grade was the only time I received sex ed, dividing the boys and girls in two separate classrooms and promoting abstinence. I had the internet at my disposal through middle school and high school to teach me things no one else felt comfortable discussing. Moving to New York for college, I took a sex ed course will students who felt that their sex education in their hometowns didn’t adequately prepare them for situations they would face in the future. Fortunately, we were exposed to independent sex educators and resources that foster meaningful face to face interactions in inclusive and inviting environments. Due to COVID-19, production stopped in the early stages of this project. I was able to finish a short episode using the footage I already had at my disposal. It introduces the experiences of young people with their sex ed growing up and my trip back home to speak with an old teacher.

For my senior capstone project, titled, The Satirical Gesture: Power Dynamics and Cultural Transition, Is the Malleability of Power a Pipe Dream?, under the guidance of Professor Genevieve Yue, I wanted to academically explore a comedic form that I have been fascinated by since adolescence — the comedic form of satire. I aim to explore how satire, power, culture, and the screen intersect, analyzing a trajectory and correlation from Jonathan Swift’s 18th-century satirical writings in Ireland to Sacha Baron Cohen’s contemporary satire in both the United Kingdom and the United States. While critically examining the figure of the satirist itself and how comedians who practice these forms choose targets, execute commentary and change opinions on a vast scale, I explored how and why satire operates in the culture at large. Starting as a literary genre, satire has permeated through every medium by the 21st century, with content becoming more self-reflexive by the day. By analyzing how satire has and currently functions along with analyzing why and when this comedic force is exerted, hopefully, provides insights into why satire appears so densely in times when the culture is in flux, such as America post the 2016 election, and why satire is most important in times of change and crisis.

My time at Lang has been really special for me. I have been able to curate my education in a way that is most conducive to me as an individual, and the freedom to do so has been life-changing. My time at Lang helped me realize how much I love learning and how I can continue to learn as a life-long journey. Having the ability to learn from so many unique people, with unique perspectives, who hail from different places across the globe has been a blessing that I feel endlessly lucky to have received. The connections that I have had with professors and their commitment to helping me nurture my passions and academic potential has been something that will stick with me for years to come. Thank you! This environment has helped me develop as a critical thinker in ways I didn’t previously think to be possible. I have learned a lot about myself through my time at Lang, as well as what I am passionate about and why that is. My education in screen studies and culture and media as a whole is so valuable to me, in that I don’t feel limited in any way to tackle the modern and broad media landscape that exists today. I feel as though my thesis allowed me to use a breadth of my academic skills that I have accrued throughout the years and research more topics that all are firmly intertwined with screen, culture, and media studies. I am excited about the future, though at this juncture it may seem grim. I feel prepared to enter the field that I am so passionate about —storytelling. In 2020, we now have millions of ways to tell stories and I am eager to begin that discovery outside of Lang now that I have a solid foundation and understanding of the antecedents that lead to this glimmering new digital world we find ourselves living in today.

I have been working on a film for my senior capstone project. At the moment is delayed because covid-19 caused a lot of my actors and crew to be displaced. So, I reworked my entire project and have been working on a new script for my final project. The idea I am centering it around is someone who is trapped in their apartment reliving traumatic experiences in her life by technology in her apartment (tv,phone,speaker).

During my time at Lang while trying to achieve my screen studies degree I was able to see movies that I wouldn't be able to watch if I never took these classes. I was able to discuss them with my fellow classmates and during that time get to have a new perspective on a movie.

For my senior capstone, I wrote a 20-minute short film titled Tony Vampirelli for my senior seminar class with Talia Lugacy. The film, which I am directing at a later date due to the current circumstances, follows an Italian vampire named Tony Vampirelli. Tony resides in America but when he finds out his childhood best friend, Vincenzo, has been murdered, he returns to his home country, Italy to avenge the killer. My film combines mystery with comedy while also exploring the devotion that Italians have to their close friends and families. It also explores the lengths these characters are willing to go to get justice for the ones they love.

I've had an overall positive experience at Lang and feel as though I've learned a lot that I can take with me in my life and future career. I gained crucial experience through classes such as Screenwriting, Directing, and Cinematography. I also learned a lot about the film industry and the important components of film making in classes such as Intro to Screen Studies and Intro to Media Studies. I especially appreciate the way professors left most assignments open to interpretation instead of giving strict guidelines. This allowed me to express myself creatively and find easy inspiration for my work. I created a lot of work that I am proud of and I am excited to continue doing so with the knowledge that I've gained at Lang.