War Through Cinematography

The Program for Undergraduate Research Experience (PURE) is an exceptional undergraduate research experience that empowers UCalgary students to gain mentorship and learn valuable skills for their futures. It provides funding for undergraduate students in all disciplines to embark on an eight-, 12- or 16-week summer research project with a supervisor in a field that they are passionate about. 

The program offers students a first-hand look into how research contributes to new knowledge and provides them with valuable experiential learning that fuels creativity, discovery, and innovation. This summer, UCalgary History undergraduate Cygnus Wiebe will undertake a research project under the supervision of Dr. Glenn Wilkinson. We asked Cygnus to tell us about his project:

"Over this summer, I will delve into a comprehensive study of both primary and secondary sources—including books, academic articles, interviews, reports, journals, and films—to understand how 1940s American films portrayed its society, politics, and culture during the Second World War. My research will involve a detailed analysis of these materials to uncover the subtle messages conveyed through narratives, characters, dialogues, and visual symbolism in WWII-era films.

Specifically, I will categorize a representative selection of sources, assessing each one's genre, popularity, critical reception, and thematic depiction of war. I'll conduct a deep content analysis of films to explore how they depict conflict, American values, and societal roles, including gender and racial representations. By comparing these cinematic representations with historical facts, I will identify both consistencies and discrepancies, cross-referencing the cinematic content with historical records and scholarly interpretations of the era."

We hope your summer will be enjoyable and productive, Cygnus!