Hailey Walker Presents Research at Undergraduate Symposium

2016 May 3

Hailey Walker presented her research projects "The Media Portrayal of Those with Disabilities Portrayed in Film Post 2000" and "Gender Stereotypes" at Assumption College's 22nd Annual Undergraduate Symposium, held April 18-19 on the College's Worcester Campus. In her first project, Walker studied if and how depictions of people with disabilities in film have changed since the year 2000 and since the passing of significant legislation prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities. She found that, while films depicting characters with disabilities have demonstrated improvement in their portrayal of said disabilities, there is still much room for more accurate representation. For her second project, Walker's research project focused on understanding the process involved in the acquisition of societal gender stereotypes. Using an ecological systems theoretical framework, she and her fellow investigators, Krystal Kearns '17, Taylor Nardi '16 and Lauren Hagen '17 investigators examined what social expectations there are for boys and girls, and how these are transmitted through a socialization process.

The undergraduate symposium highlights the research and scholarly achievements of Assumption students, working in collaboration with dedicated faculty mentors. These collaborations represent a model for integrating teaching, original research, and peer review in promoting intellectual development and professional growth. The symposium provides the campus community with the opportunity to gain a greater appreciation of, and applaud, the individual and collective accomplishments of the College's faculty and students.

"The Symposium is, for me, an occasion of great pride-pride in our students, of course, but also in our faculty who generously donate their time, attention, and expertise to ensure the intellectual development of their students," said Louise Carroll Keeley, Ph.D., provost and vice president for academic affairs at Assumption College. "It has become one of my favorite parts of the semester."