THE END OF THE ROAD? AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS OF AMERICA’S CAR CULTURE AND ITS CINEMATIC REFLECTION AROUND THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

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dc.contributor.advisorDouglas, William
dc.contributor.committeeMemberOlson, Beth
dc.contributor.committeeMemberWood, Barry A.
dc.creatorJaenicke, Christina
dc.date.accessioned2012-04-19T13:48:06Z
dc.date.accessioned2012-04-19T13:48:08Z
dc.date.available2012-04-19T13:48:06Z
dc.date.available2012-04-19T13:48:08Z
dc.date.createdDecember 2011
dc.date.issued2011-12
dc.date.updated2012-04-19T13:48:08Z
dc.description.abstractThis interdisciplinary analysis of America’s car culture is looking at the contemporary cinematic depiction of the former vehicle of freedom given the increasing dissatisfaction among society that found its public expression in this year’s “Carmageddon”. By combining media and cultural research, this study tried to find out if movies acknowledge the entrapping reality cultural theorists point out. Furthermore, a detailed content analysis was supposed to offer cinematic indicators how this exceptional automotive love affair might end. The analysis of Falling Down (1993), Duets (2000), and Collateral (2004) revealed cultural phenomena such as road rage, America’s carscape causing sameness and dislocation, as well as isolation, passivity, and akinesia. The protagonists appear to realize the car’s physical and psychological impact on their life and they start to abandon the entrapping vehicle – an inspiring observation given America’s increasing efforts in terms of public and alternative transportation.
dc.description.departmentCommunication, Jack J. Valenti School of
dc.format.digitalOriginborn digital
dc.format.mimetypeapplication/pdf
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10657/237
dc.language.isoeng
dc.rightsThe author of this work is the copyright owner. UH Libraries and the Texas Digital Library have their permission to store and provide access to this work. Further transmission, reproduction, or presentation of this work is prohibited except with permission of the author(s).
dc.subjectCultural study
dc.subjectMedia
dc.subjectMass communication
dc.subjectAmerican society
dc.subjectMovies
dc.subjectEntrapping car culture
dc.subjectAutomotive madmen
dc.subject.lcshCommunication
dc.titleTHE END OF THE ROAD? AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS OF AMERICA’S CAR CULTURE AND ITS CINEMATIC REFLECTION AROUND THE TURN OF THE CENTURY
dc.type.dcmiText
dc.type.genreThesis
thesis.degree.collegeCollege of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences
thesis.degree.departmentCommunication, Jack J. Valenti School of
thesis.degree.disciplineMass Communication
thesis.degree.grantorUniversity of Houston
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Arts

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