Lydia Kelow

Status: Student
Thesis: No thesis on file.

What attracted me to CCT were the classes and the convergence of different disciplines into one program. The classes are so unique and exciting, I have no idea how I'm going to pick just 10.... We are in such an interesting time in history with the technologies that are evolving and the social landscape that is changing (or is it?). I think that CCT is at the intersection of many questions that shape our lives, but that we don't always ask explicitly. It's exciting to have the opportunity to study these questions in-depth.

My background is in Communication, Psychology and Women's Studies. I've spent 7 years in the professional world (primarily in educational administration). I live at the intersection of academia and the "real world," as an activist and an intellectual. As an educator I see my role primarily as encouraging critical thinking skills in my students. As an activist I'm learning what it means to disrupt power structures and encourage self-empowerment. But the same questions that haunted me in my undergraduate years haunt me now. Questions like: How does our society construct meaning? How is power communicated and maintained through images and identity? What role has media played in shaping our society, and how has our society used technology to maintain social stratification? I'm very excited about exploring my questions (and my identities as an activist and intellectual) in the CCT program.

I'm most interested in Cultural Studies; Art, Media and Representation; and Media and Politics. Specifically, I'm interested in the representation of black women in the media, and how those representations affect social expectations, self-perception, and power. I'm also broadly interested in social movements and rhetoric, and knowledge production. I focus most of my studies on marginalized groups and social justice issues.

My hope with the CCT program is to gain an excellent interdisciplinary foundation for doctoral study in either Cultural Studies or Women's Studies. Just like our cultural landscape is changing, the landscape of academia is changing too. I want to be well-versed in interdisciplinary study so that I can contribute in meaningful ways to the future of post-secondary education.