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Sitcom Friends: Discourse Analysis

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CHAPTER IV
METHODOLOGY
A. Research Design This study aims to analyze the representation of different genders in the sitcom Friends and find out what role humor plays in this portrayal. This study employed a qualitative discourse analysis as its research design.
Discourse Analysis
Discourse analysis is a method of analyzing media texts that looks at the interplay of knowledge and power (domination of men and subordination of women and the genderqueer) in discourse. It examines how texts are used to reflect and maintain dominant ideologies while suppressing those which do not fall within these ideologies. Moreover, discourse analysis is an interpretive process and is, therefore, subjective. As a result, the interpretation formed from the researcher’s …show more content…

Data Gathering The researcher secured all episodes of the sitcom Friends from its pilot episode which aired on September 22, 1994 up to the final season finale broadcasted on May 6, 2004.
The researcher viewed the entire ten seasons of the Friends series at least twice. The researcher first casually watched all 236 episodes of Friends without being informed much about dominant gender ideologies, feminist theory, and queer theory. The second time it was viewed in full, the researcher looked for the relationship between the text and the theories used in this study.

C. Method of …show more content…

Adorable. Courageous. Terrified. Monica's best friend from high school. Has worked for none of what she has. On her own for the first time. And equipped to do nothing.
MONICA GELLER (Played by Courteney Cox) – Smart. Cynical. Defended. Very attractive. Had to work for everything she has. An assistant chef for a chic uptown restaurant. And a romantic disaster area.
PHOEBE BUFFAY (Played by Lisa Kudrow) – Sweet. Flaky. New Age Waif. Monica's former roommate. Sells barrettes on the street and plays guitar in the subway. A good soul.
ROSS GELLER (Played by David Schwimmer) – Intelligent. Emotional. Romantic. Monica's brother. Suddenly divorced. Facing singlehood with phenomenal reluctance. A paleontologist. Not that it matters.
CHANDLER BING (Played by Matthew Perry) – Droll. Dry. A wry observer of everyone's life. And his own. Works in front of a computer doing something tedious in a claustrophobic cubicle in a nondescript office building. Survives by way of his sense of humor. And

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