Project Description

The students of SOSC4318:" Modes of Communication" have set out to explore how texts are interpreted. We looked specifically at television shows as texts. Some would argue with this choice of texts: "...watching t.v. has often been seen as a routine, unproblematic, passive process; the meanings of the programmes are seen as given and obvious: the viewer is seen as passively receptive and mindless." (Livingston, as quoted in Herrmann). If this is the case, it is argued, then the viewers don't have to "interpret anything"; it is all given to them. We will be looking at this assumption as part of our work on interpreting the meaning in t.v. shows.

Some of us in the project will argue that television viewing is a "passive process", which does not need to be "read." Others take an alternate approach and argue that television viewers play an active role in how meaning is interpreted from the programs they are watching. They found that meaning is not spoon-fed into thoughtless viewers, rather viewers are "reading" the show.

Using theories put forth by a number of communication analysts, including Hermann and Grossberg et al. the students of SOSC4318 will look at meaning in five popular television sitcoms: Friends -group 1, Friends group 2, Frasier, The Sopranos, That 70s Show and The Simpsons.

Four theories will be utilized to analyze each show: Content analysis, Genre theory, Audience Analysis, and Semiotics. The information is posted on the Internet to utilize the medium of hypertext, a modern means of linking one textual idea to another. Careful attention has been put into how we structure information in hypertext and how to fully utilize the medium of hypertext.

We invite you to explore our findings.

 

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*Grossberg, L.E. Wartella & D. Whitney. 1998 The Interpretation of Meaning in Media making: Mass media in popular culture. CA; Sage Publications.