Student and Alumni Research

In 2019, the HBO limited television series Watchmen aired to critical acclaim. A contemporary extension of the world established by the 1986-87 Watchmen comic, viewers and commentators alike have viewed the show as a critical commentary on racial politics in the United States. Using Nexis Uni’s News Database, we conducted an inductive qualitative content analysis of 31 news articles written by mainstream television critics and/or writers about the show. Across reviews, three primary themes emerged—White supremacy, revisionist history (specifically pertaining to the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921), and the power of masks. The role of critics/writers in engaging audiences with themes about race is discussed.

For more on this topic, you can read Evan's piece "White Supremacy, Revisionist History, and Masked Vigilantes: Understanding HBO’s Watchmen through the Eyes of Cultural Critics/Writers in Major Mainstream Newspapers."

After Inauguration Day, fewer and fewer people showed up in the Black Lives Matter Plaza every day. Most people took the footage they wanted and left, except for the homeless people, the street artists, and the fence watchers (protecting the protest signs and street artwork on the fence between the plaza and White House), they have to stay as long as they can. My boyfriend Ryan and I joined the fence watchers in Black Lives Matter Plaza two days before Inauguration Day. Living in DC for two years, I have my personal emotional attachment to this plaza. Most protest routines always have a stop around here. I love this public place not only because it reminds me of all my protest memories, but also because of its symbolic meaning about freedom of expression.

For more on this topic, you can read Wen's piece "Being a Fence Watcher at Black Lives Matter Plaza."

Congratulations to all of our distinguished students and alumni who have worked tirelessly to publish research. Below you will find some of the pieces from our students and alumni. Make sure to check back frequently for new pieces!

More Research

Evan Douglas. 2022. "White Supremacy, Revisionist History, and Masked Vigilantes: Understanding HBO’s Watchmen through the Eyes of Cultural Critics/Writers in Major Mainstream Newspapers." Taylor & Francis.
Lauren Diaz Quintana. 2021. "Response to Menjívar." The Sociologist.
Amy L. Stamates, Rhiannon Roberts & Cathy Lau-Barraco (2021): Alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco polysubstance use: A latent profile analysis of age of onset, Substance Abuse.
Maria Alexandra D'agostino. 2021. "The Regressive Effects of COVID-19." Onero Institute.
Allison Suppan Helmuth. 2019. "“Chocolate City, Rest in Peace”: White Space-Claiming and the Exclusion of Black People in Washington, DC." City & Community 18:3.
Guan, W. 2021, October 29. "Being a Fence Watcher at Black Lives Matter Plaza." The Sociologist.
Ivy Ken and Allison Suppan Helmuth. 2021. “Not Additive, Not Defined: Mutual Constitution in Feminist Intersectional Studies.” Feminist Theory (online first).
León, Kenneth S. and Daniel E. Martinez. 2016. To Study, to Party, or Both? Assessing Risk Factors for Non-Prescribed Stimulant Use Among Middle and High School Students. Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 49(1): 22-30.
León, Kenneth and Ronald Weitzer. 2015. Marijuana Legalization: Comparing Recent Ballot Initiatives. In J. Hill and N. Marion (eds.) Legalizing a crime: Marijuana policies across America. Durham, NC: Carolina Academic Press. (Book Chapter)
León, Kenneth and Ronald Weitzer. 2014. Legalizing Marijuana: Comparing Ballot Outcomes in Four States. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology 2(2): 193-218.