Research
Portfolio
Papers/Essays
PROF
2022
ENGL 328
JANET GRAFTON
DATE
COURSE
WORDS
2643
GRADE
A/A+
Playing with The Witch Trope in Sims 4: Realm of Magic
Interestingly enough, this is my second research paper that examines content in The Sims. Earlier in the year, I had written a paper on disability representation in Sims 4 for MEDI 265, and I was inspired to I decided to take a sort of interdisciplinary approach, drawing on what I learned in media studies, sociology, studies in women and gender, and philosophy courses. It was so much fun to research and write as I was genuinely immersed in the topic, and the ability to include imagery was a huge motivator.
There was one source in my proposal that I didn't get to include here; originally, I planned to have a whole section that explores location in relation to the trope, but I was bound by the word count (a 3000 word limit).
Mantha-Blythe, Victoria. The Witch’s House: Designing the House of The Witch
as a Process of Deconstructing an Authority and Invoking a Feminist Resistance. 2021. U of Waterloo, Master’s thesis. http://hdl.handle.net/10012/16683.
PROF
2020
ENGL 232
NICOLE KLAN
DATE
COURSE
WORDS
2309
GRADE
A+
Queer Theory in The War That Saved My Life
For my Children's Literature course, I had to write a research essay on one of the children's books assigned as course texts. I've made it an unofficial rule for myself that I have to do at least one queer project each semester, so I chose Kimberly Brubaker Bradley's 2015 novel.
In May 2021, my instructor nominated this essay for the department's Essay Competition.
2016 Cover of The War That Saved My Life
by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
Image via Penguin Random House
Cover art © 2015 by Josie Portillo
Tianna's essay raises an important issue regarding representation of queerness in children's texts without oversimplifying.
It is clearly argued and well-researched.
—Nicole Klan, Instructor
Presentations
PROF
2022
CREW 430
JOY GUGELER
DATE
COURSE
LENGTH
10 MINS
GRADE
A
The Feathertale Review
The purpose of this assignment was to explore Canadian literary magazines and compare them to Portal. I drew on Feathertale to start the conversation on implementing several web features, and I inquired about our abilities and limitations as a university-funded publication. Although some of my ideas for Portal were outside the scope of our current possibilities, I thought of many more and applied them along the way.
Research Posters
PROF
2022
SWAG 310
COLLETTE JONES
DATE
COURSE
SIZE
24" x 34"
GRADE
A-
Unsettling Injustice
As a visual learner, this project really helped me put the information I learned into perspective and into a place in my brain where I won't forget it. While Indigenous Women's Activism goes back hundreds of years, I found that it's impossible to fit every significant event, movement, or activist in even the last 60 on one page (even if that page is 2 feet wide and 3 feet long).
Originally, I wanted to start even further back to include major historical events in the 19th century, but I struggled in tying these to personal events as the only details I have on my family history are confusing. I pushed myself to research my own family history—I even turned to Ancestry.ca—and although there wasn't space for them here, I did find some answers.
PROF
2021
MEDI 205
DEBRA PENTECOST
DATE
COURSE
SIZE
N/A
GRADE
N/A
Zuckerberg Memes as Social Commentary: 'Zucced'
I take my crazy ideas seriously. Fortunately, so did my partner on this project. Anya was lovely to work with even under the restrictions of COVID-19, and I'm glad we got to present our poster virtually at CREATE.
Although this is a research poster, it really deserves a spot in my design portfolio. This may be the project that spurred my passion for recreating styles; since then, I've followed the design of brands whenever they're involved to make my presentations and posters look more cohesive.
