Degree Name
Master of Science
Graduate Program
Mass Communication and Media Arts
Advisor
Sarah Lewison
Abstract
Korean dramas have played an influential role in Taiwanese society since they were first introduced into Taiwan. One of the most dominant themes in most Korean dramas is the theme of love. As a story topic, love accounts for about ninety percent of the themes dealt with by these dramas. By applying the theoretical idea of cultural proximity, and by using content analysis to analyze the underlying values contained in the dramas, this study examines the theme of love in these dramas. The data pool includes 10 popular Korean dramas aired between the years of 2008 and 2012. Using these 10 dramas as a sample, I examine whether contemporary feminist attitudes about women’s autonomy play a role in how Taiwanese audiences identify with stories about love in Korean dramas. Through interviews with four television station managers from companies including LTV, ETTV, Videoland Drama and ELTA, I also gathered information about the process of localization within Korean dramas. In addition to the above strategies, my study incorporates secondary data to analyze related reports and statistical data about Korean dramas.