Date of Award

Spring 1997

Document Type

Thesis - Restricted

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

Communication

First Advisor

Okonkwor, Chude R.

Second Advisor

Scotton, James F.

Third Advisor

Slattery, Karen

Abstract

Women have made tremendous progress in their quest for equality with their male counterparts. But, suffice it to say that this progress has not made its way into the world of television. Women are still portrayed and represented in stereotypical ways. They are presented as weak, more emotional than men and incapable of leadership. So what? And who cares? Apparently, more than a million women from across the world do. This study is a response to the call for more research on the role of the media in the development of women, from participants at the Fourth World Women's Conference held in Beijing, China in 1995. This study has tried to examine comparatively the problem of Tv and its effects on viewers in the U.S. and Ghana, using the cultivation theory. The findings of this study suggest that cultivation, as a communication theory , needs to shift its attention on heavy television viewers. It must take into account that low, highly involved television viewers can also cultivate television messages.

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