Award Date

5-1-2014

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts in Journalism and Media Studies

Department

Journalism and Media Studies

First Committee Member

Gregory Borchard

Second Committee Member

Gary Larson

Third Committee Member

Lawrence Mullen

Fourth Committee Member

Tara Emmers-Sommer

Number of Pages

98

Abstract

The focus of this proposed thesis will be on the animated propaganda films the studios of Walt Disney produced for the government during World War II, analyzing three of the most widely viewed animated features: The New Spirit (1942), Der Fuehrer's Face (1943), and Education for Death: The Making of the Nazi (1943). These government-financed films were used to encourage Americans to pay their taxes; they generally depicted Germany as a threatening enemy and encouraged support for America's effort and involvement in the war. Using a semiotics theoretical approach, the thesis will analyze these films as propaganda to demonstrate how they were created to influence audiences. The conclusions of the study will assess their effectiveness.

Keywords

Animation; Journalism—Semiotics; Propaganda; American; Semiotics and motion pictures; Walt Disney Productions; World War II

Disciplines

Broadcast and Video Studies | History | Journalism Studies | Mass Communication

File Format

pdf

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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