“This was the first time my students presented in front of an audience with their projects,” said Dr. Melencia Johnson, associate professor of sociology at USCA. Five of Johnson’s students from her 535 Girls’ Delinquency Course presented during the Humanities Oral Sessions in the Student Activities Center Mezzanine. Each student selected one of five films that dealt with girl’s delinquency to analyze and later present as part of the course.
During the presentations, the students focused on the films “Girl Hood” and “Honeytrap”. Both films have common themes of young teens exposed to crime, drugs, and gangs. According to Johnson, the students were tasked with coming up with their own themes relevant to the films to explore and present.
Jon’tasia Ford is a graduating senior majoring in sociology and chose to do a content analysis for her project on “Girl Hood: The Tale of Two Girls’ Delinquency.” “I chose the themes of economic status and family rehabilitation, which were the common themes shown throughout the film,” Ford said.
She explained what the process was like for her and how she connected with the main characters in the film. “I’ve personally come from a middle-class upbringing, and I tried to relate to the characters while doing this project. Projects like this are important when it comes to understanding the stability of family and how important it is to understand a child’s wants,” Ford explained. “Films like ‘Girl Hood’ can be shown in schools or even seminars that show the seriousness of the impact of families and how certain environments can impact kids.”
The Scholar Showcase also featured poster sessions in the SAC Gym. You can view a full list of the presentations below.