Date of Graduation
2003
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
Committee Chair
Terry Wimmer
Committee Chair
Terry Wimmer
Abstract
his study is searching for the existence of any psychological effects on the attitudes or perceptions of West Virginia University students that are exposed to ethnic humor by stand-up comedians in a broadcast format. In this study a convenience sample of West Virginia University students was exposed to a fifteen-minute videotape containing multiple in-group solidarity ethnic jokes that were used by the selected comedians in their analyzed performances. The students were surveyed to quantitatively test the affects of ethnic humor. The studyís results suggest that there is a correlation between viewing ethnic humor and a change in the participantsí perceptions of Asian Americans, African Americans, and Caucasian Americans.
Recommended Citation
Smith, Jonathan Samuel, ""It's just comedy": Media effects of ethnic humor." (2003). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD). 10713.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/10713