Charley Reed | University of Nebraska at Omaha (original) (raw)
I am currently an adjunct instructor for the University of Nebraska at Omaha in addition to the university's media relations coordinator.
I graduated in 2010 with a M.A. in Communication with a thesis on the similar approaches used by culture jamming and the poster campaign for the 2008 film "The Dark Knight." The paper won the university-wide award for excellence in a thesis.
Supervisors: Adam Tyma
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Papers by Charley Reed
Initially panned by many critics for its violent content, David Fincher’s Fight Club may seem lik... more Initially panned by many critics for its violent content, David Fincher’s Fight Club may seem like the most unlikely film to incorporate the tenants of Zen Buddhism. However, if one looks beyond the surface, issues like fighting against capitalism, saving people from themselves, creating a world-wide equilibrium, and suffering to gain enlightenment are all present in Fight Club. This alone may not be enough to prove an air-tight connection between Zen Buddhism and Fight Club but the film’s characters, structure and storyline can also be linked to key aspects of the Zen Buddhist doctrine. By exploring these multiple connections this paper provides a different, if not completely opposed, view of what could be one of the most controversial and ultimately misunderstood films of the last decade.
How does one accurately describe, represent, or analyze something seemingly as personal as fandom... more How does one accurately describe, represent, or analyze something seemingly as personal as fandom? Over the past thirty years, many academics, journalists, and fans themselves have attempted to answer that question. While there are definite similarities in how fans, regardless of their interest, identify themselves, rationalize their devotion, and act out that devotion, research mapping the evolution of fandom from outsider to advocate and back again is scarce. It is this topic that is explored in this paper. Specifically, I look at the culture of anime (Japanese animation) fans, or “otaku.” There are many reasons for choosing this culture grouping including anime’s rising popularity in recent years, the small amount of research done on this specific fan group, and relevance to my own life’s story.
Initially panned by many critics for its violent content, David Fincher’s Fight Club may seem lik... more Initially panned by many critics for its violent content, David Fincher’s Fight Club may seem like the most unlikely film to incorporate the tenants of Zen Buddhism. However, if one looks beyond the surface, issues like fighting against capitalism, saving people from themselves, creating a world-wide equilibrium, and suffering to gain enlightenment are all present in Fight Club. This alone may not be enough to prove an air-tight connection between Zen Buddhism and Fight Club but the film’s characters, structure and storyline can also be linked to key aspects of the Zen Buddhist doctrine. By exploring these multiple connections this paper provides a different, if not completely opposed, view of what could be one of the most controversial and ultimately misunderstood films of the last decade.
How does one accurately describe, represent, or analyze something seemingly as personal as fandom... more How does one accurately describe, represent, or analyze something seemingly as personal as fandom? Over the past thirty years, many academics, journalists, and fans themselves have attempted to answer that question. While there are definite similarities in how fans, regardless of their interest, identify themselves, rationalize their devotion, and act out that devotion, research mapping the evolution of fandom from outsider to advocate and back again is scarce. It is this topic that is explored in this paper. Specifically, I look at the culture of anime (Japanese animation) fans, or “otaku.” There are many reasons for choosing this culture grouping including anime’s rising popularity in recent years, the small amount of research done on this specific fan group, and relevance to my own life’s story.