Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, History

Ronald Reagan, conservatism, economics, and the Cold War define many of the historical analyses of 1980s America. Recently, studies on the decade's cultural artifacts, social protests, and the divisive culture wars have finally come into focus. The intersection of film studies and historical analysis of the ‘80s has few comprehensive explorations, which this project seeks to expand. This thesis analyzes the portrayal of youth sexual culture in 1980s American mainstream and independent films while also contextualizing the broader American culture in which these films were made. The use of mainstream and independent films will not only tease out any similarities and differences, but these analyses will also explore how these films reinforced, or complicated, contemporary cultural values. The project will move through the decade by examining the following films and their respective film reviews: Little Darlings, The Last American Virgin, Sixteen Candles, She's Gotta Have It, Dirty Dancing, and Casual Sex? By combining the theoretical frameworks and methodologies from film studies, cultural studies, and historical research, this project will create a unique perspective of 1980s American youth sexual culture while also establishing these films did not exist in a vacuum. The thesis asserts that the space for female-centered conversations on films about sexuality, especially for young girls, existed at the beginning of the 1980s but dwindled as the decade went on. Throughout the 1980s, films about youth sexual culture became male-dominated and reduced the female perspective to a subplot even in cases where these stories centered on the female characters. By the end of the decade, complicated female perspectives on sexuality were reduced to perpetuating patriarchal themes and expectations. As a medium, film failed to encapsulate authentic female voices in the 1980s. Instead, film provided youth audiences access to sexual experiences if they could not easily get them els (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Nicole Jackson Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Becca Cragin Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Film Studies; Gender; History; Modern History

BA, Oberlin College, 2022, Russian and East European Studies

The Siberian punk movement of the 1980s is often regarded as the Soviet Union's most aesthetically and politically iconoclastic rock underground. Amidst the numerous bands the scene produced, none has matched the notoriety of Grazhdanskaia Oborona (Civil Defense) and its leader Egor Letov. At first glance, Letov's songs declaring hatred for the “totalitarian” Soviet Union and its destruction of the individual evoke associations with the previous generation of Soviet dissidents, who used the term “totalitarianism” to contrast the Soviet system with the Western democracy they admired. Yet Letov, who rejected democratic reforms and after the collapse of the USSR proclaimed himself as an ardent communist, described totalitarianism not as a form of government but as an inborn state of being. Accordingly, resistance toward the Soviet state became a manifestation of the struggle against human nature. Totalitarianism thus serves as a lens through which to examine the role of radical politics in Grazhdanskaia Oborona: a reflection of existential rebellion. By analyzing his interviews and musical output in the mid- to late-1980s, I argue that Letov manipulates listeners' understandings of what it meant to be “against” in the Soviet Union by drawing from existing rhetoric of political protest, replacing the image of the liberal dissident with that of a rebel whose radical politics reflect an existential struggle. I demonstrate his conception of totalitarianism as a line of continuity between his “anti-Soviet” and “pro-communist” years. In doing so, I present Letov as a figure whose works defy conventions of liberal political resistance traditionally employed by Western scholars of the Soviet Union.

Committee: Vladimir Ivantsov (Advisor); Thomas Newlin (Committee Member); Nicholas Romeo Bujalski (Committee Member) Subjects: East European Studies; Russian History; Slavic Studies

Bachelor of Film and Media Production, Capital University, 2022, Media

The 1960s in the United States was a time period where great hope led to great despair. The Philosophical Implications of Alternate History is a historical analysis of an alternate outcome of some of the tumultuous events of the decade, such as the assassinations of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. This hypothetical timeline engages with three questions: (1) what might have happened, had these tragedies not occurred; (2) how these events contributed to our present political and cultural landscape; and (3) what we can learn by imagining alternate scenarios. My findings from analyzing these three questions resulted in Vigilant Conservation Theory (VCT), which argues that solving societal problems quickly ultimately leads to less consequences. In both historical and present-day examples, I conclude that when tangible issues aren't dealt with, culture and society come into question as well. With VCT in mind, I posit that if we solve the tangible problems of today, we will diffuse cultural flashpoints and, in doing so, build consensus instead of division. I also observe and emphasize the importance of having a unifying national myth when envisioning our future and discuss whether an alternate history can serve this function.

Committee: Andrew Carlson (Advisor) Subjects: American History; American Studies; Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2021, American Culture Studies

From 1981-1996, the United States experienced an epidemic of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) that held profound implications for issues ranging from civil rights, public education, and sexual mores, to government accountability, public health, and expressions of heterosexism. Popular comic books that broached the subject of HIV/AIDS during the U.S. epidemic elucidate how America's discourse on the disease evolved in an era when elected officials, religious leaders, legal professionals, medical specialists, and average citizens all struggled to negotiate their way through a period of national crisis. The manner whereby comic book authors, illustrators, and publishers engaged the topic of HIV/AIDS changed over time but, because comic books are an item of popular culture primarily produced for a heterosexual male audience, such changes habitually mirrored the evolution of the nation's mainstream, heteronormative debates regarding the epidemic and its sociocultural and political implications. Through studying depictions of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in popular comic books, alterations in the heterocentric, national discourse emerge revealing how homophobic dismissals of the “gay plague” in the early 1980s gave way to heterosexual panic in the mid-1980s, followed by the epidemic's reinterpretation as a national tragedy in the late-1980s. Ultimately, this study uncovers how, in the early 1990s, HIV/AIDS awareness became a national cause celebre and a fad effectively commoditized by the economic forces of American popular culture until its novelty waned when the epidemic phase of the U.S. HIV/AIDS crisis drew to a close in the mid-1990s. Throughout, representations of HIV/AIDS in popular American comic books show how comic book creators sought to elevate their medium beyond the confines of its perceived juvenile trappings by exploring topical and controversial material that would appeal to the expanding market of adult buyers that blos (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeffery Brown (Advisor); William Albertini (Committee Member); Timothy Messer-Kruse (Committee Member); Michael Decker (Other) Subjects: American History; American Literature; American Studies; Mass Media; Public Health

MA, Kent State University, 2017, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

This M.A. thesis examines the public rhetoric of American president Ronald Reagan and focuses specifically on the different ways he appropriated the legacy and memory of Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln's name appears seemingly everywhere in Reagan's speeches, from comedic monologues to scathing diatribes. Rather than just an interesting anecdote in Reagan history however, his appropriation of Lincoln was ideologically saturated and helps define Reagan's world view. Reagan's use of Lincoln also disseminated positive portrayals of the 16th president over a bevy of negative portrayals introduced by some academics during the time period. In Reagan's attempts to appeal to religious groups, he often brought up Lincoln and implied the acceptance of faith and God for both men. He also argued that Lincoln was correct in his reading of Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence; all men truly were free and equal. Reagan, unlike many conservatives in the 1980s, saw no problem with Lincoln's elevation of those principles to constitutional status. In these different ways, Reagan had a hand in preserving Americans belief in a pious Lincoln truly devoted to human equality and should be recognized as one of the most prolific "Lincoln appropriators" of the 20th century.

Committee: Leonne Hudson (Advisor); Kevin Adams (Committee Member); Brian Hayashi (Committee Member) Subjects: History

BA, Kent State University, 2016, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of History

The growth and splintering of the heavy metal music industry resulted in the subgenre "lite" metal, who incorporated androgyny into their style and imagery. The androgyny of this subgenre, the emergence of Music Television resulting in questions of authenticity, and the masculinist culture surrounding heavy metal marginalized female musicians in the rock music industry. Female musicians do not receive credibility and respect as metal musicians unless they conform to the masculinist standards perserved by heavy metal audiences.

Committee: Kenneth Bindas (Advisor); Bradley Keefer (Committee Member); Haridakis Paul (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Gender; History; Music

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2016, American Culture Studies

While popular movies are often overlooked in film studies, the action-adventure genre in the 1980s has drawn considerable academic attention. The consensus among the literature is that a conservative backlash (spurred on by Ronald Reagan's two terms in office) against a resurgent equality movement gave rise to hypermasculine movies like First Blood and Predator and hypermasculine stars like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone. While this still holds true, a closer look at the movies and the era reveals a much more nuanced picture. A thorough examination of the culture, the movies, and the male bodies on-screen in the 1980s—through the lens of affect theory, cinematography, and spectacle, among others—uncovers a number of significant cultural phenomena that have the potential to shape future academic work. This study not only elucidates and reconstructs the conception of filmic spectacle to include the male body on-screen, it also identifies two types of male bodies on-screen in the 1980s—the muscle-bound, aesthetically spectacular body and the lithe, kinesthetically spectacular body. Additionally, this study argues that filmic spectacle (as experienced by viewers) is actually made up of two discrete dimensions, a physical dimension composed of massive scale and explosions and a physiological one composed of affect and emotion. Unpacking spectacle in this way ultimately produces a number of new tools for film scholars while reimagining, in a significant way, American culture in the 1980s, the action-adventure movies of the decade, and the greater cultural currents in the Reagan era.

Committee: Theodore F. Rippey Ph.D. (Advisor); Thomas A. Mascaro Ph.D. (Other); Andrew E. Hershberger Ph.D. (Committee Member); Jeffrey A. Brown Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Aesthetics; American Studies; Cinematography; Comparative; Ethnic Studies; Film Studies; Gender; Gender Studies; Mass Media; Motion Pictures

DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2008, College-Conservatory of Music : Piano

After decades of isolation from the world and the end of China's Cultural Revolution in 1976, many Chinese composers have come to the United States to study and since then established themselves as some of the most distinguished and promising composers in the world. Despite of their different educational and social backgrounds, they all strive to express their cultural identities and to search for compositional inspirations from Chinese traditional cultures. In this document, I will focus on such prominent Chinese composers who came to the United States after the 1980s as Bright Sheng and Chen Yi from the older generation, and Huang Ruo, Lei Liang and Gao Ping from the latest generation. Through studying their backgrounds and musical styles, along with analyzing their representative compositions, I will demonstrate the strong Chinese traditional cultural influences on their music, and how they infuse the various Chinese cultural elements with modern western compositional techniques, such as serialism and cyclicism, in their compositions. I hope this document will help musicians and audiences to better understand and appreciate this beautiful Chinese piano music. Also, I hope there will be more composers like these pioneers, so that the traditional Chinese culture and music will be kept and carried forward for generations.

Committee: Frank Weinstock (Advisor); Joel Hoffman (Committee Member); Michael Chertock (Committee Member) Subjects: Music

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2012, History (Arts and Sciences)

This dissertation examines how 1980s antinuclear activists utilized popular culture to criticize the Reagan administration's arms buildup. The 1970s and the era of detente marked a decade-long nadir for American antinuclear activism. Ronald Reagan's rise to the presidency in 1981 helped to usher in the "Second Cold War," a period of reignited Cold War animosities that rekindled atomic anxiety. As the arms race escalated, antinuclear activism surged. Alongside grassroots movements, such as the nuclear freeze campaign, a unique group of antinuclear activists--including publishers, authors, directors, musicians, scientists, and celebrities--challenged Reagan's military buildup in American mass media and popular culture. These activists included Fate of the Earth author Jonathan Schell, Day After director Nicholas Meyer, and "nuclear winter" scientific-spokesperson Carl Sagan. Through popular media, these figures spread criticisms of Reagan's Cold War initiatives, such as the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI, or "Star Wars") and the American nuclear missile deployment in Europe, to millions of Americans. Their efforts not only popularized the nuclear freeze campaign, but also influenced leaders in Australia, New Zealand, and in the Vatican, to question and even reject U.S. policies. In short, antinuclear cultural activism posed a serious threat to Reagan's Cold War initiatives. This dissertation utilizes research from presidential libraries, television news archives, and special collections, as well as cultural analysis and contemporary interviews, to reassert cultural activism's importance in Cold War history. In the 1980s, American mass media became a contested space in which the Reagan administration battled antinuclear cultural activists for American hearts and minds. Archival research reveals that this cultural activism alarmed the White House. Angered at antinuclear activists ability to permeate popular culture, the White House developed public affairs strategie (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Chester Pach PhD (Advisor); Kevin Mattson PhD (Committee Member); Katherine Jellison PhD (Committee Member); Joseph Slade PhD (Committee Member); Allan Winkler PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: History

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2008, Art History (Fine Arts)

Jean Michel Basquiat's move from unknown street artist to internationally known gallery star was solidified with a seminal review in Artforum in late 1981. His distinctive style merged cave-like drawings, the scrawl of the "untrained" artist, and astute observations of culture. His packaging of ethnicity, street background, and artistic style matched seamlessly with Ingrid Sischy's Artforum agenda of art, culture, and race eclecticism. Sischy sought to remodel the magazine to reflect the 1980s fascination with product and image. Basquiat embodied both for Artforum, who shaped his image as an 80s style primitive for 20th century Western art imperialists. Since the early 1960s, Artforum has held the influential position of art world kingmaker. The magazine's primary focus was the traditional art world centered in New York until 1980, when Sischy took the helm of editor. She guided Artforum through a decade of blurring boundaries between money, fine art, and popular culture. Sischy's changes reverberated throughout the art publishing industry. She introduced non-traditional art writers to the magazine, implemented cultural commentary with columns on advertising, television, and music, and added artist projects created specifically for Artforum. The lower East Side of New York was a haven for a different style of artist. Alongside the homeless, prostitutes, and pawnshops grew a subculture of graffiti artists, galleries, and music and dance clubs. A young, African American of Haitian and Puerto Rican descent, Basquiat, was a product of this street culture. Although not a traditional graffiti artist, his early work as part of the duo SAMO tagged walls, buildings, and doors with insightful aphorisms. Though he brought a needed boost to the art market, Basquiat was not inoculated from art world prejudice. In this paper I will contrast the presentation of Basquiat with that of black British artists and filmmakers who directly challenged art racist practices. Through the m (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Jeannette Klein (Committee Chair); Marilyn Bradshaw (Committee Member); Catherine Taylor (Committee Member) Subjects: African Americans; Art History; Black History; Economic History; Fine Arts; Journalism

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2007, Political Science (Arts and Sciences)

This thesis explores the impact of Ronald Reagan's presidency on Hollywood films of the 1980s. As America entered the 1980s, a shift was seen in the product being released by Hollywood. Film narratives became very different from those released in the decade before. This project analyzes the correlative connections between changes seen in both Hollywood films and presidential rhetoric during this period. Samples were drawn from both Hollywood films and presidential speeches of the era. Through the employment of content analysis, these samples were coded and analyzed to spot distinct similarities and differences between the two mediums.

Committee: Hector Perla Jr. (Advisor) Subjects: Political Science, General

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 1991, History

This dissertation contains a comparative legal and historical study of the criminal justice systems of the United States and Canada, focusing in particular on the widely conducted practice of plea bargaining or plea negotiation. As a point of reference, the observations of Hagan and Leon are examined, which used Herbert Packer's "due process" and "crime control" paradigms, and concluded that the United States criminal justice system tends to fit the "due process" model while the Canadian system tends to fit the "crime control" model. The analysis shows that when the discretionary practice of plea bargaining is taken into consideration, the reverse is true. It also suggests that the quality of the United States criminal justice system could benefit by antidemocratic changes within the judiciary.

Committee: Carl Ubbelohde (Advisor) Subjects: Law

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2006, Theatre and Film

With the end of the Hollywood studio era, big budget blockbuster musicals had to find ways to compete in the economic and cultural marketplace. Historical events such as the rise of television, the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the Watergate scandal influenced the way American audiences saw, and continue to see, the world. Film, theatre, and other artistic disciplines helped audiences understand, cope, and criticize societal changes. As audience perceptions changed, the film musical faced a crisis. In an attempt to maximize profits, Hollywood business practices forced an evolutionary branch in the development of the musical. One fork took the genre towards the embodiment of capitalistic and cultural excess as pointed to by Altman, Dyer, and others. These film musicals attempt to present Utopia. Film musicals such as Grease (1978), Beauty and the Beast (1991), and Evita (1996) are large spectacles that utilize the high concept business model, as outlined by Justin Wyatt, to please audience expectations by managing conflict at the expense of presenting the story world as a utopia. The other branch of film musical exemplified in the films of Cabaret (1972) and All That Jazz (1979) criticize the price paid by an individual in pursuit of ideals that lie beyond dominant social values. The dystopic film musical connects with audiences and critics by drawing on the cynicism and skepticism of contemporary historic and cultural events to forward a clearly dystopic view of society. This study utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to analyze the connection between selected film musicals and the American culture for which they were produced. The study shows that from 1970-2002 film musicals promoted and marketed visions of Utopia that were reflective of specific historical moments rather than ahistorical utopia ideals. While a film like Grease shows that Utopia is the ideal high school experience, later films like Moulin Rouge! (2001) and Chicago (2002) depict i (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Cynthia Baron (Advisor) Subjects: