ESP Biography



ELIZABETH KOCZERA, Simmons Grad Student studying Gender and Culture



Major: Gender and Cultural Studies

College/Employer: Simmons College

Year of Graduation: Not available.

Picture of Elizabeth Koczera

Brief Biographical Sketch:

I am born and bred in Southeastern Mass, and am a true Cape Cod girl at heart. I graduated from Stonehill College in Easton MA last May with a BA in English Language and Literature. My senior thesis topic was the re-appropriation of Italian American identity in contemporary Hip Hop music. I am currently pursuing two masters at Simmons, : an MA in Gender and Cultural Studies and an MAT in Secondary Education. My goal is to become a high school English teacher, hopefully in the Fall of 2011... My academic interests include the role of ideology in popular media, film studies, Holocaust studies, and Post Modern Literature.

When I am not writing seminar papers on The Jersey Shore or Inglourious Basterds, or wondering about the subtleties of Lil' Wayne's rap lyrics I am in the kitchen pursuing my other love cooking and baking. I love trying new recipes, and especially love trying them out on captive audiences such as students or co-workers.



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

H3573: Pop Culture in HSSP Summer 2010 (Jul. 11, 2010 - Jul. 11, 2011)
Ever wanted to have a serious discussion about rap music? How about your favorite movie or website? This class will explore various forms of media including music, television, photography and the internet and how it influences our lives. Each week students will explore a different facet of the media and through in class projects and discussion learn to interpret and critically engage with popular culture. Students will work collectively in groups and individually toward understanding media and the manner of its production and what that means in our American society. At the conclusion of the class students will have the skills necessary to engage with and challenge all kinds of media, as well as the knowledge to create new effective media forms. Note: Short (but fun) weekly out of class assignments are required for this class.