Guide Study for Final Exam -- Media/Society Text & other readings (you are also responsible for class notes/hand-outs/videos)
Exam format: the exam will consist of a section of short answer questions worth 70 points, and two short essays (each worth 15 points). Chapter 5: Ideology Be able to define and apply the concept of Ideology Be able to define and apply the concept of Hegemony How is power connected with hegemony? When we talk about hegemonic presentations of race, for example, who stands to benefit from these presentations and how does that reflect power distribution in society? Be able to give some examples of how racial stereotypes conveyed by media have supported hegemony. What about gender--how have some media portrayals been hegemonic? Within media, are there challenges to the "dominant ideologies"? Why must hegemony be "flexible"? How does it respond to alternative views or challenges? Be able to illustrate with an example from media portrayals. What ideologies are reflected in the news media in its attention to elites and through economic news? What approach do the authors advocate to studying ideology in media texts? What ideologies are evident in action-adventure films? What might account for the story line and popularity of the Vietnam films, such as Rambo? How can the shifts in the way television has portrayed the family be seen as reflections on the changing meaning of the family in society? In what way are even the most contentious views of family life treated in a way that preserves a dominant ideology? How can rap music been seen as an ideological critique of mainstream American society? (Be able to define counter-hegemonic.) What are the cultural contradictions within rap? What are the dominant ideologies within advertising? Historically, what was the overarching goal of advertising? What advertising strategies promoted this goal? Review the terminology hand-out for semiotics (and material from web-site assigned). How can we draw upon semiotic analysis in studying media texts? Be familiar with terms such as sign, signifier, signified, denotation, connotation, paradigmatic and syntagmatic relationships, and myth. Be able to analyze an ad using these tools and discuss how meaning is being constructed in the ad. Chapter 6: Social inequality and media representation Media content has been studied as a reflection of producers, society in general, as a source of influence on audiences, and as self-enclosed texts. Be familiar with the emphasis of each of these different approaches. Be able to give an example of what a study that focuses on each would look like. What are some of the ways that media present "whiteness" as the norm? What are some of the implications of taking "whiteness" as the norm?
2 Evaluate the performance of media in terms of "Inclusion," "Roles," and "Control" for race/ethnicity, gender, social class, and sexual orientation. How have the images of these different groups changed over time? What are the limitations of contemporary portrayals? Be familiar with the arguments in the DVD, "Class Dismissed," that we viewed in class. Also be familiar with examples of kids TV ads like we saw in class and the way production techniques contribute to the construction of stereotypes. What different messages may come from entertainment media vs. news media? How might they reinforce each other? What are some ways that stereotypes can be countered? Chapter 7: Media influence and the political world How have media, especially television, influenced the actions of political elites? How does the emphasis on image affect the dynamics of campaigns? What strategies are used by politicians to "manage" the media? Think about the use of advertising and news media efforts. How have media affected the role of political party organizations? In what way do media cover elections as a horse race ? What might be the effects of this on citizens? Be able to contrast the nature of media effects in the "hypodermic" model, twostep flow, agenda-setting, and cultivation theory. Consult the hand-out on theories too. What role can "new media" play in political campaigns or in the publics awareness & participation in politics? Why do some see promise in newer media (Internet/video games) in reaching young people? In our class exercise on this, what conclusions do you draw about the potential or websites or games to attract and engage young people in civic/political life? How can entertainment TV contribute to peoples understandings of the political world? Example?
Chapter 8: Active Audiences and the construction of meaning
What do we mean by "active audience?" What is the nature of audience interpretive activity? Active audience, meaning that the readers of media have some say in the message of the media. (media messages do not tell people what to think or how to behave) three basic ways in which media have been active: individual interpretation of media products, through collective interpretation of media, and through collective political action. Audience interpretation is a form of agency. (meanings are constructed, interpret messages socially) What do we mean by idea that media texts are polysemic? Under what conditions is there more likely to be a dominant or preferred message? Polysemic- texts have multiple meanings. Different meanings according to different interpretations. There is a dominant message, when producers are concerned with making a profit. (John Fiske argues that a dominant interpretation is likely but there is enough
3 material that doesnt quite ,,fit) But there are recurrent themes across content. Production techniques help structure meaning) What are the factors that shape audiences' readings of text what do we mean by "social location"? Social location- influential factors like social position, social class, and cultural codes. Economic background, education, . . . (theories: Reception, social location, social context) Be able to give a basic finding from the research reported on how: Class status made a difference in audiences' interpretations of the Nationwide program Tendency of people from different socioeconomic classes to interpret the meaning of television program I different ways. People can read preferred meaning and develop a " negotiated" reading, or draw in extratextual resources to construct an "oppositional" reading. Nationwide Study- coverage of economic issues, bank managers saw little controversy in presentation of economy, perfect fit with views of bank managers. Trade unionists saw the economic coverage as favoring management. Younger management trainees saw it as ideological, but saw it as favoring unions. Middle class students criticize for lack of inclusion of detail in coverage, black working class thought it a trivial program, too detailed and boring. Lacked entertainment value. s Culture made a difference in how viewers of different nationalities made sense of Dallas Dallas Study- decodings of six different ethnic groups, arabs and Moroccan jews retell episode in great detail, Americans and kibbutzniks focus on the characters instead of plot, Russians explained message of program instead of action or the characters. Arabs engaged with program. Japan did not like the show at all, very few connection to their own lives. Every ethnic groups perception was connected with their sense of their own society, and with their view of the characters motivations. Members of different races "decoded" the Cosby show White audiences interpreted huxtable family "white" because they were upper middle class, or they saw the huxtable success as an indication that of the end of racism in the US, providing evidence that black families can be just like white families. Black audiences were pleased to see a positive representation, some black folks believed that the huxtables were too white. What kind of tools are in audiences' cultural tool kits as they decode media? How does their social location influence some of the tools in their tool kits? Discursive resources- ex, language, concepts and assumptions associated with a particular subculture. Cultural tools- information about world, ideologies, social contacts. Paired up with social.class different tools, social classes and cultures mean people possess different kinds of discursive resources.
4 How does the social context of media use further affect the "meanings" audiences make of media? Social context, allows us to draw interpretations of media through influence of social groups. We often experience media with others, make sense of media relative to other social experiences or roles. Be familiar with Radway's study on romance reading and how the act of reading the romance was in and of itself significant. The simple act of reading the romance novels was important, women take the time to themselves, an escape from the demands of daily lives and confinements of role of wive and mother. Romance novels, represents a kind of freedom, escape from the constraints of their social existence, by taking time to enter fairy tale world of romance heroine. Act of reading these types of books, suggests that women's needs emotionally and whatnot are not fulfilled. What do we mean when we say readings are "preferred or dominant", oppositional, or negotiated? Examples? Preferred or dominant readings, are the intentional messages of producers, the message that media texts are ,,encoded with. Negotiated readings are when people develop an interpretation using the dominant meaning along with external sources. Oppositional readings are those that contradict or reject the dominant meaning/messages. Duke study- White girls believed the dominant message, Black girls rejected beauty as blonde and blue eyed, rejected the idea that makeup made one beautiful. Negotiated, the black girls. . . Apply this to the example of Cops we saw in class. Dominant- the white cops are good, fix things. Negotiated- abuse of power, poor helpless kid. Oppositional- do cops have nothing better else to do than intimidate kids? Not such a good guy? Are they. . .. Be familiar with No Comment example of Ms. magazine as interpretive resistance. Other examples? No Comment- a space where readers identify images of blatant sexism. The images put on display were decoded in ways that opposed their dominant meaning, so that the traditional definitions of what it means to be a woman could be resisted. Other examples- . . . . . What are the sources of "pleasure" in media experiences? What types of pleasures come from playing "celebrity games"? Can you think of any of your own examples of this? Social activity, go to the movies with friends, share music, discuss media together. Pleasure and fantasy allows us to change roles, imagine that we are different, sole social problems, live in utopia. Fascination with celebrities, keep tabs with them through lots of media. Gossip is fun, "playing the game, sharing information about celebrity lives" Enjoy the challenges of seeing behind the images, unmasking celebrity fictions. I love watching movies with other people, celebrities make a fun source of conversation. . . . What are some examples of audiences taking collective action to resist media messages?
5 Activist groups? . . . Flashdance and MTV break traditional portrayals of women p. 292, the sexuality of these portrayal of women as strong independent and sexual females, how doe this affect the younger generation.
Chapter 10: Media in a Changing Global Culture
What did McLuhan think would happen worldwide with the development of electronic media? People of the world would be brought closer together as they made their voices heard. Mass communications would unite different cultures as different views were shared, "global village" What is globalization? The proliferation of messages and media content internationally relating to the changing role of geography and physical distance. Also refers to the exchanging and intermingling of cultures from different parts of the world. How do media play a role in globalization? Media along with transportation, is one of those means that helps exchange content around the world. Instantaneous communication and interaction over far distances. Sharing of culture through images, text, and sound. (resulting in the creation of new hybrid forms of cultural products, and infusion of new ideas into culture) What is the ownership structure of global media? How does this affect the flow of information/entertainment between different countries? Are all countries equally positioned to produce and receive media messages? Ownership of Global Media is largely concentrated in the hands of western powers. Incoming information/entertainment to different countries relays western values, products and messages. For other countries, it becomes harder to produce their own entertainment/informative content much less to export it to other countries. This concentrated ownership drives competition and makes it harder for smaller countries, or less developed countries to compete in such a large-scale business. What is cultural imperialism? What are some of the concerns countries have about letting other countries' media dominate in their cultures? Cultural Imperialism- the imposition of a culture through media products, cultural domination. . Concerns include, the upsetting of values and principles and the diminishing of the local culture, doesnt provide a diversity of beliefs, opinions and such, in terms of norms of individualism, consumerism, emphasis on English language, violence and sex. (other consequences: lose money in attempt to buy products they dont need, creates false wants, unnecessary needs, some people left out of educational aspect of media because of language barriers.) What are some countries doing to preserve local cultures? Some countries have put requirements on the kind of media "imported", censorship, subsidized the creation of media products in their own countries. Canada- puts a French language requirement, , taxes some imported cultural products, and sets laws allotting a certain amount of stations and channels for Canadian TV and radio.
6 Why is American programming so attractive for other countries? Already made content is much cheaper, than to produce their own. Be familiar with examples discussed in class (e.g., Indian film, MTV in different countries). Other articles: Race and ethnicity in local TV news: Framing, story assignments and source selection. Be familiar with the research questions that guided the study and main findings of the study. In what way does this study reflect larger patterns of medias coverage of race? What kinds of effects can this type of coverage have on viewers? Interactions, activities and gender in children's television commercials: A content analysis. Be familiar with the research questions that guided the study and main findings of the study. In what ways did the study find that gender portrayals were more equal than in previous studies? In what ways was there continued evidence of gender stereotyping? What two theories can best explain the types of effects can this type of coverage can have on child viewers? Black in a blonde world: Race and girls' interpretations of the feminine ideal in teen magazines. Be able to describe the kind of research questions that guided the study. Apply reception theory, social location, and social context to the research giving a specific finding from the research to illustrate each of these. Why MTV Digs India What are some of the positive outcomes for India or Indian viewers for the move of MTV into India? What is an example of western artists who "Indianize"? Why does MTV "dig" India? What does Juluri mean when he asserts that the West exoticizes "poverty"? How does it do this and why is this a problem? What do you think Juluri would hope to see in Western medias representations of India?
Sample short answer question: Using sexual orientation, give an example of how media texts have been "flexible" in terms of their treatment of homosexuality? In what way are the representations of gays still constrained? Sample essay question: Crime and violence is pervasive in local TV news. Given this, contrast what kinds of media effects the following theories would predict for audiences exposed to these news
7 stories. Offer a brief description of each theory and then your prediction of how audiences would react to this content. 1. Agenda setting theory 2. Cultivation theory