Theses and Dissertations from UMD

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2

New submissions to the thesis/dissertation collections are added automatically as they are received from the Graduate School. Currently, the Graduate School deposits all theses and dissertations from a given semester after the official graduation date. This means that there may be up to a 4 month delay in the appearance of a give thesis/dissertation in DRUM

More information is available at Theses and Dissertations at University of Maryland Libraries.

Browse

Filters

20082

Settings

Subject: search.filters.subject.Enculturation

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    The Enculturative Function of Toys and Games in Ancient Greece and Rome
    (2008) Layne, Jaime Marie; Holum, Kenneth G; History; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    Title of Thesis: THE ENCULTURATIVE FUNCTION OF TOYS AND GAMES IN ANCIENT GREECE AND ROME Jaime Marie Layne, Master of Arts, 2008 Thesis directed by: Professor Kenneth G. Holum Department of History The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the enculturative function of children's toys and games in ancient Greece and Rome. Children's play has been shown to affect their development on many different levels including cognitive, behavioral, and psychological. Play is also one method through which cultures work to enculturate children. Enculturation is the process by which cultural values and behaviors are transmitted from adults to children. In chapter 1, I review the historical background of study of enculturation. In chapter 2, I discuss the evidence for ancient Greek and Roman children's toys and games. In chapter 3, I examine the contribution toys and games made to the enculturation of children in ancient Greece and Rome. I conclude that, while children's entertainment was not the only method of enculturation used in ancient Greece and Rome, it was one important part of the network of cultural institutions focused on this process.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Enculturation and Acculturation of television use among Asian Indians in the U.S.
    (2008-04-18) Somani, Indira Satyanarayan; Heider, Don; Journalism; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)
    This study explored how a cohort of Asian Indians who migrated to the U.S. nearly 40 years ago have become acculturated to watching Indian television via the satellite dish. The study used the integrative communication theory and how two concepts of the theory relate to adaptation: enculturation, the process of socialization individuals undergo in their native culture; and acculturation, the process in which newcomers acquire some, but not all, aspects of their new host culture (Kim, 2001). Oral history interviews were conducted with 10 couples who migrated to the U.S. between 1960 and 1972 in the Washington Metro area to understand their media use over the past 40 years and why they watch Indian television via the satellite dish. The study produced findings that described how these Asian Indians used American television to acculturate to the U.S.; as well as how this cohort learned the act of watching television. Another finding was that the portrayal of India and Indian culture in American media was stereotypical. The third finding showed described how these Asian Indians maintained their sense of Indian culture through using other forms of media and cultural practices. The fourth finding demonstrated how Asian Indians discovered a new way to stay connected to their culture, particularly in real time as they watched Indian programming via the satellite dish. The fifth finding was that this cohort used American television as a filter through which they judged Indian television. Overall, these Asian Indians were found to believe Indian programming was copying Western culture. The study concluded with analysis of how this cohort changed its media habits as media technology itself changed over time. The study showed how diasporic communities form through media use, as well as how audiences also become fragmented and individualized in their choice of media. It uncovered the ways how these Asian Indians became skilled television viewers and could distinguish between good and bad programming.