Browsing by Author "Musgrave, Megan"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Bringing the Bard Up to Date: Teaching Shakespeare in Our Current Moment
    (2023-08) Thomas, Adrienne Michele; Hoegberg, David; Aukerman, Jason; Musgrave, Megan
    This thesis represents the written report of an action research study conducted in ENG-L433/625: Conversations with Shakespeare, a combined undergraduate/graduate course at IUPUI. The study was primarily interested in answering whether there is still value in teaching Shakespeare’s plays in modern classrooms and, if so, the best methods for teaching these plays that meet current students’ needs. Historical and modern methods of teaching Shakespeare are explored in depth to provide context for the design of the study, as well as the hosting course, as they were designed separately. The primary methods under review are utilizing adaptations, providing historical and contextual background, employing different forms of discussion, and close reading. By collecting data via surveys, classroom observations, and documentary evidence, the findings of this study show that there is not one method that works best for increasing student engagement with and understanding of Shakespeare’s plays, rather, it is necessary to use multiple methods in conjunction with one another to best meet students’ needs.
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    Power, Resistance, and Transformation: A Leadership Studies Analysis of Dystopian Young Adult Literature
    (2019-08) Hampshire, Kathryn Marie; Musgrave, Megan; Seelinger Trites, Roberta; Sickmann Han, Carrie
    Through an analysis of the depiction of female protagonists in young adult dystopian and speculative works of fiction, this thesis establishes leadership studies as a theoretical framework for literary study. Leadership studies is a relatively young branch of academic inquiry, using interdisciplinary approaches to investigate the phenomenon of leadership. From psychology, sociology, and philosophy, to education, business, and history, leadership studies has both drawn from and provided insight into a variety of disciplines; however, these theories have not yet found their way into conversations about literature. My thesis pulls leadership studies away from its corporate connotations to establish it as a valid and valuable addition to our literary analysis repertoire through a demonstration of its potential to further conversations about texts. This analysis is positioned within the contexts of children’s literature, feminist theory, and practices of reading for ideology, anchoring leadership studies in already-established modes of inquiry while demonstrating how this field offers valuable insight into them. My focus on dystopian and speculative young adult novels reflects the recent surge in dystopic/postapocalyptic texts that feature strong female protagonists, presenting potential leadership strategies for young girl readers during an important stage of development. Thus, this thesis uses leadership studies to further our analysis of how agency, power, and gender are represented within children’s literature.
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    Reading the Game: Exploring Narratives in Video Games as Literary Texts
    (2018-12) Turley, Andrew C.; Musgrave, Megan; Buchenot, Andre; Marvin, Thomas
    Video games are increasingly recognized as powerful tools for learning in classrooms. However, they are widely neglected in the field of English, particularly as objects worthy of literary study. This project argues the place of video games as objects of literary study and criticism, combining the theories of Espen Aarseth, Ian Bogost, Henry Jenkins, and James Paul Gee. The author of this study presents an approach to literary criticism of video games that he names “player-generated narratives.” Through player-generated narratives, players as readers of video games create loci for interpretative strategies that lead to both decoding and critical inspection of game narratives. This project includes a case-study of the video game Undertale taught in multiple college literature classrooms over the course of a year. Results of the study show that a video game introduced as a work of literature to a classroom increases participation, actives disengaged students, and connects literary concepts across media through multimodal learning. The project concludes with a chapter discussing applications of video games as texts in literature classrooms, including addressing the practical concerns of migrating video games into an educational setting.
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    “Since When Do We Celebrate Not Having Talent?”: Common Tropes and Counterstory in Tradwife TikTok
    (2024-09) Cooper, Savannah; Brooks Gillies, Marilee; Buchenot, Andy; Musgrave, Megan
    My thesis examines common “tropes” that appear in Tradwife content on TikTok. Tradwife content reaffirms and platforms harmful cultural norms and stereotypes regarding gender roles and is often connected to other forms of online extremism. In this thesis, I examine three common tropes I’ve identified in Tradwife content—religion, othering, and aesthetic comfort content. Tradwife content creators state religion to be a main driver behind their lifestyle and often produce content that presents an othering, “us-vs.-them” dynamic between themselves and their detractors. The toxic nature of their message is made more palpable via what I refer to as “aesthetic comfort content,” where their visually pleasing multimodal content presents their lifestyle as idyllic. I also expound on how some commenters are using elements of counterstory and disidentification in the Tradwife creators’ comment sections to fight back against these same stereotypes. The comment section becomes a site of debate and discourse where commenters can engage in acts of micro-activism by using their own experiences to complicate and critique the Tradwives’ messaging.