Welcome to My Site

Hello, I am Daniela Gray. I am a Junior at the University of Florida with a passion for foreign language and cultural studies.

I am a Junior at the University of Florida majoring in Dual Languages (Arabic and French), International Studies (Middle East Track), and Spanish. With over 4+ years of higher level language learning, I am eager to discover new methods of studying and teaching foreign languages while fostering intercultural understanding. Additionally, I am passionate about cultural studies, particularly in the MENA region. I was blessed with the opportunity to study Arabic abroad in Morocco and now serve as a Study Abroad Peer Advisor (SAPA) on campus.

Mentor: Sarra Tlili

April 2024-Current

Department: Arabic

Thesis:
Disney has been at the forefront of many generations’ childhoods. Although the company is renowned for its insightful lessons and endless magic, it has not been without controversy. Notably, Disney falls short when it comes to the respectful representation and accurate depiction of many minority groups. More often than not, Disney’s representations of the Middle East supports the Orientalist stereotypes of laziness, barbarism, eroticism, mysticism, and general othering which in turn misleads and misinforms many Western audiences about the Middle East. In this presentation I will include examples of Middle Eastern representation from the Disney movies Aladdin (1992), Aladdin (2019), Alice and Wonderland (1951), Alice and Wonderland (2010), DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (1990), Descendants (2015), Descendants 2 (2017), and Descendants 3 (2019). From there I will analyze which stereotypes are being perpetuated. Finally, I will evaluate how these harmful depictions can influence the audiences’ beliefs and hurt the people and cultures they portray.

Responsibilities:
I am responsible for analyzing the current Disney Movies with Middle Eastern representation and other articles that interact with the topic of Orientalism and Disney. Additionally, I will be researching the negative impacts of misrepresentation on the audiences. My findings will be recorded in a research article that will be reviewed by Professor Tlili.Image Citations:
Aladdin. Clements, Ron, and John Musker director. Buena Vista Pictures, 1992.
Alice in Wonderland. Geronomi, Clyde, director. 1951.
DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp. Hathcock, Bob, director. Walt Disney Pictures, 1990.
Descendants. Ortega, Kenny, director. Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment, 2015.

• Dual Languages

• International Studies

• Spanish

Fall 2022:
Beginning Arabic 1
The Arab Woman
Spring 2023:
Beginning Arabic 2
Summer 2023:
Intermediate Arabic 1
Intermediate Arabic 2
Arab Culture Through Film

Fall 2023:
Advanced Arabic 1
Accelerated French Review
Spring 2024:
Advanced Arabic 2
Intermediate French 1

Fall 2024:
Fourth Year Arabic 1
Intermediate French 2
Arabic Culture