Assignment: submit the first draft of your research paper.

APA format

Use this information to create the first draft of 6 pages.

Introduction

This study will look at how much the hit TV program “Black-ish” contributes to social and political stereotyping and misconceptions. The comedy series “Black-ish” is renowned for depicting a middle-class African American family coping with numerous aspects of modern American life. In order to better understand media representation and how it affects society’s perspectives, this study aims to investigate the implications and impacts of the show’s portrayal.

“Black-ish” is a TV Show about an upper-middle-class African American family living in a predominantly white community. It includes some generalizations and stereotypes, which are either political or social. The main idea of the tv show is that black individuals are expected to act in a particular way to fit in (Vickers, 2018). Because the father sees that his family fails to conform to this stereotype, he fears that their black culture and heritage will be lost and tries to fix this by spending more time with his family. The show depicts white people as racist or ignorant, hence stereotyping. The family members spend their life trying to overcome issues of racism in their community, hence the research idea.

 

 

 

Research questions

1. To what extent does “Black-ish” support assumptions and generalizations about society?

2. What consequences do the show’s depictions of political concepts like race, class, and gender have?

3. How do viewers perceive and interpret how social and political concerns are presented in the show?

Literature review

This section will examine the current literature and scholarly works related to portraying social and political notions through media. It will concentrate on research on how African American families are portrayed in popular culture and how media stereotypes affect people’s views and societal perceptions. It will also examine earlier studies on how humor may challenge or reinforce prejudices.

Methodology

The research will conduct a comprehensive content analysis to find and classify instances of social and political stereotypes and generalizations. This study aims to find recurrent themes and patterns by looking at the episodes, conversations, characters, and plots. Also, an extensive sample of “Black-ish” viewers will get a survey questionnaire designed online. The survey will examine how viewers view social and political constructs portrayed on the show to evaluate viewers’ emotions and views regarding the representation. Finally, participants regularly watch “Black-ish” will participate in focus groups. An in-depth discussion of the show’s effect on viewers’ perceptions, the function of humor, and the potential impact on attitudes and views will be made possible during these sessions.

Ethical considerations

The study will abide by ethical standards to protect the participants’ confidentiality and privacy. All participants in the survey and focus groups will have given their informed consent. Researchers must carry out their research in a way that respects the rights and welfare of participants. By obtaining participants’ informed consent, researchers may ensure that their needs come first and that they are treated more like autonomous people than subjects (Dankar et al., 2019). There will be precautions to protect the participants’ privacy and avoid potential danger or inconvenience.

Expected outcomes

The research seeks to add to the body of information already in existence by offering insights into how social and political frameworks are portrayed in popular media. The study’s findings will offer insight into how stereotypes and generalizations in the show may be reinforced or challenged, and how they impact the attitudes and perceptions of audiences. Besides highlighting the significance of critical consumption and increasing awareness of the possible adverse effects of perpetuating stereotypes, this study may have comprehensive implications for media representation.

 

 

Conclusion

This study project studies the degree to which the television program “Black-ish” communicates social and political stereotypes and generalizations through a detailed analysis of the show. The results will help in understanding how media representation impacts society and contributes forming societal perceptions. Eventually, the study expects to inspire more nuanced and well-informed discussions about how different groups are depicted in the media, challenging stereotypes and inspiring better societal open-mindedness and understanding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Dankar, F. K., Gergely, M., & Dankar, S. K. (2019). Informed consent in biomedical research . Computational and structural biotechnology journal, 17, 463-474. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.csbj.2019.03.010

Vickers, J. (2018). Black or Black-ish: Decoding Black-ish and its place in the conversation of diversity (Doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University).

 

 

 

To be incorporated into the first draft

One interesting family sitcom I would like to study in the classic era is “I Love Lucy,” which aired in the 1950s and 1960s. It was one of the earliest popular sitcoms featuring Lucy Ricardo and her husband Ricky in comedic settings. It helped advance many ground-breaking concepts that later became sitcom standards, including the three-Camera setup. It made the three-camera filmmaking method popular, which included concurrently recording the action from several angles (Kovacs, 2022). This made a more dynamic and visually appealing presentation possible, and it eventually became a common practice in creating sitcoms. It also impacted a live studio audience since it was shot in front of a live studio audience, and the episodes feature their laughing and reactions. The show gained immediate and genuine humorous energy, and the audience’s laughter contributed significantly to its charm.

One thing I would want to explore is how the show broke gender norms. Lucy Ricardo, a character, questioned preexisting gender roles and prejudices. She was a fierce, independent lady who followed her goals and frequently found herself in absurd circumstances. Lucy’s role paved the path for subsequent female sitcom characters and served as an example for women in real life that women could be humorous, outspoken, and have agency. Additionally, I find its representation of multicultural relationships impactful to society because, at this time, it was not highly favored but quickly gained momentum. “I Love Lucy” offered an innovative element for its period by depicting the marriage of American woman Lucy Ricardo and Cuban singer Ricky Ricardo. This depiction of a multicultural relationship was ground-breaking because it humanized and normalized such unions, posing a challenge to social preconceptions and fostering acceptance and understanding.

Another interesting show is “The Cosby Show,” which aired from 1984 to 1992. It portrayed black families positively on television because it was centered around an upper-middle-class African American family. It featured Bill Cosby’s comedic skills and examined relevant family relationships. One thing I would like to explore about it is the positive representation of African-American families. It presented an African-American family that was prosperous, devoted, and intellectually accomplished as a counternarrative to already prevalent prejudices. The show opposed inaccurate and unfavorable depictions of black families in the media and highlighted their variety of experiences, which helped advance a more accurate and favorable portrayal of African-Americans in the media (Caldwell Jr, 2023). “The Cosby Show” also tackled societal issues despite its humor and family dynamics. The program provoked debates, raised awareness of pertinent problems, and changed how sitcoms could address social themes in the future by addressing these topics in a comedic format.

 

References

Caldwell Jr, C. (2022). ” The Power of Representation”: An Autoethnographic Account on the Influence of The Cosby Show and Black-ish. Spectrum: A Journal on Black Men, 10(1), 23–35.

Kovacs, P. (2022). I Love Lucy, Single Sponsorship, and Marketing Communication. JCMS: Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, 61(2), 110–137.