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Blog 4- Class Action

Class cannot be neatly categorized as purely a function of capital- that is, money may be the core determinant of class but it is not the only signifier. Rather, class is demonstrated, according to Leistyna and Alper (2009), in three interrelated ways: economic class, political class, and cultural class. We show what class we are by our clothing, our language, our access to education, and our neighborhood. Consequently, class is difficult to quantify as the simply sum of its parts. There are indicators, but these indicators are fluid and not necessarily descriptive of one particular social class.

This week, you’ll be asked to pick up a newspaper (as long as it has a Classified section) and examine the wedding announcements. Wedding announcements are especially interesting because they are both a notice to the community about the event itself and a form of “advertisement” for the people; all the details included have been very carefully chosen. Focus your attention on one announcement of your choice and give a description of some of the indicators of class that appear (residency (where they live), education, employment, family history, even the picture itself). How is class demonstrated to the reading public in this announcement? Why do you think certain indicators have been included? What kind of newspaper is the announcement in and what does that say about the social class of the couple?

As a side note, please do not use the names of the individuals, nor link the actual announcement to the blog. A simple description will suffice.

Blog 3- Coverage and a Critical Lens

The devastation of the earthquake in Haiti will continue to have profound and challenging ramifications for the people of the island and the various diaspora around the world for years to come. The earthquake has killed untold thousands of people, destroyed lives, and badly crippled an already struggling infrastructure. The damage is nearly incalculable.

We turn this week to the coverage of Haiti as we attempt to make sense of this event as Canadians. This is not to trivialize the horrors of the event, which are undeniable, nor is it to unjustly or narcissistically turn the focus on to those of us in comfortable North America, but it is to consider how media coverage has constructed our understanding of the event and how that has influenced our response.

Spend some time this week watching news coverage of the earthquake and consider some of the “critical lens” that Dr. Steinberg talked about this week in class. Who is talking in the various stories? Who isn’t speaking? What kind of text is the station using to describe the event? What kind of music is being employed? What is the nature of the stories? (statistics, personal narrative, etc.) What kinds of pictures are employed? What is the nationality of those who are the subjects of the story?

Think about the issues of race, class, and gender in your response. How is this event being presented to Canadians and what kind of response is it attempting to elicit?

Blog 2- Questions We Ask

This week in class, Dr. Steinberg guided us through an examination of television and film trailers to consider how media are constructed and the ways in which we might respond to them. What was abundantly clear at the conclusion of the lecture was that media are never simply transparent or obvious, and that we must come to the same conclusion as Jeff Share when he states that “Media are thus not neutral disseminators of information because the nature of the construction and interpretation processes entail bias and social influence.” (Share, “Media Literacy is Elementary”, p. 18) Media intends to construct a response in us and we in turn respond to media as individuals.

In Chapter Two, Share mentions several conceptual frameworks or core concepts for understanding media, including his own (see Appendix B). His framework provides the critical observer with some key questions (or prompts) that should be asked whenever they are presented with some form of media.

Share presents six prompts to consider:
1. What contexts affect the message of the media text?
2. How is the media text put together?
3. What are the different ways the media text could be understood?
4. What are the different messages, either obvious or subtle, that can be read in the media text?
5. Why was the media text created and why was it sent?
6. Who or what group is benefiting and who or what group is suffering from this media text?
(Share, “Media Literacy is Elementary”, p. 144-145)

In light of this week’s lecture, your first task is to find a film trailer that appeals to you. Secondly, select ONE of Share’s core questions and apply it to the trailer.

Clearly state which of Share’s questions you are using. Begin by describing the trailer so that we are clear about “what is happening?” in the thirty or so seconds you are examining. Then, simply answer the question in response to the trailer. Think about how the trailer is put together and what kinds of images and emotions it is trying to elicit in the audience. Media, we have seen, is never transparent.

Documentary on The Simpsons and the twentieth anniversary. How much have The Simpsonsimpacted our society?

Hi all, make sure you blog before 5pm tomorrow (Sunday)–I am really enjoying reading them. There will be NO LABS on Monday, we will start on the 18th. There will be a new syllabus calendar posted this week. Make sure you are checking your webct. shirley

Blog 1- Media Memory

Because this is the first blog of the semester, consider this a chance to stretch your proverbial legs and get used to the idea of having a publically-mediated discussion. Engage. Consider. Enjoy.

Dr. Steinberg raised a number of interesting issues in class this week, notably the impact media has on youth and the development of stereotypes. For example, her discussion of the portrayal of African-American women in hip hop and the depiction of their bodies leads us to think about how these images drive our thinking about race, sexuality, and the role of women in an industry dominated by men. In short, media helps pattern what we think.

Think back to your earliest media memory again. What was the impact of that media on you as a child? Discuss here how you think that media may have impacted you as a child or may indeed still be impacting you today.

Finally, if you’d like, feel free to include any other thoughts you may have had on the first class or any of the items we discussed this week. What struck you about any of the ideas raised in this week’s lecture?

PS. Be sure to read what your classmates have written here too. Engage the prompt but feel free to comment on other people’s commentary.