Henry Jenkins' posting about the evolution of media studies places many issues that have been on my mind recently into a broader context. As a film lover, finishing my undergraduate degree in history and English and about to begin a Master's in Cinema Studies, I have begun to search for my own place ideologically within the growing cannon of film studies. As perhaps a member of the third group Henry Jenkins described, I have absorbed a good deal of the theory from the first two groups. In my own work, it is essential for me to preserve the fan-dome of the auteurs and resist removing myself too far from the source of reward for the work--love of movies. Also, as a member of this latter generation, I take for granted much of the politically motivated theory in my work, and don't feel the need to belabor that aspect in search of legitimacy; that has been pretty well established, in my view. Another important issue for me involves attempting to avoid much of the jargon-ridden emptiness that plagues too much of the academic criticm out there, as cinema studies struggles for acceptance by the academic orthodoxy. The incredible gap between mainstream journalistic criticism and academic critism remains a source of great personal frustration, but I'm not sure how to approach closing that gap. Amanda Aaron