Class Year
2015
Access Type
Open Access
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department or Program
Media Studies Program
First Advisor
William Hoynes
Second Advisor
Philip Scepanski
Recommended Citation
McCabe, Maia, "Marine to Muslim: Islam, Terror, and United States Foreign Policy on Homeland" (2015). Senior Capstone Projects. 428.
https://digitalwindow.vassar.edu/senior_capstone/428
Comments
My thesis is in two parts: The first focuses on television’s response to the September 11th attacks, as well as the economics and content of premium cable channels such as HBO and Showtime. The second explores Showtime’s Homeland as a case study, focusing specifically on its depictions of terror, Islam, and U.S. foreign policy (as the title suggests.) The project examines both Homeland’s first and fourth (most recent) seasons and deeply explores the content of the show. Finally, Homeland’s controversial critical reception is reviewed. Arguments both in favor of and against the show’s depictions of the topics listed above are explored from multiple angles. By and large, I judge Homeland to be a “progressive” show though my analysis cannot account for every aspect of the show’s complexity nor the complexity of its audience reception. Nevertheless, my study underscores the necessity of exploring popular media for the insights it can provide about our cultural juncture as well as its capacity to shape mass perceptions of vital contemporary issues.