UCSC - EOP Graduate Information Program

FMP SCHOLARS REACHING FOR THE FUTURE

	Stephanie David 2005 Reflections of the Tatau: How Contemporary Samoan-American Youth Articulate Identity Through the Use of Tattooing This research examines how contemporary Samoan American male youth articulate identity through the use of the tatau in west coast urban cities. The purpose of this study is to identify how the tatau serves to connect a sense of identity, community, and culture.The tatau is an examination of oneself. Body art stands as a social and political statement indicating a relationship between Samoan history, community, and individuality. The tatau is a vital instrument in the celebration, education, and preservation of Samoan culture. The permanence and painting of the body symbolize the ownership of one’s experiences as well as a commitment to the community and culture.
	AyeNay Abye 2005 A Color-Coded Nation: Homeownership, Inequality, and Citizenship in the United States In order to understand inequality in the United States residential segregation and institutionalized real estate discrimination must be evaluated. My project discusses these two areas in further detail to develop an understanding of the widened inequality gap in the U.S. This problem of inequality drives African Americans farther from their entitlement, rights, social membership and legal recourse as citizens. This research focuses on homeownership and the systematic exclusionary practices against African Americans in the housing market; they are not so much disadvantaged as they are taken advantage of. The main objective of this study is to develop and connect homeownership and citizenship to the socio-economic position of African Americans at the bottom of stratified U.S. society. Although citizenship is promised to all, the full exercise is often largely reserved for property owning white males. Unfair gains and unjust enrichments secured by whites come directly from the impediment of asset accumulation by blacks.
	Maria Segarra 2005 The number of ethnic minority students engaged in graduate education is gradually increasing; yet, empirical research regarding their experiences while in graduate school, remains limited (Gaff 2002). My study aimed to understand the experiences of ethnic minorities and whites in graduate school. The sample was a stratified random sample of students in various departments at the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC). Over 40% of those contacted elected to participate in the online survey. In addition to documenting participants’ gender and ethnicity, the survey measured the amount of economic discomfort experienced by students, their satisfaction with the mentoring they received and with various other aspects of their educational experiences and their level of self-reported stress. The data was examined for gender and ethnic differences. The data was also analyzed to discover associations among factors within the entire sample and, separately, within the sample of white students and the sample of students of color.
	Linda A. Pham 2004 Challenging Hollywood's Stereotypes: Asian American Women Filmmakers Create Feminists Representations Mainstream cinema in the United States, a hegemonic institution, depicts Asian American women as exotic stereotypes such as dragon lady, geisha girl, or lotus blossom. Contemporary Asian American feminist women filmmakers challenge stereotypical constructions against Hollywood films by creating counter-hegemonic aesthetics through visual representations. They initiate positive images and give voice to Asian American women while simultaneously transforming mainstream consciousness. This research utilizes interpretive method in the subdiscipline of visual anthropology by showing real representations of women and separating experimental films from entertainment films. Experimental films analyzed in the research include Surname Viet Given Name Nam, directed by Trinh T. Minh-ha; Sally's Beauty Spot, directed by Helen Lee; and Fresh Kill, directed by Shu Lea Cheang. More current films move from racial and ethnic specific representations of women to a more multi-racial, third world solidarity.
	Leonard G. Rhone 2003 Filipinos: Educational Expectations and the Generation Gap Filipinos have been included in the Asian American group and are stereotyped by the myth of the model minority. The myth of the model minority was created in the 1960s to demonstrate that Asian Americans were successful on their own and did not need social programs. The myth implied that Asian parents had strict control of their children's educational and career choices. The purpose of this study is to explore what Filipinos view as success and how that affects the educational choices, which parents expect and students make. I decided to design both a survey and conduct interviews to allow both Filipino students and parents to discuss their definitions of success and describe their educational experiences. There were 41 respondents to the survey. In addition, I conducted 14 interviews. In general, I found that Filipino parents expected their children to complete college and attain self-sufficiency. They were not explicit about what particular major their children should pursue. The students responded that they felt free to choose their own paths, but some did share experiences where parental expectations caused conflicts.
	Judy Estrada 2003 Is it my choice to be bilingual? Is it part of my identity? Preguntas sin Respuestas...¿o si? This study builds on prior research findings and theoretical paradigms involving Bilingualism and Spanish language maintenance among Mexican decent children. In an effort to better understand the complexity of Children’s bilingual experience, this study addresses the following questions: 1) How do Children who are participating in an "english only" school view languages (English & Spanish), bilingualism, and identity? 2) How do students’ experiences inside the school setting contribute to the formation of their identity? This preliminary investigation includes interviews with twenty-three 4th grade students attending an English only school. Six randomly selected interviews were transcribed and analyzed. Moreover, informal observations advanced my understanding on the complexities children encounter and their attitudes towards English and Spanish languages. Preliminary analysis indicates that these children navigate across different worlds, but are caught between choosing what language to use where. These children are aware that they are bilingual, but these skills are not nurtured by schools. More research is needed on this topic.
	David Torrey de Freschville 2003 Silent Dreams: Gay Male Spectatorship of Rudolph Valentino in the 1920’s The purpose of this research is to uncover and identify the possible appeal of silent movie star Rudolph Valentino to gay men in the 1920’s. I utilize George Chauncey’s historically grounded work on 1920’s gay male subculture, Richard deCordova’s theory on the star system and Manthia Diawara’s theory on resistant spectatorship to contextualize original archival research. Historicists show that gay people appropriated spaces and texts from dominant culture to resist oppression, express themselves and claim their identities. Rudolph Valentino’s image would have fit into gay men’s ideals of desire and thus been appropriated to affirm their sexuality. His identity as created by the star-system had multiple elements in it that would have been “read” by gay men as “gay” or sexually available, and thus affirmed their identities. The discovery of primary texts, including a scrapbook created by the artist Oranzo Gasparo suggests that a gay subcultural resistant spectatorship and appropriation of the image and identity of Rudolph Valentino did occur.
	Gloryvee Lisa Fonseca