“For the love of money is the root of all of evil.” – Apostle John The white audience is the main audience. They are constantly catered to, constantly portrayed as the hero, consistently shown that they are the ideal person. Why? Because everybody wants to be reassured! But, why specifically the white audience? Well, the …
Category Archives: Writing
A Corner in the World
The end is near. With only a handful of days left, I value every moment that I spend in this program. Most importantly, I’ve realized the bonds we have formed with one another in these past three weeks will leave a lasting impression on me. We’ve managed to create a safe, motivating, and inviting corner …
Spiderman Unmasked: It’s Me
Two journals ago I was Batman– change of plans, I’m Spiderman too. -Luke Yellen Miles Morales stared at a graffitied mirror in a makeshift Spiderman suit on Slide 19. The text on this slide read, “What is race & ethnicity?” while I stared at the board, laser-focused on the tag hanging off his costume. The …
The Communication Conundrums: Week 3
Astha Munot This image illustrates the compelling necessity for media literacy in society. Traditionally, “spoonfeeding” resembles a lack of awareness or ability by the person who is being spoonfed. It shows an inability of the person to understand or even care about what they are being spoonfed, as long as they are consuming it. And …
Gilmore Gook: Why Lane Kim is Problematic
Streets and Stages
As cultures and subcultures continue to be heavily disseminated amongst mass media, the question of gatekeeping is frequently brought up in the name of protecting a groups authenticity. Simply, gatekeeping is the act of controlling or limiting access to something and in the online sphere where information and discourse is generally assumed to be public, …
Halfway There
Thinking back on my second week with the USC AYA program I could only think of the incredible lessons I have learned from not only Professor López and Professor Turner but all my amazing peers who I’ve gotten to know so much better this past week. I know I mentioned before that interacting with everyone …
Dear USC…
Monday: June 26, 2023It’s the second week of USC’s AYA program, and my body is already adapted to this new circadian rhythm. It’s astounding how quickly something that initially felt unfamiliar now feels like second nature, as if it had always been this way. The people around me, who were strangers just a day ago, …
Telling Stories Through Art
A common theme that has made its way into my week was the ability to tell a story and communicate important messages through many different forms of art and media. One of the first things we did this week was break down hip- hop music and deconstruct what the song is trying to say. The …
On the Significance of Adolescent Voices
Young people have had a varying amount of influence over the cultural landscape for centuries. During the 2nd week at AYA, we delved into the impact of youth culture throughout the years, specifically its impact on civics and civic media. For the past 2 centuries, young people–especially those below the voting age–across the nation have …
Communicating Change 