Introduction

G'day! Welcome to my blog for my freshman writing course at Duke: Decoding Disney. First a little bit about myself. My name is Andrew Bouffler and I hail from the land down under in the beautiful city of Sydney. I have decided to make the United States my home for the next 4 years (and probably longer) while I pursue my undergraduate degree at Duke. I am undecided on what major I wish to pursue but current contenders include mathematics, computer science and environmental science. Outside the classroom I have enjoyed immersing myself in the student life at Duke. I love Duke athletics - making it to every home football game and now bundling up for a month in k-ville. Elsewhere I enjoy being an active member of the Duke Catholic Centre, I've had a blast engaging in intramural flag football and soccer, I am a representative of house council in my dorm and I help coordinate events with Devils After Dark. What I have undoubtedly loved most in this, my freshman year, is the time I have spent with my friends in my dorm - Brown. I am always going to remember our midnight conversations, study parties and dorm dinners at marketplace. This semester I am excited to rush SLGs, try some new classes and enjoy another year with the best friends I could ever imagine.

Of the many classes I am taking this semester, I am most intrigued by this writing course. I never thought I would have the opportunity to take a class where I could explore the conventions of influential writing alongside an exploration of the Disney Empire. I look forward to expanding my critical thinking, reading and writing skills whilst simultaneously learning about the life of Walt Disney, the global brand of the Disney corporation and the more nuanced undertones of Disney films. I am keen to bring an academic lens to what I have always considered to be the entertainment of my childhood (and indeed still today), yet I do hold some reservation of what analyses we will draw from these films that I have come to love purely for their imaginative childhood charm.

I grew up saturated by Disney films and the Disney brand - I still have many VCR tapes of the older Disney movies. My favourite Disney movie is 'Up' (the opening montage makes me cry everytime) and my favourite Disney character is Simba from the Lion King. There is nothing that allures me to the cinema more than a new Pixar film! Whilst Disney films formed an immense part of my childhood - I didn't ride the same nostalgic torrent that seemed to drag many teenagers back to their childhood fantasies and to Disney movies of old. Thus, I look forward to revisiting some of these films that I haven't seen in decades and others that I have never seen before.

I chose this course because it sounded entertaining, engaging and eye opening. I hope to challenge my previous perceptions, I hope to debate and analyse the unique perspectives of my classmates and of scholars and I hope to build upon my existing foundation of academic writing.

Let's get up and away!!!