Slayers, Every One of Us”: Buffy on Challenging Patriarchal Systems — Presentation Detail — Celebration of Scholars

Instructions

Student presentations must have a faculty sponsor.

Abstracts must include a title and a description of the research, scholarship, or creative work. The description should be 150-225 words in length and constructed in a format or style appropriate for the presenter’s discipline.

The following points should be addressed within the selected format or style for the abstract:

A clear statement of the problem or question you pursued, or the scholarly goal or creative theme achieved in your work.
A brief comment about the significance or uniqueness of the work.
A clear description of the methods used to achieve the purpose or goals for the work.
A statement of the conclusions, results, outcomes, or recommendations, or if the work is still in progress, the results you expect to report at the event.

Presenter photographs should be head and shoulder shots comparable to passport photos.

Additional Information

More information is available at carthage.edu/celebration-scholars/. The following are members of the Research, Scholarship, and Creativity Committee who are eager to listen to ideas and answer questions:

Thomas Carr
Katherin Hilson
Kim Instenes
John Kirk
Sarah Terrill

Slayers, Every One of Us”: Buffy on Challenging Patriarchal Systems

Name: Alexandra Ash
Major: Communication
Hometown: Wheaton
Faculty Sponsor:
Other Sponsors:
Type of research: Senior thesis

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to provide a feminist analysis of the television show Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which provides a counterpoint to many of the images and ideals regarding women presented in the media. By analyzing a text that breaks media norms, standards can be created for better media practices. The show is unique because the lead female character, Buffy, overcomes the patriarchal institution of which she is part by creating a network of allies without hierarchy, a practice that is not seen elsewhere in television. Buffy closely follows this and other strategies for female liberation described by Mary Daly in Gyn/ecology: The Metaethics of Radical Feminism and Hélène Cixous’ in “The Laugh of the Medusa.” Buffy the Vampire Slayer both provides a model for women and girls to navigate challenges in there own lives and defies many of the conventions of primetime television.

Poster file