Ethnicity

This thesis focuses on the continuous misrepresentations that appear throughout different
outlets of popular culture and the negative impacts of these misrepresentations. In the
first chapter, the focus will be on the films The Last of the Mohicans and The Mission and
the origins and implications of the misrepresentation of Indians in film. The second
chapter uses rap music videos such as 50 Cent’s In Da Club, Nelly’s Tip Drill, LMFAO
and Lil John’s Shots, Where Da Hood At, Tupac’s Hit ‘Em up, and N.W.A.’s Straight
Outta Compton as primary texts to demonstrate the one dimensional and problematic
representations of African American Identity in the rap music industry. The third and
final chapter uses the video games Grand Theft Auto III and Gun as examples of the
negative representations that occur and are repeated quickly in the rapidly improving
world of video games. While the misrepresentations are achieved and perpetuated
differently in each medium, their ubiquitous presence in popular culture calls for
discussion.

This study examined the relationship between ethnicity and parents' compliance with immunizations of their children. Recent studies have shown that compliance rates for immunizations of children who were two years of age were below the standards set by the American Academy of Pediatrics due to both health system barriers and family/child barriers. A survey of pediatric patients was conducted utilizing a convenience sample of 66 parents of children between the ages of twenty and twenty-eight months. The subjects were interviewed to determine factors affecting immunization compliance, including cultural factors consistent with the theoretical framework of Madeline Leininger. The statistical analysis of the sample responses revealed an ethnically diverse sample of two year old hospitalized children whose immunization compliance was 53%. No statistically significant correlations (≤0.05) were noted among the socioeconomic, system barriers, or educational barriers when compared among the ethnic groups in the study, however trends were demonstrated.

This dissertation uses a multiperspectival approach that analyzes production, text, and audience consumption to explore representations of gender and ethnicity in The Home Box Office, Inc. (HBO) original program The Sopranos. I first present the social, political, and economic factors that contributed to the continued critical and commercial success of the show. The hybrid genre of the show - an intermingling of the gangster and soap opera genres - proves particularly significant in its representation of gender and ethnicity. Both textual and audience analyses allow me to respond to the question central to this dissertation: Does The Sopranos reinforce or challenge hegemonic notions of masculinity, femininity, and ethnicity? My textual and paratextual analysis identifies the embodiment of hegemonic masculinity in the male characters, including the ways in which that hegemonic behavior leads to male violence, as depicted in the narrative, and reveals the performances of emphasized femininity and pariah femininities, class, and Italian/Americaness at play amongst the female characters in The Sopranos. Audience analysis reveals that The Sopranos broadly appeals to many Italian/Americans and self-proclaimed feminists, yet the vast majority of fans, particularly those who create fan fiction and frequent chat rooms, are drawn to the show for its violence, sexist imagery, and macho male characters. Thus, the multiperspectival approach of this dissertation proved particularly useful in determining that The Sopranos, in its entirety, ultimately repackages, but yet still reinforces hegemonic notions of gender and Italian/Americaness.