Tag Archives: Capstone Project

Capstone Project – Abigail Hughes – MPAA Rating System

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Originally a system founded on assisting parents with determining whether or not a movie is suitable for children, the MPAA has evolved into an oppressive, convoluted system. By restricting a film’s audience and decreasing its overall income. The system is inconsistent, bias and (at times) holds more of a strict tone towards movies that are independently funded. For example, the movie “Love Actually” was given an ‘R’ for its use of an “inappropriate” word. However, the same word has been used in countless other films more than once that have received a ‘PG-13’. In addition to this, it’s unclear as to what constitutes as an PG, R or PG-13 movie – as violence and language are both contributing factors but neither are measured in the same way. Debatably, this system no longer cares about protecting children from inappropriate movies and instead about maintaining a dominance over cinema.

It’s clear that either we must assert a new movie-rating-system or allow parents to gauge movies for themselves. Either way the MPAA cannot remain the way it is today.

To complete this project I am going to continue working on the animation though Adobe After Effects and place it under its own tab within the website. Then, I’m going to create downloadable wallpapers (formed in different sizes) for laptops and phones that pertain to my cause. I am also thinking of creating icons for each tab as to make the site’s background interactive.

Capstone Project — Paternity Leave

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For the longest time, I have been dismayed at the state of our maternity care, in particular, maternity leave in the United States. Along with Papua New Guinea and Suriname, the United States is the only industrialized country without mandated maternity leave, let alone paternity leave. There has been much focus on this issue from a variety of perspectives, and so, I believe that I will learn much more if I research and discuss the less known, but arguably more dismal condition of paternity leave in our country. My Capstone project will aim to gather, synthesize, and articulate the most recent information concerning paternity leave in the United States and abroad, in order to create awareness.

I will be creating an infographic file with a combination of statistics and vectors that bring up the issues surrounding paternity leave. This artifact will be further enhanced by a sound remix file that focuses on other countries’ solutions and results to the problem, highlighting key areas like Sweden. These two files will be encased within a website that provides a basic background concerning how increased paternity leave will ultimately help elevate maternity leave, as well as the health and well-being of the American family. There will also be links to recent research findings and statistics reflecting the impact of such regulations. A full works cited page will be included as well, along with materials for further reading and thought.