Asian American identity in Media
As a film studies major I learned to look at visual mediums with a critical eye and experience film from the production side.
Major: Five College Film Studies, Education minor
Internship: Tribeca Film Institute, Intern
Advanced Degrees: M.S.Ed, University of Pennsylvania; Ph.D., Temple University
Graduate Studies: Ph.D. in progress, Temple University Media and Communication
On the first day of my Introduction to Film Studies course, I honestly would not have thought that this course would determine my path in life.
Even today, sitting at my computer, I am using Mulvey's male gaze to guide my final semester paper for my Ph.D. program.
The Film Studies program at Mount Holyoke has given me the chance to look at visual mediums with a critical eye and experience film from the production side. The balance of study, with the chance to go to NYC and intern at a film festival, gave me two kinds of experiences that pushed my interests in film even further.
Without funding from MHC Film Studies department, I would not have had the means to go to NYC. This internship led to a job in the film business, which allowed me to attend conferences that inspired my academic track.
In addition, I would not have gotten the academic background to view film through a different lens. I now consider myself a critical feminist scholar and the film studies department gave me the chance to read bell hooks for the first time, and an author whose writing continues to inspire my papers around Asian American identity in media. In all, my experiences have given me the depth and background I continue to draw on as a Ph.D. student.