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Health Safety-Net Crisis: A Case Study Of News Discourse, Cecilia F. Mitchell
Health Safety-Net Crisis: A Case Study Of News Discourse, Cecilia F. Mitchell
Communication Theses
This study is the first to analyze news coverage of a hegemonic struggle over a crisis that threatened to close a Southern safety net hospital. Such closure could have left indigent, African American men and women without health care access. The study utilizes critical discourse analysis to focus on news portrayals of patients and the struggle over whether the hospital would continue to be governed by a majority-Black, public board of directors or a nonprofit, private board recommended by a majority-White civic group. Results indicate that newspaper coverage privileged the elite, White view, while stereotypically representing indigent, Black patients as …
American Masculinity And Homosocial Behavior In The Bromance Era, Diana Sargent
American Masculinity And Homosocial Behavior In The Bromance Era, Diana Sargent
Communication Theses
This study examines and reflects upon the current “bromance” culture that has emerged in American society and aims to conceptualize how media texts relate to masculine hegemony. Attention to current media portrayals, codes of conduct, rituals, homosocial interaction, and constructions of masculinity in American culture is essential for the evaluation of the current era of American masculinity. Mediated portrayals present an ironic position on male closeness, dictate how men should behave towards women and other men, and create real life situations in which these mediated expectations are fostered and put into practice. Textual analyses of the films Superbad and I …
Disney's Portrayal Of Nonhuman Animals In Animated Films Between 2000 And 2010, Oana Leventi-Perez
Disney's Portrayal Of Nonhuman Animals In Animated Films Between 2000 And 2010, Oana Leventi-Perez
Communication Theses
This paper used the constant comparative method to examine the 12 animated features released by Disney between 2000 and 2010 for: (1) their representation of nonhuman animals (NHAs) and the portrayal of race, class, gender, and speciesism within this representation, (2) the ways they describe the relationship between humans and NHAs, and (3) whether they promote an animal rights perspective. Three major themes were identified: NHAs as stereotypes, family, and human/NHA dichotomy. Analysis of these themes revealed that Disney’s animated features promote speciesism and celebrate humanity’s superiority by justifying the subordination of NHAs to human agency. Furthermore, while Disney’s representation …
No Angel: An Analysis Of Media Coverage Of Nadja Benaissa In The U.K., U.S. And Germany, Elizabeth A. Cantrell
No Angel: An Analysis Of Media Coverage Of Nadja Benaissa In The U.K., U.S. And Germany, Elizabeth A. Cantrell
Communication Theses
The media’s portrayal of HIV has taken a number of different forms since the disease was first discovered over three decades ago. HIV has been portrayed as an epidemic and a disease affecting homosexuals and immigrants. Its transmission has also been portrayed as a criminal offense. In August 2010, the German singer Nadja Benaissa was arrested for passing on HIV to a former partner and exposing two other men. Media constructions of this story draw upon HIV stereotypes because of her drug-using past, her immigrant status and her criminal actions. This media study points to a new discourse centered on …
L337 Soccer Moms: Conceptions Of "Hardcore" And "Casual" In The Digital Games Medium, Steven Andrew Boyer
L337 Soccer Moms: Conceptions Of "Hardcore" And "Casual" In The Digital Games Medium, Steven Andrew Boyer
Communication Theses
As digital games have become increasingly significant in the entertainment media landscape, the terms “casual” and “hardcore” have become the primary ways to describe gaming audiences, genres, and gameplay. However, these terms are saturated with outdated stereotypes involving gender, age, and class. Focusing on industrial discourse, this thesis examines this dichotomy, emphasizing areas of discontinuity and overlap to question why these terms have become so ubiquitous in gaming discourse and what functions they fulfill for a variety of groups including the industry, advertisers, and audience members. Ultimately, I suggest that these terms need to be replaced in order to move …
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus: An Analysis Of A Potential Meme, Jo Howarth Noonan
Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus: An Analysis Of A Potential Meme, Jo Howarth Noonan
Communication Theses
The purpose of this study was to discover whether the phrase "men are from Mars, women are from Venus,” from John Gray’s book, had become a meme and to explore what its usage implied. Analysis of 510 references was guided by grounded theory. Coding over a decade of newspaper usage of the phrase into seven emergent themes allowed examination of usage against the theories of gender research, communication research, media research and meme theory research. This analysis revealed that this phrase meets the requirements to be considered a meme, and as a meme it has successfully assisted the survival, evolution …