Home > Graduate School > Theses and Dissertations > 686
University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations
Campus Access Only
All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of University of the Pacific. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.
Greek : the impact of media on the stereotyping of social fraternities and sororities
Kari A. Murphy, University of the Pacific
Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted
Benerd School of Education
First Advisor
Joanna Royce-Davis
First Committee Member
Steven Jacobson
Second Committee Member
This study examines stereotypes of fraternities and sororities in the media. Recently the media, particularly movies and television, has produced numerous portrayals of fraternal organi zations. Through thi s study a content analysis of the television show GREEK from ABC Family was conducted. The first seven episodes were analyzed answer the following questions: Were stereotypes of fratern ities and sororities pmirayed through these episodes? If so, what were the stereotypes? Five stereotypes were studied for fraternities and six for sororities. Definitions of the chosen stereotypes are identified in the literature and recorded. Tally markers were used to tabulate each portrayal of stereotypes. An average of the three viewings was then calculated to help maximize the reliability of this study. The results were further manipulated to determine the frequency of both the fraternity and sorority stereotypes individually as well as together. Stereotypes were found throughout the television series. Fraternity stereotypes were recorded more often than sorority stereotypes. This study allows us to better understand the portrayals of fraternity and sorority life as shown in GREEK.
Murphy, Kari A.. (2008). Greek : the impact of media on the stereotyping of social fraternities and sororities. University of the Pacific, Thesis - Pacific Access Restricted. https://scholarlycommons.pacific.edu/uop_etds/686
To access this thesis/dissertation you must have a valid pacific.edu email address and log-in to Scholarly Commons.
Find in PacificSearch
Graduate School website