Implicit Bias in a Police Drama: An Analysis of S.W.A.T.

Implicit bias is, often unknowingly, inserted into the mainframe of the American psyche, prefacing each interaction in which we partake with an involuntary act of discrimination. One way in which implicit bias infiltrates society is through television. This is especially problematic for television dramas that display the most vulnerable interactions among its characters. The current study zeroes in on the imagery produced by police dramas. Specifically, it analyzes the beginning episodes of the first season of S.W.A.T., a fictional police drama that follows the lives of a team of police officers within a tactical unit. This study will observe verbal and nonverbal cues exhibited within the first 10 episodes of the first season that signify implicit biases.

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Criminal Justice and Criminology

Grantor

Texas State University

Year dc:date.issued

2023

Author dc:creator

• Chewe, Mia

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Arnio, Ashley N.

• implicit bias
• race
• stereotypes
• police
• media
• entertainment
• drama
• prejudice

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/10877/17526

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digital.library.txst.edu:10877/17526