This week, we’re highlighting the American Studies Department’s fabulous undergraduates — both those currently enrolled and recently graduated. Our first feature is of Ashley J. Taylor (2021), whose senior honors thesis was entitled The White Male Gaze Must Be Omnipresent': The Effect of Capitalizing on Limited Black Experiences for White Money.

Q: How did you come to your project, “'The White Male Gaze Must Be Omnipresent': The Effect of Capitalizing on Limited Black Experiences for White Money"? Were there classes, professors, other school projects, or anything else that helped you cultivate an interest in the topic?

A: I took AMS 356 during Summer 2019 with Dr. Capetola. In class, we would watch clips of black performances during different time periods. The Jackson 5 performing on the Ed Sullivan Show caught my eye because of how precise and well crafted the choreography, costumes, and image of the Jackson 5 was. Dr. Capetola made a point to highlight how the Jackson 5 and other groups like them were very intentional in coming across as "respectable." I thought this was so fascinating and something that I had never thought of before, so I started investigating how the opinions of white audiences greatly altered the black art that was being put into circulation, especially those that were portrayed as “authentic.”

Q: What was your experience of doing research during a pandemic? Did it create any limitations and/or do you think it opened up new ways of doing research you might not have otherwise considered?

A: Oddly, I thought that researching during the pandemic was not that difficult for me. It obviously would have been more fun to be able to interact with professors and materials in person, but the pandemic expanded many databases online so I could find what I needed without needing to be in person.

Q: Now that you’ve submitted your senior thesis, what does the future hold for you?

A: I am moving to New York City to start a new job! I am also thinking about maybe going to law or graduate school one day, but that has yet to be decided.