• Title/Summary/Keyword: American culture

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"Once You Go Black": Performative Acts of "Blackness" in Contemporary Cinema

  • Chung, Hye Jean
    • English & American cultural studies
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    • v.14 no.1
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    • pp.241-267
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    • 2014
  • Media representations of race have attempted to contain blackness by packaging and commodifying it to reflect and affect preconceptions and prejudices of dominant culture. From the early beginnings of blackface minstrelsy as entertainment form in the $19^{th}$ century, representations of African Americans in popular culture and mainstream media have been closely associated with the notion of performance. The performative nature of racial representations is situated within the discursive struggle over what it meant to be Black, or what it meant to be labeled and portrayed as Black in American culture. This essay discusses four films that contain performances of "blackness" that assemble race and gender in complex configurations: Bamboozled (Spike Lee, 2000), Girl 6 (Spike Lee, 1996), Big Momma's House (Raja Gosnell, 2000), and White Chicks (Keenen Ivory Wayans, 2004). I explore how the performative nature of "blackness" is emphasized, thematized, and problematized in these films through the physicality of corporeal figures that embody the close link between race and gender identities. Once we are cognizant of the fact that race and gender are fabricated cultural constructs and performative acts, we can recognize that notions of "blackness" and "femininity" are not naturalized or essentialist, but open to recontextualization and revision.

Mixed Methods Research on the Intercultural Sensitivity of Summer Program Participants; Comparison of US Participants and Korean Language Partners

  • Soyoung Jeong
    • International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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    • v.11 no.4
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    • pp.112-122
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    • 2023
  • This study was conducted as part of a summer Korean language and culture program at a university in Korea, aimed at examining the changes in intercultural sensitivity among American students who participated in the program, as well as the Korean students who served as their language partners. The research utilized a mixed-method approach combining qualitative and quantitative analysis. To derive research findings, pre- and post-program Intercultural Sensitivity Scale surveys were administered to participating students and semi-structured interview data were collected from a randomly selected group of six students. The research findings indicated that among a total of twenty-seven students including both American and Korean students, significant changes in intercultural sensitivity were observed in the domain of Interaction Engagement. Furthermore, fourteen American students showed significant changes in their Interaction Confidence, while the Korean students who participated as language partners did not exhibit significant changes in the five subdomains of intercultural sensitivity.

The Research for Amarican Sportswear - Focusing on Claire McCardell, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan - (미국(美國) Sportswear에 관한 연구(硏究) - Claire McCardell, Cavin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan을 중심으로 -)

  • Jung, Sung-Hye
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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    • v.15
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    • pp.217-231
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    • 1990
  • The purposes of this study were to research 1) the background of origination, 2) the process of development and 3) the influences to modern clothing culture of American sportswear. The most Influential sportswear designers in America from beginning period to present : such as Claire McCardell, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren and Donna Karan were selected to study their life and achievements in the world sportswear market. The Results were as follows : 1) World War I & II have caused the greatest changes to modern history America became the center of world economy, society and culture. Politically, they have influenced democracy world-wide and raised the social status of women. The free American women enjoyed sports, Jazz drinking and car-driving. The advanced technology have accelerated mechanization and mass-production to the fashion industrv. 2) The above historical backgrounds have caused to change women's clothing to casual, practical and simple form. Dorothy Shaver at Lord & Taylor began promoting American designers who created the original American spirit. Claire McCardell created the seperated American sportswear to become world-wide fashion. Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, the sportswear designers who have the unique American feeling have come to have riches and fames equal to the top designers in Paris. 3) The American sportswear and fashion industry influenced Paris Mode, the traditional Haute Couture to open Pret-a-porter-a-porter. The concept of seperated coordination in American sportswear have promoted the advanced marketing techniques and merchandising systems to modern ready-to-wear industry. Fashion in 1980s have increased the mutual interdepedence between the American sportswear industry and the creative Paris Mode. And then, the fashion world in 1990s and 21C will be changed and developed on the basis of American sportswear mechanism.

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The Painting Language of American Neo-Expressionist Painter David Sall

  • Bi Xin Zhi
    • International Journal of Advanced Culture Technology
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    • v.11 no.1
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    • pp.192-197
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    • 2023
  • David Salle, born in Norman, Oklahoma in 1952, is the most important and controversial artist of the new-expressionist painting in the United States. His paintings are featured by unique artistic language, and extremely diverse and very ground-breaking expression, which reflect the American society at that time. Besides, he often uses complex image combination with striking colors and forms to attract and touch viewers. In this paper, based on the American new-expressionism, the painting language of David Salle's works was analysed, in which I found that it can be more intuitively and more profoundly feel the development of new-expressionist painting context and David Salle's particularity, and more clearly realize under what the characteristics of the era David Salle created the unique artistic language. The study on David Salle's unique painting language is of important research value and reference significance for our current artistic creation.

A Study on the Comparison about Clothing Attitude among Korean-American Students and Korean Student resident in the United States ($\cdot$미 대학생 및 교포 대학생간의 의복태도에 관한 비교 연구)

  • Lee Sun Jae
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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    • v.15 no.2 s.38
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    • pp.173-187
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    • 1991
  • The purposes of this study were to investigate the clothing attitude of college living in different culture area and to find out the critical factors which have an effect on their attitude. Samples subjected to this study were 774 college students consisted of 368 Korean students living in Seoul, 286 American students and 120 Korean students resident in New York. Clothing attitude was Measured by questionnaires composed of four variables; Clothing Attitude, the aspect of clothing habit, self·esteem and demographic variables. The statistical data were analyzed by t-test, $x^{2}-test$, ANOVA, Duncan multiple range test, Factor analysis, multiple regression analysis. The results of the study were as follows: 1. There was significant difference in all clothing attitude variables except expression of personality and personal satisfaction according to culture area. 2. There was significant difference in factors which have an effect on clothing attitude according to culture area. 2-1) Clothing attitude of Korean students were more affected by self-esteem than that of American students and Korean students resident in N.Y. 2-2) Clothing attitude of Korean students were more affected by sex, grade, major and income than that of American students and Korean students resident in N.Y. 3. The most influential variables on clothing attitudes of college students turned out to be self-esteem and cultural area. Other variables such as sex, major and income had some effect on clothing attitude such as sex, major and income had some effect on clothing attitude. 4. There was significant difference in the aspect of clothing habit according to culture area. 4-1) There was significant difference in all aspect of clothing wearing variables according to culture area; clothing wearing motives, influence by reference group about dress, dress accord- ing to uses. 4-2) There was significant difference in all of clothing buying behavior variables according to culture area; the factor on clothing selection, the place of clothing buying.

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The Advent of the 19th Century American Mechanical Engineers: A Reinterpretation (19세기 미국 기계 엔지니어 집단의 양성과정의 재해석)

  • Lee, Kwan-Soo
    • Journal of Engineering Education Research
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    • v.14 no.5
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    • pp.37-45
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    • 2011
  • This paper suggests a reinterpretation on Calvert's thesis of the conflict between "shop culture" and "school culture". Robert H. Thurston, who Calvert portraited as the proponent of school culture, was a man from shop culture and the shop culuture's old boy network was essential for Thurston's many achievements as an engineer and educater. This reinterpretation based on the narrowing the scope of the American mechanical engineers in the 19th century into those who shared and inherited the social recognition as the leading machinists from the social upper strata machinist such as the Stevens via machine tool makers of the mid century.

The American fashion of the 1950s and the Poodle Skirt (1950년대 미국 패션과 푸들 스커트)

  • Lee, Hee-Hyun
    • Journal of the Korea Fashion and Costume Design Association
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    • v.10 no.1
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    • pp.135-144
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    • 2008
  • The reason that we are familiar with fashion from the 1950s is because of the work such as New Look done by a french fashion designer, Christian Dior who had taken on an almost mythical significance by his name. Moreover, in the sense of popularity, the appearance of Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn, two typical Hollywood actresses who each has directly-opposed image, is the symbol of youthful America of the 1950s and represents the remarkable start of the American fashion. Still, these days designers and mass medias recall the fashion from the 50s remaking and parodying it to suit public's taste. Being due to the World War II, Europe suffered not only the loss of its national tradition and reputation but also got a fatal blow politically and economically. On the other hand, the United States of America occupied a primary position in the world and outstandingly became the most powerful country. The American fashion of the 1950s represents youth and newness and rejects outdated and outmoded style. In this period, appears the indication which announces previously the youth culture. Poodle skirt is the fashion item that acquired popularity among young american women and girls in the late 1950s. In effect, it is the fashion as American as apple pie. A costly A-line skirt had been transformed into a cheap felt skirt. Instead of a real poodle dog which was carried by French women like an accessory, they embroidered a poodle dog on the lower edge of their skirt. As deriding the snobbish gait, they swayed themselves frantically to the rhythm of Rock n' Roll which swept those days. This was an attitude of young Americans against the existing trend of Europe. Poodle skirt showed the free spirit and intention of young people unbound to custom and established vogue. In addition, in the aspect of comprising the American spirit of independent, pioneer, and subjective American people, it goes beyond the bounds of common concept of fad. Poodle skirt is an unique symbol of the 1950s' American fashion which prognosticates the advent of the United States and the success in modern fashion world which was changing after 1950s.

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Differences in Attitudes between Korean and Chinese University Students Learning Korean in Korea (한국 대학생들과 한국에서 한국어를 배우는 중국 대학생들의 태도 차이)

  • Kim, Kyung-Hoon;Lim, Mi-Ran
    • The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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    • v.10 no.3
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    • pp.436-443
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    • 2010
  • The purpose of this study is to investigate whether there are differences in three attitudes-attitudes toward English learning, attitudes toward American, and attitudes toward American culture between Korean and Chinese university students learning Korean in Korea. The subjects are 211 students, who are 101 Korean and 110 Chinese. Gardner(1985)'s AMTB questionnaire was administered to measure the learners' attitudes. And the collected data were analyzed by t-test to examine the differences between two groups. The results of this study showed that there were statistically very significant differences in attitudes toward English learning and there were significant differences in attitudes toward American between two groups. But there were no differences statistically in attitudes toward American culture between two groups. To make better learning environment for English learners, the differences in other affective variables between two groups need to be studied.

A Study on the Costumes of Superhero in the Movie 'Watchmen' (영화 '왓치맨(Watchmen)'에 나타난 슈퍼히어로 의상 분석)

  • Kim, Seung-Ah;Ko, Hyun-Zin
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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    • v.63 no.5
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    • pp.151-166
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    • 2013
  • In order to create a national myth and be able to control international society, America with her short national history, used popular culture to accomplish these goals. The medium fit this purpose the best was the use of superhero characters based on comics. Born and developed from the 1930s through the 1960s, which could be seen as America's national crisis era, superhero characters were thorough advocates of American justice and was perfect for the role of spreading the legitimacy of American ideology. From the 1970s, superhero characters became part of movies and became even more influential through the Hollywood's massive film industry and the box office success. American ideology in superhero characters symbolically appeared in movie costumes. Starting with Superman and Batman, the very first and typical superhero characters' costumes work as metaphors for realization of American justice. After the 1980s, superheroes were newly developed through a genre called graphic novel and the most representative piece of this genre is Alan Moore's Watchmen. In the Watchmen, which was also turn into a movie in 2009, six changed superhero characters appear ranging from a non-human superhero, villain superhero, superhero with mental disorder and superhero with sexual impotency, the characters were never-seen-before superheroes with different aspects that connote introspection and philosophical ideology. The changed type of heroes and ideology became another form of heroes, and this brought changes to character costumes that were never considered before. The superhero costumes that used to symbolize America now express different types of superhero by borrowing exotic mythical elements, undressing, pastiche and daily life clothes. The superhero characters and their changes in costumes from Watchmen imply American popular culture's introspective tendency. Amongst these changes, we need to raise our critical vision towards popular culture.

A Study on Frida Kahlo's Fashion Style in Contemporary Fashion (현대 패션에 나타난 프리다 칼로 패션 스타일에 관한 연구)

  • Oh, Eun-Kyung;Kwak, Tai-Gi
    • Journal of the Korean Society of Costume
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    • v.61 no.6
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    • pp.113-130
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    • 2011
  • Post-Modern Multiculturalism is spreading in many ways and other cultural interest has led to the Latin American culture, which has steadily appeared as the main fashion concept of the international collection. Frida Kahlo(1907-1954), a representative of Latin American culture and a Mexican female surrealistic painter, who gives us some inspiration for contemporary fashion design. The purpose of this study is to have a correct understanding of and research on Latin American culture and to expand the expression of fashion design. In the process, this article examines the costume of Mexico belong to the Indio culture which had been regarded as the Other for a long time and understands Frida Kahlo's fashion style: Tehuanas costume and her masculine style. The Tehuanas costume is a traditional style of the city, Tehuantepec, located in the southeast of Mexico, which is characterized by colorful floral patterns and a long skirt. Three fashion concepts were derived from her fashion style: tradition & modern, love & farewell, and masculine & feminine. The scope of this study investigates the Haute Couture and the Pret-a-porter women's wear collections and photos from 1998 to 2010 in Europe, USA and South America. From classifying the collected photos into each concept, three styles such as ethnic, romantic and androgynous style were derived. These fashion styles were analyzed through the formative elements of dress, color, silhouette, pattern, material and clothing construction in order to figure out how costumes of other cultures influenced on contemporary fashion. As a design inspiration, Frida Kahlo extends her influence into innerwear, accessories and hairstyles, as well as women's wear. These inspirations emerge steadily from the past and far into the future as an expression of a fashion design concept.