Andrea Rane and Dr. David Crandall, Anthropology Department

In my research, I explore pornography use among a group of women in Utah, as well as attitudes about pornography held by people in the research location. For both the people in this study who use pornography and those who do not, the concept of pornography as the focus of an addiction exists via people creating meanings about what pornography is, how humans can engage with it, and what pornography will do to you if you use it. This, in turn, cycles back into existing as the context in which some of the women in this study have used pornography. Perceptions of what it means to use pornography impact the type of agentive power that pornography has and impact the realities of women who perceive themselves as having “a problem with pornography”. I find that the current discourse on pornography in the research location is damaging to the women I studied, and I present my study as a first step towards more research on this issue. It also serves as a demonstration that anthropological research methods are uniquely equipped to examine the damaging discourse and imagine an entirely new one.

I presented my research in the BYU Anthropology Department Senior Symposium on March 23, 2017. This was in partial fulfillment of requirements for my April 2017 graduation from BYU. I also presented my thesis work at the Utah Conference on Undergraduate Research on February 17, 2017. In terms of future opportunities, my research experience has been instrumental in my acceptance for a VISTA position with the AmeriCorps program. Next month, I will begin a one year assignment in Salt Lake City at The Road Home, helping with research they are doing in partnership with the University of Utah. I will soon be working on submitting my research to a peer-reviewed journal, and I anticipate that my research experience will be an important part of my graduate school applications, as I will be using my thesis as a writing sample when I apply to graduate schools to attend in 2018.

The best aspect of my mentoring experience was that I actually had access to multiple mentors throughout the course of my work. Dr. Crandall was extremely helpful in guiding me during my data collection, but I also had the help of other professors including Dr. Greg Thompson, Dr. Zach Chase, and Professor Richard Buonforte. They were very willing to put in a lot of time to mentor me, and their feedback was a crucial part of my learning experience.

I have no direct complaints about my mentoring experience. However, I would be excited to work with more female mentors. I think this would be particularly helpful at the undergraduate level, where female students like me are looking for role models in academia – it would be helpful to have the mentorship of women who have ended up where I want to be in academic work.

I absolutely experienced personal and spiritual growth through my experience with my many mentors. I have tackled very difficult intellectual and spiritual questions during the course of my research, and while my mentors were not a part of most of the struggle that I have worked through related to my own personal growth, I have had lengthy discussions with my professors that have helped me see new perspectives and feel supported in my progress.

Sincere thanks to my donor, Alan Harker. I simply could not have afforded these specific learning opportunities without his financial support. I am grateful for this chance to learn what I have, and by extension I am grateful and excited for the new possibilities that have been opened up to me.