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With Spring Quarter shifting to an online environment, I initially found it extremely daunting to have to also deal with a research project remotely. Losing physical, in-person access to the UCI Libraries made the research process much more stressful. Fortunately, with remote access to the UCI Libraries being available through their online Library Search tool,Continue reading “Research Blog Post #4”

Background: Animal Crossing: New Horizons (ACNH)is the latest entry of Nintendo’s Animal Crossing franchise, a Japanese life-simulation game series that first launched in 2001 under its localized name Dobotsu no Mori. Published for physical and digital purchase on March 20, 2020, the game sold approximately 11.77 million copies worldwide within only 12 days of itsContinue reading “The Paradox of Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Advertisement as an Escapist Media”

Since my last research blog post, I’ve decided to base my research paper on Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Initially, I had planned to only discuss and analyze the game’s various human-animal relationships and explain whether these fictional interactions helped to heavily popularize the game given our current circumstances. However, this evolved into a daunting taskContinue reading “Research Blog Post #3”

In my previous post, I pondered working with the topic of humans relying on animals for social and emotional support. With this topic in mind, I’ve found three primary sources to help develop my research. The first is Animal Crossing: New Horizons, a video game developed by Nintendo and released on March 20, 2020 forContinue reading “Research Blog Post #2”

A reliance on animals has been a normal practice for much of human history. They’re a form of transportation, entertainment, and even nutrition! But with the advent of modern society, we’ve slowly begun to distance ourselves from this exploitative role. They’re companions now, and for some, even family. Why are animals becoming more mainstream inContinue reading “Research Blog Post #1”

What does the word “family” mean to you? What about the word “friends”? For you personally, who falls under these terms? For many people, these words aren’t solely reserved for human beings. Dr. Adria Imada, an Associate Professor of History at the University of California, Irvine, approached these questions in a recent lecture of hers.Continue reading “Animals are Family”

When you were assigned reading for homework, did you ever feel as if you couldn’t recall half of what you had read? If you were asked a series of questions about the text, do you think you could answer them all? This problem becomes increasingly common with longer and more difficult texts. Luckily, there’s aContinue reading “Interlude – Annotating!”

Now that we’ve dealt with the role of animals in literature, I’d now like to invite you to study their scientific role. Aside from relying on animals for didactic purposes, scholars have also relied on animals as a means of observation – particularly in terms of their physical features and behaviors. Placed within an environmentContinue reading “Animals as Specimens – Not in the Lab, Though!”

Adhering to our animalistic theme, I’d like to introduce to you Kalila wa Dimna, an ancient Indian text containing a collection of fables. According to Professor Nasrin Rahimieh, Kalila wa Dimna was written by Brahman philosopher Bidpai for King Dabshalim, serving as a guide on how to “obtain the loyalty of his subjects”. One fableContinue reading “An Animal’s Lesson to Humans”

Moving away from the bestiaries, I invite you to take a look at William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Taking place in Athens, Greece, this play describes the descent of four young lovers into the nearby forest, all of whom seek to escape social responsibility and attain their desired love. Unfortunately, their journey is soonContinue reading “A Different Kind of “Animal””