1,787 words

James Monaco's "How to Read a Film" and film criticism methods

Monaco, J. (2000). How to read a film, 3rd ed. Oxford University Press. James Monaco's seminal cinema studies text, How to Read Film, is currently in its third edition.

~9 min read

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2,036 words

Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and Freemasonry symbolism

The music in Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's operatic odyssey is nothing short of miraculous, as is the plot.

~11 min read

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1,544 words

John King's "Magical Reels": cinema and Latin American cultural identity

King, John. Magical Reels: A History of Cinema in Latin America. Critical Studies in Latin American and Iberian Cultures. London: Verso, 2000.

~8 min read

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1,496 words

Reality and illusion in Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman

Death of a Salesman, playwright Arthur Miller places emphasis on the major theme of reality vs. illusion to better demonstrate that the Loman family generally cannot distinguish between the two concepts, and that confusion will ultimately lead to Willy Loman's downfall.

~8 min read

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2,272 words

The nature-nurture debate in human development

One of the most fundamental debates in human developmental still harkens back to the seventeenth century argument over nature vs. nurture.

~12 min read

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1,508 words

Higher education's role in creating a sustainable future

The purpose of this paper is to argue for a specific action the college community must undertake to enable higher education to participate in the creation of a sustainable future.

~8 min read

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2,052 words

The legislative process: how bills become laws in Congress

The process of how a bill becomes a law in the U.S. federal government is extended and complicated, full of opportunities when the bill can be sidetracked, stalled, or stopped from progressing into a law.

~11 min read

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1,874 words

Self-discrepancy theory and fear-arousing communications in social psychology

In one particular situation, I was very much against the idea of drinking and driving, or smoking and driving, or doing anything but driving when you are supposed to drive. However, one night I went out with several friends I hadn't seen in years.

~10 min read

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1,251 words

Power's role in conflict communication and relationships

As in all other kinds of communication, power influences the nature of communication during a conflict. Power is a fundamental concept in conflict theory and the core of any analysis has to lie in the power structure. Despite this, it is difficult to define what power is.

~7 min read

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1,184 words

Collaboration and culpability in crime: examining moral responsibility

It has been observed that people within our society have strived and struggled to achieve success, but unfortunately nothing can be achieved through personal efforts, unless the individual has support and motivation.

~6 min read

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