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The Aquinas Scholars Honors Program THE SCHOLAR’S JOURNAL 2018 September Edition The Aquinas Scholars Honors Program Editor: Althea Larson A Note from Our Director Dr. Eric Fort expand the model to a campus-wide orga- reetings, and welcome to the G nization. Though broader in reach, the pro- Aquinas Scholars Honors Program. As gram continued its goal of fostering deep I begin my role as the Aquinas Scholars interdisciplinary learning to augment the Honors Program (ASHP) Director, I want- education of St. Thomas students. That ed to take some time each month this year work continues today. to talk to you all about the program, its his- The program continues to build its tory, its future, and its role at St. Thomas. community of dedicated scholars to join the The program has its origins in the College 1,900 living alumni of the Aquinas Scholars of Arts and Sciences. In 1980, the program Honors Program. I am one of those alum- was founded as a way to foster community ni, class of 2005, and I took this role so that and interaction between the wide variety I can continue the good work of the pro- of disciplines under the College’s roof. gram and ensure it has a strong foundation Embracing the spirit of a liberal arts for years to come. education, the ASHP aimed to attract the most academically talented students to Eric H. Fort, Ph.D. Program Director engage deeply in interdisciplinary learn- ing and thought. The honors sections and seminars were borne of this spirit. The seminars mandated the input of different (often-disparate) points of view to foster broad learning and conversation. The hon- ors sections were built to allow depth of knowledge, deep conversation about top- ics, learning about the details and nuance, not just the essentials. The program grew from its inception, and in 2007, then President Dease chose to 2018 New Scholars Retreat Pleasantville Analysis By Izzy Iliff one who shot baskets would al- norms change over time. I also The 1998 movie, Pleas- ways get the ball in). This starts thought that the use of color and antville, is about a pair of teen- a cascade of changes for all of having certain people in Pleas- agers from the 1990s who get Pleasantville that continues antville transition from black and transported into the world of throughout the movie. white to color was ingenious, the picture-perfect 1950s town of After a while, Jen and Da- not only for its symbolism but Pleasantville. The movie displays vid grow tired of following Pleas- also for the cinematic effect. The a variety of sociological themes antville’s uptight rules and begin movie likened the town’s di- and can be analyzed according to to show the other teenagers (and vide between those in black and the three main sociological the- eventually adults) in the town white and the “coloreds” to the ories: structural functionalism, about new aspects of life, such Civil Rights movement, which conflict theory and symbolic in- as books, sex, art, different music was quite an interesting compar- teraction. In addition, the socio- and other ways of acting outside ison. One thing that frustrated logical concepts of culture and of the town’s norms. As more and me was how much David ide- norms can be applied to the mov- more people from Pleasantville alized Pleasantville. As a wom- ie. begin to learn and change, the an, I saw so many examples of The main characters of town slowly changes from black sexism in Pleasantville before Pleasantville are teenage sib- and white into color. This change things began to change such as lings, David and Jen, who live in of color represents how the peo- the wives always remaining at a divorced household with their ple’s lives went from being drab home, just to make meals and ap- mother. David is fascinated with and ordinary to being full of joy pear when their husbands called watching reruns of a 1950s TV and experiences that made life them. However, I did appreciate show called Pleasantville, depict- worth living. David’s character arc and the fact ing an idyllic town of the same Pleasantville experiences he eventually realized things in name. In Pleasantville, every- its first conflict as the town di- Pleasantville needed to change. one acts according to established vides between the people who’ve The three main sociolog- norms, no one fights or acts out, stayed in black and white and ical theories can be applied to and there is no conflict whatso- want the town to remain the same Pleasantville. The first theory is ever. As David and Jen fight over and those who are in color and structural functionalism, a mac- the TV remote one night, they want to share their experience ro-level theory that focuses on are both transported into the TV with the rest of the town. This order, stability, social structures show. David is happy to be in conflict turns to violence (the first and roles. In the beginning of the Pleasantville, while Jen is afraid in the town) as mobs form to de- movie, Pleasantville represents of being stuck within the show stroy colored art and burn books. structural functionalism in that and upset when David tells her Eventually, all of the town be- the town is stable and full of or- that she needs to act the part of comes colored and Pleasantville der because everyone is acting ac- Mary Sue, the character that she is forever changed. David decides cording to their roles. A structur- has inhabited. to return home with a new appre- al functionalist would view the When Skip, a character in ciation of his old life, while Jen, beginning incarnation of Pleas- the show, asks David (who is pre- who has learned to appreciate ed- antville as positive because by tending to be a character named ucation, decides to remain in the following their prescribed roles, Bud) if he can ask Jen (as Mary world of Pleasantville and go to each person in the town is main- Sue) out, David says that it’s not college there. taining the function and order of a good idea. When this happens, I thought that the movie the society. Skip gets jolted out of the “script” was very well done and humor- Next is conflict theory, a of his life (since according to the ous. The juxtaposition of real macro-level theory which focuses on show, Skip and Mary Sue were teenagers from the 1990s against large-scale social conflict and has a supposed to date). Skip attempts idealized teenagers from the critical view of the status quo to shoot a basket and misses for 1950s made for a very interesting the first time (previously, every- way to demonstrate how societal (recognizing social and economic in- tures are cultures with their own dis- res causes serious moral offense). equality). Conflict theory is represented tinctive values and norms that exist In our society, a more would be in Pleasantville as soon as changes are peacefully within the larger culture, something like murder or incest. In made in the town, because as people act while countercultures are groups Pleasantville, a more is being col- out and begin to transform into color, whose norms and values put them ored. Later in the film, certain norms the town experiences its first conflicts in opposition with the main culture. become formally codified as laws and acts of violence. A conflict theorist The society of Pleasantville when the non-colored adults meet would look at all of the social inequali- has its own unique culture, espe- to make rules to preserve Pleasant- ty (mostly between men and women) in cially since the town, as part of a TV ville’s “pleasantness” – no books, no Pleasantville at the beginning and would show, is completely distinct from all certain types of music, closing the li- see that inequality as the catalyst for other cultures and ways of life. In brary and Lover’s Lane, and no col- change on the part of the town members the beginning of the movie, the teen- oreds. and for the ensuing conflict. A conflict agers of the town represented a sub- At the surface, the movie theorist would also say that before David culture. They had their own norms Pleasantville is very well done, fun- and Jen came to the town, the people and lifestyle, but they were similar ny, and interesting. At a deeper lev- of Pleasantville had false conscious- enough to the main culture of the el, Pleasantville displays a stagnant ness about the inequalities and op- town that they co-existed peaceful- society that changes dramatically pression in their society. Once David ly. However, once David and Jen due to David and Jen’s intervention. and Jen came and started changing came to Pleasantville and started The movie can be analyzed with a things, there was a shift from false changing things, the teenagers (and sociological intent, especially with a consciousness to class conscious- some adults who became colored) focus on the three sociological theo- ness, which is when the oppressed represented a counterculture. This ries and the concepts of culture and recognize social inequality and re- was because their new norms and norms. volt against it. values (being colored and experi- Lastly, there is symbolic in- menting with art, music, sex, etc.) Izzy Iliff teractionism, a micro-level theo- were directly opposed to the main ry that focuses on interaction and culture of the town (represented by meaning as being central to society. the non-colored adults).
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