Date on Honors Thesis
Spring 2020
Major
Secondary English Education
Minor
Spanish
Examining Committee Member
Dr. Deborah Bell, Advisor
Examining Committee Member
Dr. Warren Edminster
Examining Committee Member
Dr. Gina Claywell, Committee Member
Examining Committee Member
Dr. Robert Fritz, Committee Member
Abstract/Description
This is an exploration of stereotypical and racist portrayals of minorities, specifically African-American, Latinx, and Native American communities, in film and television in the past and how that has affected representation in film adaptations of young adult literature. Young adult literature is one of the highest-selling genres in literature, purchased by both young adults and actual adults. In recent years, young adult literature has been adapted into film and television series and while representation has improved since the early years of entertainment history, there are still problems in the industry: many of the stereotypes remain, some minorities lack representation, and characters of specific skin tones have been altered to fit a more mainstream accepted image. The past portrayals affected the way minorities viewed themselves and the current portrayals are continuing these same detrimental effects.
Recommended Citation
Bennett, Kynnadie, "Entertainment Media Perceptions of Minorities in Young Adult Adaptations" (2020). Honors College Theses. 59.
https://digitalcommons.murraystate.edu/honorstheses/59
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Included in
Children's and Young Adult Literature Commons, Fiction Commons, Literature in English, North America, Ethnic and Cultural Minority Commons, Other Film and Media Studies Commons