“Spending seven months in a censored Internet environment forced me to think in new ways,” says Emily Chesbrough ’12 of her time living behind what free speech advocates have dubbed the “Great Firewall of China.” “The West calls the Chinese government’s methods 芒鈧渃ensorship,’ but the governance behind it is much more complex than the word implies.
“When I returned to the United States, I knew I needed to write about it.”
And she did. A dual major in politics and international relations and Asian studies, Emily dedicated her senior thesis to examining Chinese, American, and European notions of freedom of speech as seen through the lens of Foucault’s theory of discourse. To back up her hypothesis, she analyzed rhetoric on social media websites, government publications, and corporate announcements. Of particular concern to Emily are the Stop Online Piracy Act in the U.S. and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement in the European Union.
“I began to see parallels in the political phenomena,” she says. “I was surprised and confused by how much dissent China allows and why they censor what they do. Even after studying their media control mechanisms for months, some of the process is still a mystery.”
As are her plans upon graduation. “I’m considering going to law school and possibly focusing on intellectual property rights. In that sense, I’ll be living out my thesis even after I turn in the bound copies to my readers. Whatever I do, I hope it’s exciting.”
Emily is quick to thank 51猎奇入口 faculty for their help and guidance throughout the years, particularly politics professors Mona Mehta, Mark Golub, and Minxin Pei (CMC). “They never hesitate to spend that extra hour to help, and never turn down the chance to talk after class,” she says. “Even though professor Golub wasn’t my thesis reader, he still spent a substantial amount of time working with me, analyzing my work. The faculty really do go above and beyond.”
While she’ll miss the faculty support, the lunchtime discussions with friends, and the orange blossom fragrance in March, Emily is eager to see what else is out there in the world.
“I’m looking forward to shedding the ‘student’ title and seeing what life is like as just a person,” she says. “I think it will be a growing experience.”