Archive for category: Communication

You will keep a diary of your media consumption for at least one week, in which you note what media you consume (music, television, internet, etc) and what messages you see about race and gender in these media. You will not turn this diary in. However, based on your diary entries, you will write up a report about what themes related to race and gender you noticed and your reactions to them. You must have at least three observations related to race in the media you consumed, and three related to gender.

To begin your report, write a brief summary of what media you consumed. You do not need to list everything or provide specifics. Instead, you can say something that paints a general picture, like “I spent a lot of time listening to music, especially rap and hip hop.” Then, talk about what you noticed about the media you consume and your reactions. You can organize your paper by media type (everything related to music in one section, everything related to video games in the next, etc) or by content (everything related to race in one section, everything related to gender in another).

This paper is personal, so there are no right or wrong reactions to have. What I am looking for is evidence that you are thinking critically and reflectively. You might consider:

• What AREN’T you seeing? For example, if you are aware of a particular stereotype about women in society, but the media you watch doesn’t portray that stereotype even though it could have, that counts as an observation. If none of the media you consume features Asian people, that’s something you could remark on
• What society ARE you seeing? For example, if you believe that society stereotypes women as being overemotional, and you see that stereotype play out in the TV shows you watch, you can mention that.
• What media are you exposed to incidentally, rather than deliberately? Even if you don’t consume much media on purpose, you’re still coming across it. For example, you may hear music played in a grocery store, see advertisements on the sides of buses or on signs, see people wearing T-shirts with company logos or rock band graphics, etc.
• What do you think about the content you see related to race and/or gender? Is it: realistic, unrealistic, positive, negative, etc?
• How do you feel about the content related to race and/or gender? Is it: inspiring, frustrating, relatable, confusing, etc?
• How do you think this media impacts you? If you don’t think it impacts you, why isn’t it?
• Lay out your thinking clearly and logically, leaving no gaps or room for confusion. For example, if you make a claim like “The women on the shows I watched were portrayed stereotypically,” you support this claim with concrete evidence: what are the gender stereotypes you’re referring to, and how are they shown?

General requirements:

• Length: Aim for about 4 pages, double spaced
• No cover page required
• You must use APA citations for any papers you refer to. However, you are not required to refer to a paper. No other citations are necessary
• Do not discuss media shown in one of my classes, unless you also watched it on your own during the period when you were keeping the media diary
• Use paragraphs. Each paragraph should begin with a topic sentence, and all the subsequent sentences should support or elaborate on that topic sentence. New topic, new paragraph. Avoid having paragraphs that go on for more than half of a double-spaced page. You can probably split a very long paragraph into two related but distinct topics.

Some tips for formal writing:

• Don’t say “a lot.” Say “often” or “many” or “frequently.”
• Don’t say “guys.” Say “men” or “boys”
• Don’t say “girls” if you mean adult women
• Don’t say “males” or “females” unless you are talking specifically about their biological sex. Instead, say “men” or “women,” consistent with APA writing style guides
• Don’t say “don’t.” Say “do not.”
• Shorter sentences flow better, but don’t use sentence fragments. Google “run on sentence” and “sentence fragments” for examples of what to avoid.
• Use commas after introductory phrases. “For example” is a phrase that usually has a comma after it. Another example would be “Furthermore, blah blah blah.”
• Avoid broad generalizations that are hard or impossible to prove, or are potentially offensive (“Men are always being insensitive.”)

Grading:

A range: Excellent writing style. Paper is thorough and detailed enough to really explore your observations about and reactions to the media content (somewhere around 4 pages double-spaced). You are focused on understanding race and gender in the media you consume, and have three observations about race and three observations about gender. You lay out your thinking very clearly, and provide specifics.

B range: Same as A, but writing conventions may be weaker, or some of the logic may be unclear at times.

C range: Same as A range, but you lose focus (for example, talking about whether or not you liked a TV show and not focusing on race or gender in that TV show) or don’t have the required number of observations, OR observations are extremely superficial (“the show had a negative depiction of Navajo” with no elaboration).

D range: If your paper is really below the standard for this course I will give you a rewrite opportunity to earn up to a C.