I have yet to share my thesis topic so without further ado, here it is.

In my thesis, I hope to investigate the media representation of Jackie Robinson, looking specifically at his rookie year and how technique, content and language strategies of different forms of media influenced his iconic status as African-American’s first Major League Baseball player. Some questions I have are how constructed was the idea of “Jackie Robinson, African American hero”, by whom, and for what purpose. I’d also like to juxtapose Jackie Robinson’s rookie year media representation to the media representation of the second African-American MLB baseball player, Larry Doby, and to compare the similarities and particularly the differences, and examine why there are these differences.

Okay, so as mentioned at the end of last entry, I don't think I will be able to take advantage of the inspirational professor I met with for two hours two weeks ago. This is because he deals more with simple, practical classroom usages of media, whereas I need to do a theoretical paper. I now have appointments with two other professors, who will hopefully be my readers. Profesora Donapetry, a Spanish teacher specializing in women's studies, might be very helpful because I am will be continuing the work I started over the summer, the creation of an online biography of my grandmother (a Mexican woman.) Profesora Donapetry would be able to help me in the content of the website, perhaps not so much the format. However, the content and its cultural implications might help shape the structure. For example, the website's audience might be older (closer in age to my grandmother.) And many viewers may be from Mexico, where digital technology is less available. Both older and technologically inexperienced people would need a very simple interface, perhaps one that starts with an introductory video, which is very attention-grabbing. I could then comment on the importance of the image in an increasingly globalized, international world, and I could expound on the differing experiences of the internet for people of various ages. Yes, the content does inform the structure.

My potential thesis reader recommended that I develop 5 concrete ideas for a thesis topic that are both interesting and feasible. I should talk about them with classmates and perhaps with other profs. Then I should come back to him. So let me know what you think, peoples! Here are the ideas:

1. Further develop the idea of literary genre transformations online
a. pros:
i. very interesting/creative
ii. sort of involves nostalgia in a wayrekindling my sensations and love for how I experienced reading and school projects & then trying to recreate that for others [dioramas; Mrs. Thomas’s videos (We made videos that synthesizes literature we read, involving game shows, etc.); mind maps; Mrs. Jasek’s vocab. & academic decathlon (repetition and usage but in a fun way); etc.]