Getting Nostalgic with the Works in Progress Seminar

The College of Arts and Sciences Works in Progress Seminar continued in February, with its latest installment featuring Assistant Professor of Digital Media Design and Humanities Dr. Ryan Lizardi presenting his research on Generation Nostalgia.

“As a generation of people is encouraged to revisit media they loved as children by hyper-nostalgic media companies through remakes, re-imaginings, and re-releases, it leads to a reduction in available meanings for current and subsequent generations who are then all encouraged to attach to the same nostalgic objects,” Dr. Lizardi says. “The cultural rise in nostalgic media has the dual generational impact of making the subjective experience of time speed up for those who are nostalgic, as well as create a surrogate nostalgic identity for younger generations by continually feeding them the content of their elders.”

Dr. Lizardi’s 2014 book, Mediated Nostalgia: Individual Memory and Contemporary Mass Media, published by Lexington Books, tackles the media’s current obsession with nostalgia and how it presents the past to us in an individualized and idealized form. In it, Lizardi posits that the cultural implication of constantly returning to nostalgia is an increasing reliance on defining who we are, both as individuals and as a society, based on the media we consumed in our youth.

The presentation on Generation Nostalgia was held Friday, February 24.

Those in attendance seemed quite interested in what Dr. Lizardi refers to as “the big questions,” such as why the media’s appeal to intergenerational audiences through nostalgia is increasing and what connections can be drawn to something akin to universal stories.

“I found that interesting, because in the book/presentation, I find myself drawn to questions about our memories, perception, and our identities, but these bigger questions show the value of getting multiple perspectives in the room to discuss.”

The purpose of the Works in Progress Seminars are to foster awareness  of the research interests among faculty and students, improve communication about the topic, and encourage future research opportunities.

“The opportunity to present in the Works in Progress series was great because it allowed for a more informal discussion about a topic that is not completely finished.”

Future installments of the Works in Progress Seminar are slated for the Spring semester, including Biodiversity in Madagascar by Assistant Professor of Biology Dr. Adam McLain March 31 and Structure-Function Studies on CYP2A13 Enzyme by Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Dr. Naryan Sharma on April 21.

All Works in Progress Presentations take place in Donovan Hall 2132 from 1–2 pm on their respective date.