Modern Nerd Culture

[ABSTRACT ONLY; NO FULL TEXT] Public education and the university have stricter, more basic rules and forms of self-expression when it comes to literature and language, usually neglecting creative empowering ways of communication and representation. For my culminating project, I will critique higher education and white nerd culture, while also recognizing and acknowledging the rise of the brown artistic nerd. I will shadow some non-linear narrative techniques and ideas from feminist thinker Trinh T. Minh-ha, and use some critical quotes from both her and other intellectuals to break down power dynamics and oppression. I plan to input some words from my past final ENGL 638 essay of spring semester 2018, to portray the conventions of representation, while also resisting strict academic forms. Lastly, I will "weave" all quotes together with experimental poetic verse, along with images. I want my project to show readers the power at play when it comes to higher education, the flaws of hegemonic culture, and the reclamation of space in the stereotypical nerd domain as a woman of color.