Media Analyses #3 & #4

DUE April 27, 2024 (11:59pm, EST)
10% | 100 Points  

DIRECTIONS: This assignment is designed to help you develop your skills in evaluating mass media content by analyzing a different types of media messages. Choose two of the below topics—one topic from Option One and a second topic from Option Two—and respond to each with as much depth of thought as possible.  Be sure to demonstrate that you have been studying the appropriate lesson(s), lessons applicable to the topic. Be sure to cite (quotes and/or phrases) the work that you are analyzing.  Be sure to provide complete source information. The format of your response may be any one of the following for each topic response:

  1. a 500-1000 word essay
  2. a 2-4 minute video (in which you talk and/or show items, such as images, quotes, charts, graphs, etc.)
  3. a 15-30 slide print presentation (made with Google Slides, MS PowerPoint, or something similar, that combines printed words with images, quotes, charts, graphs, etc.)

ALTERNATIVE DIRECTIONS: This assignment is designed to help you develop your skills in evaluating mass media content by analyzing a different types of media messages. Choose two of the below topics—one topic from Option One and a second topic from Option Two—and respond to each with as much depth of thought as possible. You may combine the two topics together.  Be sure to demonstrate that you have been studying the appropriate lesson(s), lessons applicable to the topic. Be sure to cite (quotes and/or phrases) the work that you are analyzing.  Be sure to provide complete source information. The format of your response may be any one of the following (combining both selected topics together):

  1. a 1000-1500 word essay
  2. a 3-5 minute video (in which you talk and/or show items, such as images, quotes, charts, graphs, etc.)
  3. a 30-50 slide print presentation (made with Google Slides, MS PowerPoint, or something similar, that combines printed words with images, quotes, charts, graphs, etc.)

TOPICS—Option One:

  1. Watch any two of the films in Unit Four—Case Studies in Media, Power, and Culture | Movies about Radio & Television—one from each category. Aside from the obvious (audio vs. audio/visual) what are the differences between radio and television? Consider how news and entertainment are relayed. Consider how politics have affected the broadcasting of news and entertainment. Compare/contrast the themes of each film, with an emphasized focus upon differences. BONUS POINTS: Because this asks you to pay to watch some films, there is an automatic 6 point bonus for this topic. In addition to making use of two select films, make use of each of the following (making sure to provide complete source information):
  2. Consider the article, “An A.I.-Generated Picture Won an Art Prize. Artists Aren’t Happy.” (Kevin Roose, 2 Sep. 2022, The New York Times). Roose writes, “A.I.-generated art has been around for years. But tools released this year — with names like DALL-E 2, Midjourney and Stable Diffusion — have made it possible for rank amateurs to create complex, abstract or photorealistic works simply by typing a few words into a text box.” Provide an analysis in which you consider why artists aren’t happy about an A.I.-generated picture winning a prize (cite the article) and discuss why you do or do not agree with them. You might consider applying Roose’s concerns to other types of media and their creators (filmmakers, musicians, etc.). In addition to making use of Roose’s article, make use of each of the following (making sure to provide complete source information):
  3. In a 1990s episode of Star Trek: Next Generation, a court hearing is held to determine whether or not the android, Data, is a sentient being or a piece of property. Here is an excerpt from that episode:

    Of course, this discussion of beings as property touches upon the much older issues surrounding the enslavement of human beings, but it also addresses the age-old exploration of what defines humans as human. Often, the definition surrounds what humans feel and think, but also what they create. Consider the legalities and/or ethics of A.I. created works.  In developing your analysis, make use of each of the following (making sure to provide complete source information):

TOPICS—Option Two:

  1. Choose a current media event not listed as an example or a case study for this class (a political event, a criminal event, a photographic event, a music event, a television event, a broadcasted sports event, a cinematic event, or something similar). This event may be in the news or it may be a recent entertainment event. In addition to citing two sources on that particular event, discuss how that current event exists from each perspective:
  2. In her March 30, 2022 article of Letters from an American, Heather Cox Richardson provided a history of how media is regulated in the United States.  In the article, she traces the history of regulation, along with providing an analysis of the current reliability of news media.  (Notice that she backs up her analysis with numerous sources.) Find at least one current example — not provided by Cox Richardson — of how media is regulated, or not regulated, in the United States. How does your example fair with her analysis (does it support the analysis or defy it)? In addition to making use of Richardson’s article, make use of at least four sources from either of these two lessons:

How to Submit Your Work to Me

You have several options:

  1. a 1000-1500 word essay
    1. Via KSU Google Document (see “How to Use KSU Google”).
    2. As a well composed email (sent to clrobins@kent.edu).
    3. As a document (PDF or a word processor document) attached to an email sent to me (clrobins@kent.edu)
  2. a 3-5 minute video (in which you talk and/or show items, such as images, quotes, charts, graphs, etc.)
    1. Via KSU Google Drive: upload it to your Drive account and then share it with me (clrobins@kent.edu)
    2. Via YouTube as an unlisted video
    3. Microsoft One Drive
    4. Dropbox
  3. a 30-50 slide print presentation (made with Google Slides, MS PowerPoint, or something similar, that combines printed words with images, quotes, charts, graphs, etc.)
    1. Via KSU Google Drive
    2. Microsoft One Drive
    3. Dropbox
    4. Convert the slides to a PDF and attach that to an email to me

Once I have received an email–either with the assignment attached or with notification that you have shared it with me–I will send you confirmation of receipt for that assignment, usually within 48 hours of receipt.

How Your Work Will Be Evaluated

Your assignment will be evaluated for clarity of thought expressed, and it must be thorough—fully responding to the topic. It must demonstrate critical thinking skills, particularly as they are tailored to the communication parameters of the medium/media under analysis (media literacy skills).

RUBRIC

An A level assignment follows the assignment directions fully.  It responds to the chosen topic fully, with demonstrated depth of thought and logic. The communication is coherent (clear images, complete sentences,…).  The communication has a professional tone.  The assignment demonstrates having gone through the lesson(s), as well as having thought deeply about the content of what is being taught.

A B level assignment follows the assignment directions fully.  It responds to the chosen topic fully, with some demonstrated depth of thought and/or some logic. The communication is mostly coherent (clear images, complete sentences,…).  The communication has a professional tone.   The assignment demonstrates having gone through the lesson(s), as well as having thought considerably about the content of what is being taught.

A C level assignment mostly follows the assignment directions, but not completely. It responds to the chosen topic, there is not much demonstrated depth of thought and/or  logic (the depth of thought is weak or vague). The communication is mostly coherent (clear images, complete sentences,…).  The communication has a mostly professional tone.   The assignment demonstrates having gone through the lesson(s), but not much more (not much thought put into it).

A D level assignment  barely follows the assignment directions.  It responds to the chosen topic, but the depth of thought is weak or vague, and it might wander off topic. The communication is sometimes incoherent, difficult to follow.  The communication may or may not have a professional tone.  The assignment does not demonstrate a lot of thought or having gone through the lesson(s).

An F level essay doesn’t really follow the assignment directions.  It fails to respond to the chosen topic in any sort of coherent and meaningful way.  Communication is mostly gobbledygook.