This paper is a mix of research and personal narrative exploring the impact of television, film, and online media on identity formation. I look specifically at my own identity as a queer person and how it has been shaped by what I have seen and experienced as a young queer and as an educator. Topics discussed include homophobia in the classroom and workplace, the impact of social media on youth development and identity formation, and our changing culture as queer visibility increases. This piece is primarily a personal reflection that runs from early childhood to adulthood. It addresses social interactions that I have had with coworkers, family, peers, and students around queer identity both explicitly and implicitly. Ultimately, it concludes that while significant social progress has been made in terms of the treatment and perception of queer persons within western society, there is still a need for change.
","abstract_html":"<p>This paper is a mix of research and personal narrative exploring the impact of television, film, and online media on identity formation. I look specifically at my own identity as a queer person and how it has been shaped by what I have seen and experienced as a young queer and as an educator. Topics discussed include homophobia in the classroom and workplace, the impact of social media on youth development and identity formation, and our changing culture as queer visibility increases. This piece is primarily a personal reflection that runs from early childhood to adulthood. It addresses social interactions that I have had with coworkers, family, peers, and students around queer identity both explicitly and implicitly. Ultimately, it concludes that while significant social progress has been made in terms of the treatment and perception of queer persons within western society, there is still a need for change.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Harrison, Emilee"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Arts","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Graduate Humanities","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Carlos Rodriguez, MA","Joan Baranow, PhD"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2016,"date_issued":"2016-12-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2016-12-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:44Z","subjects":["Queer","Media","Youth","Identity","Reflection","American Popular Culture","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Other Film and Media Studies"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/251","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Carlos Rodriguez, MA","Joan Baranow, PhD"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Harrison, Emilee"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2016-12-15T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Graduate Humanities"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Arts"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Queer","Media","Youth","Identity","Reflection","American Popular Culture","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Other Film and Media Studies"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/251"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["This paper is a mix of research and personal narrative exploring the impact of television, film, and online media on identity formation. I look specifically at my own identity as a queer person and how it has been shaped by what I have seen and experienced as a young queer and as an educator. Topics discussed include homophobia in the classroom and workplace, the impact of social media on youth development and identity formation, and our changing culture as queer visibility increases. This piece is primarily a personal reflection that runs from early childhood to adulthood. It addresses social interactions that I have had with coworkers, family, peers, and students around queer identity both explicitly and implicitly. Ultimately, it concludes that while significant social progress has been made in terms of the treatment and perception of queer persons within western society, there is still a need for change.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Part of This World: A Personal Exploration of Media and Queer Identity"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Carlos Rodriguez, MA","Joan Baranow, PhD"],"dc:creator":["Harrison, Emilee"],"dc:date.available":["2016-12-15T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["This paper is a mix of research and personal narrative exploring the impact of television, film, and online media on identity formation. I look specifically at my own identity as a queer person and how it has been shaped by what I have seen and experienced as a young queer and as an educator. Topics discussed include homophobia in the classroom and workplace, the impact of social media on youth development and identity formation, and our changing culture as queer visibility increases. This piece is primarily a personal reflection that runs from early childhood to adulthood. It addresses social interactions that I have had with coworkers, family, peers, and students around queer identity both explicitly and implicitly. Ultimately, it concludes that while significant social progress has been made in terms of the treatment and perception of queer persons within western society, there is still a need for change.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/251"],"dc:subject":["Queer","Media","Youth","Identity","Reflection","American Popular Culture","Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies","Other Film and Media Studies"],"dc:title":["Part of This World: A Personal Exploration of Media and Queer Identity"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Graduate Humanities"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Arts"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:44Z"}