The Construction of Intelligence in American Media:

How Television Characterization Defines “Nerd” Identity to Reveal Sociological

Subjugation.

Sarah BlumenbergCMC 200 – Spring 2013

Final Paper

The Big Five

• Topic: Intelligence Perception• Focus: The Construction of the “Nerd”• Method: Textual and Content Analysis• Target: The Big Bang Theory• Goals: To show social subjugation masked by

intellectual markers, but in reality based on social fluency.

Methods

• Textual Analysis of the Pilot Episode • Content Analysis of the first and last episode of

Seasons 1-3.– They connect in that they say similar things about

how the nerd is constructed: one by more visual signifiers and one by more dialogue-related signifiers.

– Additionally, I included the Pilot episode in my content analysis as well in order to connect the two further

Discussion

• “Othering”– “Normal” othering “nerds”– “Nerds” othering themselvs from “normal”– “Nerds” othering amongst themselves

• Consumerism• Autism– Socially awkward VS Autism– Where is the line?