American Studies Commons^™

Looking At People Watching People- A Comparative Approach Of American And British Advertising, Kyle Heger

Cultural Studies Capstone Papers

Advertising reaches millions of audiences every day, yet some of the most impactful ads only appear once, while other advertisements thrive in a world where audiences are most receptive to what the campaign is feeding to the masses. Spaces like the Super Bowl, ads created for the wonders of television are the bridge between artificial realism and situational experiences that most people can relate or aspire to, but what if one person’s experience is leaning towards misrepresentation? In this paper, I’ll be using media studies to dissect American advertising, through its construction of non-profit advertising and responding to the form …

Always Already Imprisoned: The Panoptic Power Of Capitalism In American Literature, 1900-1940, Andrew Spencer

Theses and Dissertations

Abstract

ALWAYS ALREADY IMPRISONED: THE PANOPTIC POWER OF CAPITALISM IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, 1900-1940

By Andrew Blair Spencer, Ph.D.

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2019

Director: Dr. Richard Fine, Professor, Department of English

By applying the theories of control that Michel Foucault outlines in Discipline and Punish to the capitalist system, I argue that capitalism functions in much the same was as Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon in that it perpetually imprisons individuals who live under its purview. As I see it, capitalism works on …

Looking To The Future, Selling The Past: Churchill Weavers Marketing Strategies In The 1950s, Cassandra White-Fredette

Theses and Dissertations--Art and Visual Studies

This thesis explores the Churchill Weavers stereocards housed at the Kentucky Historical Society and Berea College based on visual analysis. By examining the stereocards as advertisements and comparing them to a series of short films created by the company, I will discuss how the Churchill Weavers created a brand that emphasized both an image of traditional American rural production and modern urban consumption. I will further discuss how the marketing strategies used by the Churchill Weavers exemplify a larger trend in American advertising in the years following World War Two.

The Implications Of Female American Ideals Presented In Popular Television And Advertising, Siobhan Matty

Honors Theses

My thesis examines the ways in which media and popular television reinforce stereotypes of femininity. Throughout the chapters, I assess whether or not various outlets of media leave space for improvement. For television series, I have focused on Desperate Housewives and Weeds. The two series incorporate several important aspects of the female American experience and lifestyle. The two television series also highlight, reinforce, and sometimes challenge the stereotypes that American women are judged by. The thesis also examines magazine. For this thesis, I have taken three magazines in particular into consideration: Cosmopolitan, InStyle, and New Beauty. The primary purpose of …

The Reciprocal Reshaping Of The American Dream And American Religion, Samir S. Gupte

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Religion has played an important role in the creation and dissemination of the idea now called the American Dream since the discovery of the North American continent. The first iteration of the American Dream manifested in the sixteenth century as a Return to Eden. The next phase was best represented by the Puritan quest for freedom of religion. In the eighteenth century, independence was the object of the American Dream. This was supported by the First Great Awakening. The nineteenth century American Dream can be characterized as opportunity as evidenced by immigration, westward migration, and the growth of commercial enterprise. …

Scheer, Virginia (Fa 408), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Folklife Archives Project 408. Paper: "Folklore Genres in Six Issues of 'GQ' and "Vanity Fair' Magazines" written by Virginia Scheer for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Schroeder, Rachel L. (Fa 257), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 257. Paper: "Ads, Ads, Ads: A Look at the Number Three in Magazine Advertisements" written by Rachel L. Schroeder for a Western Kentucky University folk studies class.

Brown, Bethany D. (Fa 174), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

FA Finding Aids

Finding aid and full-text scan of paper (Click on “Additional Files” below) for Folklife Archives Project 174. "The Folklore in Cosmetic Advertising", a paper written by Bethany D. Brown for a WKU folk studies class. "Redbook" magazine is referenced.

Pennsylvania Folklife Vol. 27, No. 2, James Moss, Holly Cutting Baker, Robert A. Barakat, Karl J. R. Arndt

Pennsylvania Folklife Magazine

• Gentlemen of the Road: Outlaw-Heroes of Early Pennsylvania in Life & Legend
• Patent Medicine in Pennsylvania Before 1906: A History Through Advertising
• Raising a Tobacco Shed
• Bicentennial Exhibitions and Publications in Germany
• Work and Work Attitudes: Folk-Cultural Questionnaire No. 50