Introduce PAPER 1

PAPER 1: MEDIA LITERACY/MEDIA EFFECTS

ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTION:

Media literacy and media effects (318-323) are closely intertwined. This assignment is intended to drive that point home. You should watch a one-hour original television program (not two 30 minute programs). The genre does not matter: you could watch a sitcom, an episodic drama, news, a reality show, sports programming, or whatever you choose. You shouldtake notes during the program. You may even choose to record it to assist you with the written component of your assignment. You may stream the show or watch it on the internet, though you must watch “new” programming (i.e., not a rerun of last year’s Super Bowl or Breaking Bad). At the top of your written assignment, write the day, time, channel, and name of the program you watched.

REQUIREMENTS:

For the written portion of your assignment, address the following questions:

1) Would Potter (the author of your media literacy reading) argue that being media literate as it relates to this program is important? Why or why not?

2) How does this television program compare to what you normally consume on television? (i.e., is this a program you usually watch? Is it similar to other shows you watch often? Is this program nothing like what you normally watch?) How is this relevant for your own personal media literacy? How might this program impact you, given your own building blocks of media literacy? [Hint: this is where you should start tying media literacy and media effects together.]

3) Given what you are reading about media effects, how might media scholars expect you to be affected based on this one program? How might their expectations change, based on how you responded to the first half of question two? Your answers to question three should include what theory or theories support those expectations.

4) Similar to question three: how would scholars expect the general audience of this program to be affected over time?

Your paper should be 4 pages long.

You MUST provide a list of cited sources at the end of your paper (see below). This citation page does not count as one ofyour 4 pages.

You MUST cite Potter. 

You MUST cite your textbook (Baran). 

You MUST cite at least two additional works. 

Your response to EACH question should contain at least one citation. 

A NOTE ABOUT CITING YOUR SOURCES: There are several styles for citations. Whichever you use is fine as long as you are 1) consistent and 2) it is clear what you are citing. Your citations should be direct. Examples: “Agenda setting is a form of status conferral” (Vivian, p. 404). Or: “According to Vivian, agenda setting is a form of status conferral” (p. 46).

 Baran, Stanley. Introduction to Mass Communication: Media Literacy and Culture (9th edition). McGraw Hill.