Graduation Year

2017

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Media Studies

Reader 1

Jesse Lerner

Reader 2

T. Kim-Trang Tran

Rights Information

© 2016 Kathryn C. Read-Fisher

Abstract

Animal rights activists and animal welfare advocates are the two most vocal groups dedicated towards improving the lives of animals, however they often end up fighting with each other instead of working with together. They get caught up in the small details and forget that they are both working towards the same bigger picture: living in a world where animals and humans can cohabitate happily and healthily. Both groups use the media as a tool to grab headlines and generate controversy, which sheds light on animal rights issues. While its commendable that both groups are willing to go to many extremes to get their message to the public, they do so at the expense of properly educating the public. Animals rights issues become more about the spectacle than the animals, which ultimately ends up helping no one. I want to first analyse the arguments about captivity from both parties, and then delve into the tactics that they use to get their ideologies across. My goal was to create a short documentary that explores the depth of these issues, critique the role that the media plays through the lens of a specific animal: Billy the Elephant.

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This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

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