Artistic Expression: What value does art have in social justice movements?

Contemporary society faces many complex and interconnected challenges that appear to defy resolution. Despite ongoing debates regarding strategies for achieving social justice, including the efficacy of bureaucratic versus protest measures and the relative merits of donating versus taking action, progress remains slow, particularly in addressing pressing issues such as police brutality and voter suppression. While discussions often neglect the potential role of artistic expression in these movements, its benefits for advancing social progress and supporting victims of injustice are noteworthy. Throughout history, art has been used to mobilize support, combat injustice, and facilitate healing. Nonetheless, the formal prioritization of art is often viewed with cultural disdain. A comprehensive study investigating the potential benefits of art in social justice movements could increase public support for the arts.

Examining the Impact of Gendered Language on Workplace Roles and the Gender Pay Gap

The persistent pay gap between men and women remains a significant issue, with predictions by UN Women that true pay equity will not be achieved until 2069. This disparity is a result of the underrepresentation of women in higher-paying, higher-profile positions and a reflection of societal values and the pervasive use of gendered language. The latter, defined as language that exhibits bias towards a particular sex or social gender, has been identified as a contributing factor to the pay gap and the ongoing disparity in workplace roles for women. This research project will examine existing data on the impact of gendered language on women in the workplace and develop a lesson for high school students enrolled in social justice courses. The lesson's goal is to increase awareness and facilitate discussions on ways to counteract the effects of gendered language on the pay gap and workplace roles. Pre and post-surveys will assess the effectiveness of the lesson and determine its potential for future use by other educators in the field.

Building Relationships Between High School English Learning Students and English-Speaking Students

Many people migrate to the Bay Area for a better future, education, and opportunities. When faced with a drastic change in their community, it is hard for many of them to find a community they can connect. This void causes many students new to the U.S. to feel isolated and alone, further affecting their ability to make new connections with peers and adjust to the new curriculum. Although programs are available to help students through their transition, not all new students can thrive or feel confident enough to ask for help. This research project will create a safe place for ELL (English Language Learners) students to make connections and prevent the divide that is commonly associated with new students by introducing a buddy-class system.

The Effects of Media Representation on Wage and Athletic Success

Despite the passing of Title IX, gender inequality in sports continues. This inequity is evident in media representation and the pay gap between male and female athletes. The pay gap occurs due to systematic boundaries. For example, the current NBA minimum salary equals the $1.4 million salary cap for a WNBA team (Nhi Nguyen, 2022). Female athletes are often misrepresented and objectified on social media. This problem has affected female athletes nationwide as they face a significantly lower quantity and quality of media representation when compared to males. This project will investigate the objectification of women in mainstream media and its effects on annual salary through coding recent Instagram posts and statistical analysis of collected data.

What art was created by women artists during Europe's Renaissance between 1400-1600, and why is their work overlooked today?

Imagine that you are a female artist during the Renaissance. You paint spectacular, intricate, and realistic paintings that show the mastery of your craft. But wait, does any of it even matter? You realize that as a woman, your work will consistently be undermined. Your profession will be simplified to a mere hobby while other male artists are praised and uplifted. During the Renaissance, many notable artists, such as Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo, remained popular due to their work being heavily associated with and characterized by the Renaissance. However, with our modern-day technology, where we can look anything up with a quick Google search, why is there a need for more information about female artists of the Renaissance? Why do people continuously talk about the same male artists when all the resources for finding undiscovered female artists are within our reach? This project will conduct qualitative research using existing resources (scholarly articles, papers, etc.) found mainly online.

What variables in the score of a film potentially impact viewer motivation?

Movies can create impactful and emotional experiences for viewers, many associated with social change. Actors and directors are often at the forefront of the movie industry and movie experiences. What lies behind the scenes are the score producers. The score, or the music, brings motion pictures to life, adding depth and detail. Various score techniques create different environments and experiences for viewers. This research project will explore which film score techniques have the potential to motivate viewers to take social justice action. Scoring techniques that inspire action by viewers will be identified through interviewing score producers for future reference for inexperienced score producers.

Effects of Misrepresented Female Characters in Video Games on Youth

The age has dawned upon us in which many youths spend their free time playing video games. However, many video games lack in-depth female character development and actively categorize them into stereotypes, such as a damsel-in-distress or sexual object. This research project will rely on previous studies on the harmful effects of such characterization on youth, including desensitization and misinformation. The research results will be utilized as a storyboard for a new video game with a better developed female protagonist.

How does toxic masculinity affect drug and alcohol abuse for males under the age of 18 compared to females under the age of 18?

Nearly one billion males worldwide are affected by substance abuse, twice the number of females affected (Kloos, Weller, Weller, and Chan, 2009). Despite the belief that substance abuse is a problem for the entire population, there is no doubt that there is a gender gap in substance abuse. A factor of this problem comes from the pressures that create toxic masculinity. Boys' influences, such as their fathers, often create unrealistic expectations of masculinity to reach, creating "toxically" masculine men (Harrington, 2021). By investigating the factors leading to this serious issue, which is negatively influencing boys' risk for addiction and dependence, an observational case study research can identify how strong the linear relationship between substance abuse in men and toxic masculinity is. In addition, the findings of this research will help schools all over the country implement more resources available to males to enable students to feel safe and live free from masculine pressure, ultimately reducing the amount of substance abuse.

Anser Literary Journal

"For those Sunday afternoons caught between doing nothing and everything, for the insomnia-driven, for the wanderers and wonderers, for the unwritten stories of a blank page: please—tell us your story."

Anser Journal is a literary journal established in February 2020 by Gunn seniors Joshua Yang and Rachel Sun. Since the journal's founding, Anser has attracted an audience of 1000+ and has been listed on Duotrope; 50+ teen and adult contributors from across four continents help create a diverse, eclectic narrative that, indeed, has told stories tinged with grief, joy, and wonder. Find Anser Journal here: https://anserjournal.org/

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