This past Wednesday was Quest, which is a day SUNY Oswego commits to celebrating the academic endeavors of their students. Because it is a presentation of research, people may think it is only for the sciences, but many disciplines are involved. As a communications student, I have previously attended many Quest presentations, most of them focusing on the work of fellow communication students. This year I was asked to present my analysis and critique of a popular media text.In 15 minutes with added time for questions, I presented on the race and gender dynamics within Pitch Perfect 2 and how the content could be problematic when representing women and minorities. My presentation was based off of a paper I did for my children, women, and minorities in media class, which I took as part of my broadcasting curriculum. This paper included literature review of different studies and examination of media which I then applied in my own analysis of the movie. For the presentation, I selected the major points of my work and elaborated on them, supplemented by video clips and movie stills.

My thesis slide

As with anything of this nature, critique is subjective. However, I really liked engaging with the audience, and I was even able to elaborate on my thesis and arguments with interested peers afterward. It lead to really thoughtful conversations and evaluation of different work, which I think is one of the main purposes of Quest.

We had a full room with people standing and sitting on the floor when the chairs ran out. This was very fulfilling for me, and felt like a reward for my hard work. People asked excellent questions, and it let me know that they were engaged with my presentation. I would like to thank Dr. Fogel, the professor who asked me to present. Quest was a fantastic experience and a great opportunity to show the work that I do here.