The democratisation of science - shifting science governance, work opportunities and ideologies away from the exclusive domains of elite minorities and into the hands of the people - is an important aim of science communication. If communication products such as television series can influence people�s relationships with science in terms of their career choices, belief systems and feelings of ownership over science, then it is important for science communicators to understand what television series are saying about science. In this thesis I examine representations of science in the long-running science fiction television series, 'Doctor Who'. In particular I analyse the social, cultural, political and economic aspects of this representation to assess its consistency with four goals for the democratisation of science: goals that I name franchise (lay empowerment in science governance), equality (equal access to opportunities in science workplaces and careers), progress (democratic choice about the role of technology in our lives and our societies) and enlightenment (democratic freedom to choose our beliefs and worldviews about the universe). Analysing the more than 200 'Doctor Who' serials broadcast between 1963 and 2008, I first give an overview of broad trends in the way the program has dealt with science themes and characters across four decades (1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 2000s), finding significant changes over that period. I then analyse in greater theoretical depth three ways that debates about the democratisation of science manifest within 'Doctor Who'. I show that the program varies in the degree to which it is consistent with the goals for the democratisation of science. First, I investigate plotlines that depict struggles for science governance within societies and that show people trying to achieve democratic outcomes by renegotiating their relationship to science. Within that discussion I show that the literary construct of �the hero� can obstruct democratic outcomes in the struggles for science governance that disenfranchised characters face. In this regard, I link �the hero� to the social construct of �the expert� in real world science, which has also been critiqued as obstructive to democratisation ends. Second, I investigate real-world public dissent to ideologies of science as they are expressed allegorically in the program. Such expressions manifest through themes that counterpose one ideological position on science (such as liberal humanism) to another ideological position (such as technorationalism) in the form of a battle between archetypal characters who embody these principles. Responding to the work of scholars who have elaborated this point, I show that such expressions of dissent to science can be twisted and undermined to serve scientistic ideals through the clever manipulation of the literary imagery that is generally associated with antiscience protest. Third and finally, I investigate the role-modelling function of scientist and non-scientist characters in 'Doctor Who': do they role-model empowered or disempowered positions for audiences within the institution of science? In concert with the literature I show that some structural elements of fiction - including the presence of a fallible scientist hero or an ensemble cast - can contribute positively to the capacity of characters to fulfil a positive role-modelling function that encourages equality in the science workplace and open access to science for all.

This thesis explores the intersection of folkloric ritual theory and popular culture, expressed in science fiction television. The three-part rite of passage model established by folklorist Arnold van Gennep and later expounded upon by anthropologist Victor Turner is used as an analytical tool to establish the themes and structures of two popular television programs, Battlestar Galactica and Doctor Who. Both contain structures that resemble a rite of passage and exhibit a particular feature of the liminal stage of a rite of passage: ludic recombination. In the discussion of Battlestar Galactica, the plot arc of the entire series is analyzed as a rite of passage. On Doctor Who, the ritual model is examined as a structural component of the "companion" character. The structure and features of rites of passage allow science fiction narratives to explore sociocultural issues and existential themes in a meaningful way.

In this paper I have studied the two new religious phenomena, Temple of the Jedi Order and Whovianism, based on the cognitive concept of man dominated by schemas that characterize the outcome of adequate response to new situations. This principle is about how man faces new situations through old knowledge and experience of similar events. For this study, I analyzed selected stories in which individuals describe their religious interest and involvement in the Star Wars movies, and the related religious community Temple of the Jedi Order, as well as the television series Doctor Who, with the associated religious community Whovianism. This study was inspired by phenomenographic method by which researchers focus on the perceived and how it is conveyed in the respective story. The results of this study show that new religious phenomena, such as the Temple of the Jedi Order and Whovianism, can be explained using the theory of cognitive schemas.  The study shows that the individuals, whose stories have been examined, use ancient knowledge and experiences on the different aspects conveyed by Star Wars and Doctor Who and through this a new religious community is born.

No description available.

No description available.

Shortly after Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol was released in 1843, a tradition of adaptation began which has continued seemingly unabated to the present day. Consequently, the tale has become so widely known that one is arguably as likely to have first encountered the iconic miser Scrooge through any number of audio-visual adaptations as through the original work itself. Significant critical attention has been paid to the nature of Scrooge's drastic change from miser to philanthropist. Many would argue that the change, happening both literally and figuratively overnight, is not representative of a genuine psychological transformation. On Christmas day, 2010, Stephen Moffat, Show-runner of the popular sci-fi series Doctor Who, became the latest adapter of the classic tale, with a Christmas themed episode of the series titled Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol. This paper addresses the Scrooge Problem, or the debated legitimacy of Scrooge's transformation. A study of A Christmas Carol and Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol reveals that Dickens in fact represents a genuine transformation based on one primary concept, time as a cyclical journey. This concept accommodates Dickens's belief in the transformative power of childhood memory and the nature of sympathy. Scrooge's transformation is brought to pass in part through his evolving understanding of the nature of time, a phenomenon which becomes even more apparent in Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol.

Il est question d’analyser une tendance marquée des séries de science-fiction contemporaines, qui proposent un récit complexe et feuilletonnant, impliquant une intense participation de la part des spectateur.ice.s ; ces dernie.re.s se voient promettre, via l’énigme, la quête et/ou le voyage dans le temps, un dénouement qui serait la conséquence logique des évènements mis en scène. Au travers des énigmes de Lost (2004-2010, ABC), de la quête des humains dans Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009, Sci-Fi) ou de l’utilisation du voyage dans le temps dans Doctor Who (2005- ?, BBC1), il est possible de déceler des mécanismes narratifs visant à entretenir l’illusion d’une progression réfléchie vers un dénouement tantôt mis en avant, tantôt repoussé, dans un contexte de production où les scénaristes ne sont pas maîtres de leur récit. Babylon 5 (1993-1999, TNT), série dont le récit a été effectivement prévu à l’avance, sert de maître-étalon, tandis que Fringe (Fox, 2008-2013) permet d’envisager les limites de cette tendance. La capacité de ces programmes à construire une « intrigue macroscopique » à l’échelle de la série toute entière, éclaire plus largement les processus narratifs à l’œuvre dans la majorité des séries narrativement complexes contemporaines (au sens de Mittell). Au fil des liens avec l’intrigue des cycles littéraires, et d’une méthodologie centrée sur la visualisation de l’intrigue macroscopique, on peut, en s’appuyant sur une narratologie des séries télévisées encore expérimentale, entrevoir une poétique de l’écriture prospective télévisuelle. Dans une perspective contextualiste, il est vital de garder en vue les conditions d’écriture, de production et de réception de ces objets atypiques ; en retour, ces récits prospectifs apportent un nouvel éclairage au projet d’une narratologie transmédiatique porté par les études contemporaines du récit. / The aim of this work is to analyse a specific trend in contemporary science-fiction TV series : narratively complex programs (Mittell) that require an increased investment from the viewer and seem to make the promise of a logical and fulfilling ending where truth is revealed, quests are achieved and time-travel paradoxes are resolved. Looking at the mysteries from Lost (2004-2010, ABC), the quest of the Thirteenth Tribe in Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009, Sci-Fi) or the never-ending use of time-travel in Doctor Who (2005- ?, BBC1), it is possible to isolate narrative mechanisms that alternately foreshadow and defer the ending, in a world where writers can’t have full control over the plot. Babylon 5 (1993-1999, TNT), a show written in advance by its creator, will be our Rosetta Stone, while Fringe (Fox, 2008-2013) will take us to the edge of that growing trend. These programs’ ability to construct a “macroscopic plot” on the scale of the entire series, shines a light on narrative process operating in the majority of narratively complex TV series. Taking a closer look at research on literary cycles, and creating narrative diagrams to visualize this macroscopic plot, it is possible to outline a poetic of prospective writing, drawing on television series narratology. Following a contextualist view, it is important to consider the writing, production, reception of these programs; in return, studying macroscopic plots in TV series can give new clues for transmedial narratology (Herman).

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / This research aims to point which would the place that fandoms could occupy inside the production process managed by culture industries inside the convergence culture context. So, we chose the Brittish TV Show “Doctor Who” as a starting point because it has a lot of features of the convergence culture presented by the authors we used and also because of its longevity and adaptability during all these 50 years on air. Then, we bring up the concept of convergence culture based on Aquino (2012) who proposes a theoretical triad ir order to comprehend this issue: technology, society and culture. So, we add the economic feature to her statement through an approach that values the “Theoretical Interdisciplinarity” (KLEIN, 2010) intending to include a general overview. Only after that we come up with a generic model that includes fans and, at last, we chose two of the biggest Brazilian fandoms to instace this model. A content analys based on the entire production of both groups in Twitter during November 2013 was made. This was the period when the Doctor Who 50-year anniversary was emphasized by BBC and it was inside Twitter that Brazilian fans respondend to that when they got mobilized for the annyversary especial showing at the movies. So, through a combination of content analysis (BARDIN, 1995) and interviews with the fandom leaders, we could find that the generic model could be applicable in both specific cases and thet the cultural industries players hás been proposing new strategies that, at the same time, pitch in with the maintenance of a productive cicle managed by them but also opens to fandom a role as an intermediary instance capable of guide the consumption of the other audiences. / Esta pesquisa tem a intenção de situar o lugar que os fandoms podem ocupar dentro do processo de produção coordenado pelas indústrias culturais no contexto da cultura da convergência. Para isto, escolhemos a série britânica "Doctor Who" como ponto de partida, pois, dada sua adaptabilidade ao longo dos mais de 50 anos do ar, ela tem se adaptado com muita eficácia ao contexto da cultura da convergência. O segundo passo foi levantar o conceito de convergência a partir da proposta de Aquino (2012) que aborda a temática a partir de um tripé teórico: tecnologia, sociedade e cultura. A partir desse ponto, o que propomos é adicionar o aspecto da economia à ideia da autora através de uma abordagem que preza pela “interdiscipliniridade teórica” (KLEIN, 2010) na tentativa de compreender a questão de uma forma mais geral e só então é que propomos o nosso modelo. Por último então escolhemos os dois maiores fandoms brasileiros da série para ilustrar esse modelo através de uma análise de conteúdo dos seus perfis no Twitter. Foi possível perceber também que em novembro de 2013 a BBC intensificou a divulgação de material promocional em relação ao aniversário de 50 anos, sobretudo relacionado ao especial a ser exibido no cinema e, com isso, a mobilização dos fãs acompanhou o mesmo movimento, por isso este foi o período escolhido para ser detalhado. Definidos os parâmetros, utilizamos uma aliança entre análise de conteúdo (BARDIN, 1995) e entrevistas com os administradores dos grupos a fim de constatar a aplicabilidade do modelo proposto para nesses casos em específico e que os players das indústrias culturais têm proposto novas estratégias que, ao mesmo tempo contribuem para a manutenção de um ciclo produtivo comandado por eles, abre espaço para a inserção dos fandoms como uma espécie de instância intermediária capaz de guiar o consumo das audiências.

Main focus of my Master's Thesis is to conduct a research of mythological elements and themes that appear within the narrative structure of selected episodes of BBC television series Doctor Who, deriving from the initial hypothesis that such mythological patterns are still recurring and repeating even in the structure of stories produced by modern show-business industries, which renders their content intrinsically more attractive for any audience. We analyse selected episodes from both arks of the Doctor Who's story individually - the old one, which began in the sixties, and the new one, which is considered to be a reboot of the original series and aired in 2005. The originally intended educative element of the series and its sudden disappearance is also a part of our research. Main analysis of our paper consists of a semiotic analysis of the text of the television series utilizing the point of view of the critical reader that was introduced by Umberto Eco, and deriving from the definition of modern myth that appears in works of Roland Barthes, archaic myth, studied for example by Carl Lévi- Strauss, and Jungian archetypes.

No description available.