This thesis examines virginity as a social construct, contextualizes the relevance of first sex for contemporary youth, and presents a model for reading themes of virginity and first sex in popular media. Through discursive analysis, the central sections of this thesis – Virginity, Femininity, and Masculinity – analyze themes of sexual abstinence across the four books of the Twilight series. Examining contemporary and historical contexts placing gendered value on virginity and virginity loss, this project suggests that virginity narratives reflect whose bodies are considered to be valuable in society and for what purpose. The conclusion argues that virginity narratives are fundamentally colonial narratives, requiring the fantasy of unclaimed spaces, conquerors, and those to be conquered.

Contemporary commercial music is a broad label used to describe the styles of popular music including pop, rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, hip-hop, country and heavy metal. the vocal ability required for each of these genres varies greatly but may require the use of screaming, belting, utilizing vocal fry and growling or singing with a breathy or dark tone. Singers who wish to perform in these genres may need assistance with vocal technique to assure the longevity and the quality of their singing. Due to the rise in popularity and the accessibility of contemporary commercial music (CCM), commercial pedagogical guides and self-study manuals are abundantly available for purchase. Aspiring singers are searching for appropriate training for this genre without having an awareness of how the voice works and how to maintain good vocal hygiene. Those who seek out private instruction are often frustrated when traditional classical training techniques are offered, rather than techniques utilizing CCM styles. Because CCM pedagogy is relatively new and few pedagogues in this specialized field are well known, the self-taught singer is responsible for finding a reliable study source. Many vocal instructors and choral directors are interested in familiarizing themselves with new stylistic techniques to enhance the performance of their students while maintaining vocal health. By reviewing popular vocal method books and techniques, insight may be given to assist a singer or vocal teacher in selecting resources of CCM styles.

No Japão, o fenômeno otaku se popularizou no final dos anos 1980 por causa do assassino em série Tsutomu Miyazaki. A mídia japonesa rapidamente o identificou como um otaku, uma pessoa obcecada pela indústria do entretenimento, e nos anos 1990 o indivíduo otaku ficou conhecido como um grande problema social. Contudo, nos anos 2000, o governo japonês colocou em prática seu plano político Cool Japan, que promovia a divulgação da cultura pop japonesa ao mundo. O indivíduo otaku, sendo um grande consumidor de cultura pop japonesa, deixou de ser considerado um problema para se tornar parte de uma solução política. O fenômeno otaku foi pesquisado com o objetivo de descobrir como essa transformação ocorreu. Para isso, foi necessário pesquisar: a origem do indivíduo otaku; sua relação com sociedade; e a teoria filosófica de Hiroki Azuma sobre a relação entre os consumidores japoneses e a cultura pop japonesa. Foi possível afirmar que a imagem do indivíduo otaku melhorou porque a sociedade japonesa mudou sua relação de consumo com os produtos culturais. Assim como os indivíduos otaku, a sociedade japonesa passou a consumir não pelo produto em si, mas pelas configurações que possui em suas imagens japonesas. Não houve evidências o suficiente para afirmar, mas no final houve a suposição de que talvez a imagem do indivíduo otaku tenha melhorado porque a sociedade japonesa esteja se tornando otaku. / In Japan, the otaku phenomenon became popular in the late 1980s because of the serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki. Japanese media identified him quickly as an otaku, a person obsessed with the entertainment industry, and in the 1990s the otaku became known as a major social problem. However, in 2004, the Japanese government started its political plan named Cool Japan, which promoted the dissemination of Japanese pop culture to the world. Being a major consumer of Japanese pop culture, the otaku was no longer considered a problem, but became part of a political solution. The otaku phenomenon has been investigated in order to find out how this transformation occurred. Thereunto, it has been researched: the otakus origin; his relationship with society; and the philosophical theory of Hiroki Azuma on the relationship between Japanese consumers and the Japanese pop culture. It was possible to state that the otakus image improved because Japanese society changed its consumer relationship with cultural products. As well as those considered otaku, Japanese society began to consume not because of the product itself, but because of its settings in Japanese images. There was not enough evidence to affirm, but in the end there was the assumption that perhaps the otakus image has improved because Japanese society itself is becoming otaku.

No Japão, o fenômeno otaku se popularizou no final dos anos 1980 por causa do assassino em série Tsutomu Miyazaki. A mídia japonesa rapidamente o identificou como um otaku, uma pessoa obcecada pela indústria do entretenimento, e nos anos 1990 o indivíduo otaku ficou conhecido como um grande problema social. Contudo, nos anos 2000, o governo japonês colocou em prática seu plano político Cool Japan, que promovia a divulgação da cultura pop japonesa ao mundo. O indivíduo otaku, sendo um grande consumidor de cultura pop japonesa, deixou de ser considerado um problema para se tornar parte de uma solução política. O fenômeno otaku foi pesquisado com o objetivo de descobrir como essa transformação ocorreu. Para isso, foi necessário pesquisar: a origem do indivíduo otaku; sua relação com sociedade; e a teoria filosófica de Hiroki Azuma sobre a relação entre os consumidores japoneses e a cultura pop japonesa. Foi possível afirmar que a imagem do indivíduo otaku melhorou porque a sociedade japonesa mudou sua relação de consumo com os produtos culturais. Assim como os indivíduos otaku, a sociedade japonesa passou a consumir não pelo produto em si, mas pelas configurações que possui em suas imagens japonesas. Não houve evidências o suficiente para afirmar, mas no final houve a suposição de que talvez a imagem do indivíduo otaku tenha melhorado porque a sociedade japonesa esteja se tornando otaku. / In Japan, the otaku phenomenon became popular in the late 1980s because of the serial killer Tsutomu Miyazaki. Japanese media identified him quickly as an otaku, a person obsessed with the entertainment industry, and in the 1990s the otaku became known as a major social problem. However, in 2004, the Japanese government started its political plan named Cool Japan, which promoted the dissemination of Japanese pop culture to the world. Being a major consumer of Japanese pop culture, the otaku was no longer considered a problem, but became part of a political solution. The otaku phenomenon has been investigated in order to find out how this transformation occurred. Thereunto, it has been researched: the otakus origin; his relationship with society; and the philosophical theory of Hiroki Azuma on the relationship between Japanese consumers and the Japanese pop culture. It was possible to state that the otakus image improved because Japanese society changed its consumer relationship with cultural products. As well as those considered otaku, Japanese society began to consume not because of the product itself, but because of its settings in Japanese images. There was not enough evidence to affirm, but in the end there was the assumption that perhaps the otakus image has improved because Japanese society itself is becoming otaku.

Memoria audiovisual para optar al Título Profesional de Periodista / "En la primera visita de Madonna al país, Eduardo Espinoza, presidente del fan club oficial Madonna Chile, quiere estar lo más preparado posible para recibir a su ídola. Su amor por ella es tan grande, que durante meses prepara las actividades que rodearán el evento, pero las dificultades surgirán cuando los fanáticos prefieran preocuparse por su propio bien, antes que por la comunidad completa”.

Boston University. University Professors Program Senior theses. / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / 2031-01-02

Examensarbete 15 hp; Musiklärarexamen

Münster (Westfalen), Univ., Diss., 2005

Zugl.: Duisburg, Essen, Univ., Diss., 2006

Proyecto de investigación 2017-2019, financiado por la Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas (UPC).