Description: The project involves identifying primary texts and conducting textual analysis (production histories, critical responses, interviews, etc.) on feature-length films and any accompanying written literatures from which they were adapted focused on sci-fi and sci-fi horror cinema narratives with portrayals of childhood and adolescence through AI representation; a foundation in the classics (Shelley's Frankenstein and more) serves as the literary base for the project. From family films like D.A.R.Y.L. (1985) to the horror movie M3GAN (2023) - with a sequel already planned - goals for the research include: an investigation of audience in the niche genre (story content, ratings systems); formation of a critical, theoretical approach to the films' analysis; construction of a historical timeline for the development of the films; interviews with writers, directors, and/or actors of the texts; and the creation of original written content to document research findings. The result of the research - as a physical deliverable - will be an academic text to propose to a credible and applicable publishing house to contribute to genre studies in film, specifically within science fiction and horror studies.

Student Involvement: The selected student will work with me to locate all relevant film narratives and their associated connections (possible original texts in novel, comic book, or short fiction forms) to establish and document the breadth of the market. They will help locate secondary research written about the narratives and possible contacts for interviews regarding the films. Involvement will also include reviewing monograph content for editing, proofing, and  co-writing contributions. Other general research practices (organizing materials, communication with each other via email/Zoom, bi-weekly update meetings, etc.) would be included as standard protocol.

Required Skills & Interest: The selected student should have an interest in genre studies, particularly science fiction and/or sci-fi horror, but they are not required to have any specific expertise in the subject matter. Basic research methodologies (using online databases, conducting personal interviews, performing Internet searches, etc.) are required.

Benefits to Student & Faculty: The efforts of the student assistant yield benefits that include: acquiring and/or enhancing research skills, learning the academic publication process for monographs, and earning editing/writing credits on completed publication toward the building of their professional curriculum vitae. I would benefit from the assistance in locating materials for the project, creating an archive of the texts, chronicling previous research on the subject matter, and having a second reader for editing and proofing.

Description: Visual literatures represent a broad field of study including comic books, manga, the graphic novel, television, film, games, and social media. Each of these fields of art and entertainment provides readers and audiences narratives as engaging, in-depth, and didactic as classic written literature (poetry, short fiction, and novella/novel); however, visual literatures are often misunderstood in complement to their written counterparts. The goal of this project is to continue the development of a visual OER textbook that can be utilized for English courses and beyond in which the study and analysis of literature expands into visual spaces ranging from the comic book to the feature-length film (e.g., Barbarella comics created by Jean-Claude Forest in the early 1960s to Roger Vadim’s film of the same title in the late 1960s). As much as we ask what we learn from reading George Eliot or James Baldwin in classic and modern written literature, we can afford the same study to Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue (1997), Yvette Lee Bowser’s Living Single (1993-1998), or even the GTA (Grand Theft Auto) story mode. Considerations for visual literatures have already been addressed in English Department OERs created for ENGL 104, ENGL 203, and our new Sci-Fi/Fantasy OER; this textbook will provide an in-depth exploration of visual literatures, starting with a concentration on film and television, one of the more common and wide-reaching spaces of visual storytelling.

Student Involvement: The student researcher will work with the instructor on: organizing the OER into relevant chapters for development; researching critical theory and criticism to include in the textbook; locating relevant film and television narratives to reference for chapter development; reviewing previous OER materials to revise and incorporate into the new textbook; creating sample writings for instructor and student access; and contributing original writing about the OER subject matter. Other general research practices (organization of materials, communication with each other via email, Zoom, and in-person meetings) will be included as standard protocol.

Required Skills & Interest: The selected student should have an interest in visual media studies, particularly film and television, but they are not required to have any specific expertise in the field. Basic research methodologies (using online databases, performing Internet searches, etc.) are required.

Benefits to Student & Faculty: The selected student will benefit from: acquiring and/or enhancing research skills, learning the academic process for OER creation, and earning editing/writing credits on the completed publication toward the building of their professional curriculum vitae. I would benefit from the assistance in locating materials for the project, organizing content, chronicling previous research on the subject matter, and having a second reader for editing and proofing.

Description: Helping to communicate with clubs, students, faculty about creative writing activities, and overall to promote and advertise events for Creative Writing, including contests and speakers.

Student Involvement: The  Creative Writing Coordinator Student Assistant will be delegated with social media communications and assist where feasible with design and announcements.

Required Skills & Interest: Primary need is interest and understanding of the importance of creative writing events and activities and knowledge of communicative social media strategies and other tools of promotion and advertising.  Outreach may also include public speaking, poster design, emails, texts, posts, photo and video promotion, attendance at clubs and events.

Benefits to Student & Faculty: To foster more participation and provide greater frequency and depth of communication with clubs, faculty, students, staff and larger community for creative writing events and achievements centered in English Dept. especially.

Description: This is in support of a proposed external grant that is designed to provide faculty professional development in support of integrating information literacy into OER (free, openly-licensed) textbooks.  This project would involve two components: 1) contributing to programming that will help faculty learn about textbook development, and 2) providing a student lens on developed textbooks to ensure that materials are clear and comprehensible.

Student Involvement: Students would assist with developing professional development programming as well as provide a student perspective on OER content.

Required Skills & Interest: Required skills: Facility with Google Drive/Docs/Sheets
Interest in:  OER textbooks/free textbooks, proofreading and editing, faculty training

Benefits to Student & Faculty: If the grant is funded, the project will support multiple OER textbook projects which have the potential to save students thousands of dollars.  The benefit of working on this project would be the ability to see from the ground up how textbooks are developed and to help ensure that those textbooks are clear and comprehensible from a student perspective.  The benefit to the faculty would be to have student involvement in textbook development.

Description: This project works at the intersection of game studies and Latinx studies, considering how games shape conceptions of what it means to be Latina/o/x in games (both digital and analog). This UPREP explores how Latinx identity and peoples have been represented by non-Latinx video creators as well as how a growing number of Latinx game developers are creating their own stories. How are characters represented? What experiences do creators attempt to simulate? How do developers employ and subvert stereotypes and tropes? How do Latinx games engage with Latin America and increasingly transnational conceptions of Latinidad? This UPREP has led to publications (forthcoming and published) in peer-reviewed publications and edited collections. In addition, this UPREP has also helped create connections in the gaming and animation world.

Student Involvement: The student could expect to attend a virtual or in-person conference (like BIPOC Pop 2023) to network with pop culture scholars and creators in the gaming and animation arts. The student may also be asked to help initiate contact with game developers or engage with archives that could mail game materials from the Learning Games Initiative Research Archive. For example, I am looking to interview game developers such as Augusto Quijano (Guacamelee! series) and Vander Caballero (Papo & Yo) as well as the writer of the D&D adventure in Journeys Through Radiant Citadel based on Dia de Muertos (Mario Ortegon). There may be an opportunity to co-author a piece (either in a peer-reviewed or middle-state publishing venue).

Required Skills & Interest: Ability to research, ability to write emails of inquiry, interest in digital and analog games and an awareness of the industry, general comfort playing games, willingness to play games of a variety of genres, good note-taking skills, organization and time management, and plenty of writing experience.

Benefits to Student & Faculty: Faculty Benefit:  Ultimately, this would continue to help me move along a second book project on Games and Latinidad that has already had immense interest from Rutgers University Press, The Ohio State University Press, University of Arizona Press, and Amherst College Press. In addition, this UPREP has helped me maintain a publishing pipeline in the area of critical game studies that is showing substantial progress towards a second book as required for tenure.
Student Benefit: Students would get experience in the burgeoning field of Latinx digital humanities, as well as game studies and Latinx studies in general. Students interested in entering the games industry or writing for games, TV, film, or social media would benefit from considering issues of diversity and inclusion in new media. Past UPREP assistants have attended virtual and in-person conferences on game studies and pop culture studies.