Dissertations and Theses @ UNI
Availability
Open Access Thesis
Keywords
Motion pictures and youth--United States; Motion pictures and youth; Social problems in motion pictures; Youth in motion pictures; United States;
Abstract
Scholars often study film genres for a variety of reasons, including deciphering what determines a genre, why they exist, how new genres are born and what signifies their end, the ways in which genres reflect historical events, and even how genres demonize people of certain backgrounds or ethnicities. Genres, however, are rarely considered a real-life training tool where social codes are instilled in the minds of viewers through punishment, reward, and most importantly, repetition. This paper will examine a bit of both arenas, not only looking specifically at the films which comprise the genre of teen movies, but also the implications of the messages the films send. Through my examination of teen films (excluding horror and suspense movies) from the 1980s through the present day, I investigate how the genre's messages can be seen as training America's youth for specific gender roles and complacency within society down the road. More specifically, in the first section I not only examine the changing face of girls' roles in the wake of the feminist movement of the 1970s, but also those characteristics that remain the same. This is combined with a more general overview of the genre as a whole, including how it relates to other genres, trends and fragmentation within the genre, certain stars and key directors that have made their mark within the past twenty-five years, and where we might be heading. The second section focuses solely on sexuality in the genre, and how sexuality is negotiated between girls and boys, including sexual assault, masturbation, and even how these films relate to the world of pornography. The third section concentrates on minority representations within the genre, including the portrayal of non-white teenagers and depictions of homosexual kids, both of which have been largely ignored in teen movies (unless providing comic relief) until the late-1980s.
Year of Submission
2002
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Department of English Language and Literature
First Advisor
Grant Tracey
Second Advisor
Catherine MacGillivray
Third Advisor
Samuel L. Gladden
Date Original
2002
Object Description
1 PDF file (187 leaves)
Copyright
©2002 Susan Santha Kerns
Language
en
File Format
application/pdf
Recommended Citation
Kerns, Susan Santha, "The Makeover of the American Teen Movie Genre" (2002). Dissertations and Theses @ UNI. 3151.
https://scholarworks.uni.edu/etd/3151
Comments
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