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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

T. Hanks For Nostalgia: The Power Of Tom Hanks And Film Branding, Jacob Higgs May 2023

T. Hanks For Nostalgia: The Power Of Tom Hanks And Film Branding, Jacob Higgs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In March 2020, Tom Hanks announced he had contracted COVID-19 while shooting the Elvis Presley Biopic in Australia. On Instagram, he encouraged fans to take the disease seriously and be aware of how severe of a disease it was. Character brands and nostalgia have been found to foster trust in products and encourage relationships with those brands. Using the lens of nostalgia and uses and gratification to examine Tom Hanks as a character brand, the researcher analyzed five blockbuster films with Tom Hanks as the lead character. The study used narrative thematic analysis to observe Hanks and the depictions of …


Authentically (Un)Real Assessing Vh!'S Basketball Wives And Its Violent & Colorist Portrayals Of Black Women., Wilma Denae Powell May 2022

Authentically (Un)Real Assessing Vh!'S Basketball Wives And Its Violent & Colorist Portrayals Of Black Women., Wilma Denae Powell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Does reality television serve as solely a form of entertainment, or could reality television also be maintaining hegemonic beliefs and reinforcing biased views of Black women? Since 2010, Vh1’s Basketball Wives has given audiences the opportunities to entertain themselves by watching women who are/were married to, dating, or are the mothers of children fathered by professional basketball players. Despite the show’s name, few members of the cast are currently married and audiences only get mere glimpses of the cast in motherly or marital interactions. So, what does Basketball Wives offer audiences who tune in to watch Black women for entertainment? …


Rednecks And Hillbillies: A Thematic Analysis Of The Construction Of Pride And High Self-Esteem Exhibited By Southern Characters, Casey R. White Jan 2020

Rednecks And Hillbillies: A Thematic Analysis Of The Construction Of Pride And High Self-Esteem Exhibited By Southern Characters, Casey R. White

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine television shows portraying redneck and hillbilly culture from 2010 to 2017 to examine the limitations of focusing on traditional stereotypes about southern culture when understanding the complexities of redneck and hillbilly society. According to a literature review, redneck and hillbilly characters have historically been associated with poverty, have been used as comedic symbols to portray southerners in the lower classes as jokes, and the terms have been used as insults. A thematic analysis was conducted analyzing redneck/hillbilly themed television shows from the years 2010 through 2017 to examine them for the presence …


Influence Of Stereotyping And Prejudices On Perceptions Of Superheroes, Emily A. Sanchez Mar 2018

Influence Of Stereotyping And Prejudices On Perceptions Of Superheroes, Emily A. Sanchez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Fictional superheroes possess characteristics that can be identified with on a human level (e.g., gender and race); however, their superhuman nature may lead them be evaluated as a distinct outgroup. The current study attempted to assess how racial and gender attitudes may affect perceptions of superheroes and how other participant characteristics may impact ratings. The current study found that gender and race influenced evaluations of perceived attributes of superhero drawings. Figures depicted with an unnatural skin tone were rated less favorably. Although, there were no differences between ratings of Black and White heroes, Black heroes were consistently rated higher, particularly …


Not Dead At All, Martin Becerra May 2014

Not Dead At All, Martin Becerra

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Not Dead At All is a nontraditional thesis, a creative product, the result of a combination of media production and social research. This paper is an attempt to explain the creative and production process behind the creation of an original media content, using the social research as a tool to increase the likeability of our characters and therefore increase the show’s chances of success.