Research Paper

You are to write an eight to ten page paper exploring media, technology and society.

Start with a topic: advertising and society or the internet and society. Determine some aspect of a topic you are going to address and make a claim. For example: Many beer ads present narratives in which women are treated as rewards for consuming alcohol. Research your claim and develop an argument. For example: Certain beer advertising campaigns perpetuate the objectification of women while idealizing alcohol consumption. Another option is to frame a question based on a specific area of interest within a topic. For example: What is the debate surrounding retouching of photos in magazines?

The Kilbourne book is a good place to begin thinking about the ways in which we are affected by advertising. Postman provides a useful framework for thinking about media and epistemology. Each author is one good source for your research. You are expected to provide four sources. You works cited should include at least one book, one internet source, and one academic journal.

A good starting point for your research is our library at LACC or the LAPL. Talk to a reference librarian. Librarians are trained professionals. In my experience, most are very helpful.

Search catalogs: books, journals, online databases, trustworthy websites.

Here are some internet resources:

Librarians’ Internet Index: http://lii.org/

The Internet Public Library: http://www.ipl.org

Infomine: http://infomine.ucr.edu/

Starting Points for Internet Research (Purdue University): http://owl.english.purdue.edu/internet/tools/research.html

Follow MLA format. Include a works cited page. Double space. Use quotes. If possible, include copies of the ads and/or links to pages displaying the ads discussed in your paper.

Postman Study Questions

Amusing Ourselves To Death Study Questions:

Chapter One:

What does Postman say about the transformation of public discourse?

Postman says his argument “fixes its attention on the forms of human conversation”; what is his argument?

How are our forms of media like metaphors?

Chapter Two:

What is epistemology?

What does Postman say about the concept of truth?

What is “the general character of print intelligence”?

What does Postman think of the epistemology created by television?

Chapter Three:

How widespread was reading in Typographic America? Were lecture halls prevalent?

Was the printed word abundant and did print enjoy a monopoly in terms of public discourse?

Chapter Four:

What do certain aspects of the Lincoln-Douglas debates tell us about the audiences who attended them?

What does Postman mean when he writes that “the resonance of typography was ever-present” during the debates?

How is reading an essentially rational activity?

What is nature of public discourse in a print based culture?

How was advertising “an essentially serious and rational enterprise” until the 1890’s? What changed in the 1890’s?

What was the Age of Exposition? How does Postman define “exposition”?

Chapter Five:

What does Postman mean by “context-free information”?

The telegraph turned information into what?

What does Postman mean by “telegraphy made relevance irrelevant”?

Is Postman’s view of “inert” news useful?

What are the characteristics of telegraphic discourse?

How does language depend on context? Does an image depend on context?

What and when was the “graphic revolution”?

What is “pseudo-context”?

How does television perfect “the epistemological biases of the telegraph and the photograph”?

How is television a “meta-medium”? How is it “myth”?

Television, according to Postman, has transformed our culture into what sort of an arena?

Chapter Six:

What is the nature of television in terms of entertainment?

What does Postman say about how television “stages the world”?

Chapter Seven:

What is the nature of the “Now…this” world view?

How does Postman define “credibility”?

What is Postman’s definition of “disinformation”?

What did Walter Lippmann write in 1920 about liberty, community and lies?

How did Huxley grasp the relationship between institutional control and mass indifference?

What is the “’ricochet’ effect” of “television-oriented print media”?

Chapter Eight:

What’s wrong with televised religion?

Chapter Nine:

Are television commercials about the character of products or the character of consumers of products?

What are the “lessons” of television commercials?

How is a book “all history”?

Why are epistemological “continuity and context” important in a healthy democracy?

Chapter Ten:

According to Postman, what does “Sesame Street” teach children to love?

What are the three commandments of educational television?

Chapter Eleven:

“Who is prepared to take arms against a sea of amusements?”

Is technology neutral?

Is the problem what we watch or that we watch?

“What the is the kind of information that best facilitates thinking?”

What does Postman say about computers?

How do we achieve “media consciousness”? Where is the best place to address the need for such awareness?

Brave New World Paper

Write a three to four page paper exploring the relevance of Brave New World to our present situation. Compare our society to the industrial society depicted in Brave New World. To what extent are these societies similar? Are there significant differences? Is Huxley’s projection of a World State prescient? Be sure to address at least three of the following issues: consumption and consumerism; drugs and pharmaceuticals; love, sex, and relationships; media and entertainment; class divisions; art; religion; science. Integrate some of Huxley’s analysis, warnings, and prescriptions in Brave New World Revisited into your discussion.

Follow the guidelines for papers set forth in the syllabus. Be sure to draw upon at least three passages from Brave New World as well as at least one reference to Brave New World Revisited. Your essay should include a clear and substantive thesis. Feel free to draw upon secondary sources that are clearly attributed. You are expected to do your own work. Do not plagiarize. Freewrite, outline, draft and revise. Process matters. Use MLA format for citations. The assignment is due January 14.

Syllabus

LACC: Winter 2011: English 103: Composition and Critical Thinking (3 Units)

Section 3003 FH B24 MTuWThF 3:15-5:20

Arash Saedinia

Email: profsaedinia@gmail.com

Blog: http://laccenglish103.wordpress.com

Office Hours: W 5:30-6:00 or by appointment

Prerequisite: English 101 or equivalent coursework.

In this course, students will develop reading, writing, and critical thinking skills through close reading and analysis of a variety of texts.  This course is designed to further develop skills emphasized in English 101.  That said, it is imperative that each student demonstrate the ability to write a well developed essay.  We will examine a range of texts, arguments, and perspectives.  We will approach the process of essay writing through pre-writing, outlining, drafting, and revising.  Meetings will involve lectures, presentations, and discussions in large and small groups.

You are expected to attend each class meeting. One or two absences are acceptable. Three absences will result in exclusion from the course or a failing grade. If a student is absent due to illness or emergency, it is the student’s responsibility to notify me. Attending on time is important. One instance of tardiness is acceptable. You must get permission to leave class early to ensure that you are not penalized. Two tardies or early departures constitute one full absence.

It is crucial that you come to class prepared. You are expected to complete the readings and assignments on time. Books should be brought to every class unless you are advised otherwise. Late work will not be accepted. Assignments must be typed unless otherwise noted. Check your spelling. Use ten or twelve point type. Double space. Employ a standard font (New Times Roman, Helvetica, and Courier are all acceptable). Top, bottom, left and right margins should measure a half inch, inch, or an inch and a half. Staples pages properly. Present your work with care. A paper that does not adhere to basic formatting rules may be returned with little to no feedback. An egregiously sloppy paper may be returned without a grade (which means no credit).

Students are expected to take in-class examinations (including several quizzes), turn in two short papers, a research paper, and participate in class discussions (including student presentations). You are expected to keep your work as a portfolio. Please carefully consider your willingness to abide by these policies. It is important that students actively participate. This class is a group endeavor. Let’s make it a positive experience.

For the consideration of others and to maintain a focused environment, turn off the ringer of any phone brought to class. You are expected to have or get an email address. You should get the email address of one or two students in the class, in case you miss a session and need to know what was discussed. Plagiarism is cheating; cheating is unacceptable. Cheating on an assignment or examination will result in failure of the course.

If you have a verified disability and need a reasonable accommodation for this class, please notify me and contact the Office of Special Services (CH 109, 323-953-4000 X2270) as soon as possible. All information will remain confidential.

Grading:

Participation: 10%; Quizzes: 20%; In-Class Examination: 10%; Take Home Essay One: 10%;

Take Home Essay Two: 10%; Research Paper: 30%; Final: 10%

I may offer extra credit assignments. If you are interested in earning extra credit, let me know.

Required Texts:

Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World & Brave New World Revisited. Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2005.

Postman, Neil. Amusing Ourselves To Death: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business. Penguin, 2005.

The American Heritage College Dictionary, 4^th edition, Houghton Mifflin

Recommended:

Hacker, Diana Rules For Writers, 6^th edition, Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2008.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1) read sophisticated college-level expository texts, distinguish main ideas and supporting points, evaluate the persuasiveness of arguments and evidence, critique assumptions, and make relevant inferences, including inferences about authorial motivation and biases;

2) plan and write well-focused, logically organized, thoroughly developed, and coherent extended college level essays (2000+ words) that analyze, interpret, and compare concepts and that argue for or against a position;

3) demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the writing process and pre-write, plan, draft, revise, edit, and proofread work and respond critically and productively to the work of peers in revision group;

4) be able to distinguish between different styles of written English and evaluate the appropriateness of a particular style, tone, or voice for a given audience.  Vary sentence shape and structure for emphasis and effect; and

5) use all major forms of punctuation effectively, including colons, semi-colons, dashes, and quotation marks.

NOTE: You are expected to complete the readings designated for each session in advance of each meeting.

1.3: Introduction; Annotation

1.4: “Growing Up Digital, Wired for Distraction”

1.5: “THX 1138″

1.6: BNW: Foreword, Preface, Chapter 1

1.7: BNW: Chapters 2-5

1.10: BNW: Chapters 6-10

1.11: BNW: Chapters 11-18

1.12: BNWR: Chapters III, IV, V

1.13: BNWR: Chapters VI, XI, XII

1.14: Paper One Due (3-4 Pages)

1.17: Martin Luther King. Jr. Holiday

1.18: “Manufacturing Consent”

1.19: “Manufacturing Consent”

1.20: AOTD: vii-43

1.21: AOTD: 44-82

1.24: AOTD: 83-113

1.25: AOTD: 125-163

1.26: In-Class Examination

1.27: CBML: 11-32

1.28: CBML: 33-75

1.31: Advertising Presentations

2.1: Advertising Presentations; Paper Two Due (3-4 Pages)

2.2: Research Papers

2.3: Research Papers

2.4: Final Examination; Research Paper Due (8-12 pages)

This schedule is tentative and subject to change.

Some Notes for Analyzing Visual Texts

Notes to Assist In Analyzing Visual Texts

Click here for a discussion of analyzing visual texts. It includes “The Five C’s: An Approach to Visual Texts.”

Here is another set of notes about texts, taken from Reading The World: Ideas That Matter. Michael Austin, ed. (p. 644-647).

“The word “text” does not apply only to written works. An oral narrative is a text, and so is a piece of music, a painting, a photograph, or a film. Works of all these types address audiences, advance ideas, make arguments, and require thoughtful strategies of reading and interpretation.”

“[I]n most visual texts, the most important parts of the argument are made using visual elements, many of which cannot be translated into words without losing most of their rhetorical force.”

Austin identifies several key aspects for analysis:

Emotional appeals: “emotions… a picture can convey”

Symbolism: “cultural… and cross-cultural associations”

Visual Irony: incongruous and/or contradictory textual elements

Motifs: “patterns of images”

Composition: “line, perspective, color, use of space, etc.”

“All of these elements combine to form an overall impression. If the artist has arranged the elements well, the viewer will gain an overall sense of the text that can itself become a powerful persuasive element. Visual images can create impressions of, among other things, reverence, power, wonder, despair, peace, awe, and patriotism.”

What other impressions can visual texts create?

Advertising Assignment

Advertising Analysis Essay:

You are to write a three to four page paper analyzing a specific print advertisement.

Paragraph 1: Introduction: Present the ad and the product. Refer to the ad by using or creating a title, presented in quotations. Write in broad terms about the ad’s meaning, namely the values/beliefs it reflects and espouses.

Paragraph 2: Discuss the audience for whom the ad has been created. Is it speaking to the affluent or the poor? Young or old? Male or female? Educated or uneducated? Straight or gay? Liberal or conservative? Does it appeal to a specific ethnicity? Is it inclusive or is its discourse one of exclusivity?

Paragraph 3: Explain on a literal level what the ad shows, what you see. Discuss compositional elements.

Paragraph 4: Make inferences regarding the ad’s unstated beliefs. What does the ad imply, suggest? Does the ad contain cultural and cross-cultural symbols? Are there significant motifs?

Paragraph 5: Analyze the written text of the ad, the copy, if there is one. Does it contain logical fallacies?

Paragraph 6: Analyze the feelings the ad evokes or intends to create: joy, fear, anger, belonging, security, comfort, pride, vanity, affection, sexual arousal, etc. Explain why these feelings are at play.

Paragraph 7: Conclude by discussing the overall effect of the ad. Is it effective? Is it persuasive? Is it well designed? Does the ad rely on responsible or irresponsible methods of selling its product?