37th Annual Student Research Conference
Religion in Sitcoms
Micaela Reiss
Dr. Anton Daughters and Dr. Brian Ott (University of Missouri), Faculty Mentors
Situational comedies, or sitcoms, can serve to introduce individuals to behaviors and social norms that may begin to impact the beliefs and behaviors of viewers over time. They can also serve to reflect existing norms, like gender roles or parental behaviors. Sitcoms provide a window into the social norms, such as religious practices, of a specific time period that can be reflective of societal norms in wider society at that time. Previous research has focused on the extent to which sitcoms have reflected the social norms of their time, but research that tracks changes in societal behavior in regards to religion over time is lacking. My research consists of a content analysis of top-rated sitcoms over seven decades which was used to determine whether religiosity present in sitcoms has changed over time. Analysis found that there was no significant relationship between religiosity and the decade that a sitcom aired during the period between 1950 and 2010.
Keywords: Religion, Sitcoms, Television , Media, Religiosity, Change
Topic(s):Anthropology
Sociology
Philosophy & Religion
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Session: 204-3
Location: SUB Georgian Room C
Time: 10:45