The Media Critique and Position Assignment (Includes An Interview)
Description:
This is your final assignment in this class before the final exam. You will choose and debate a topic of media-related controversy drawn from discussions and readings in this course. You will also interview a fellow student, colleague or family members on the controversy selected. I have compiled a list of general topics on the impact of the mass media in contemporary society (see below) and your assignment is to take a position and support a topic with compelling evidence using a variety of sources.
Do not limit yourself to anecdotal examples to prove your points. Make sure you devote enough time to this task: use your time effectively and identify the examples you need to use to substantiate your arguments. Tip: our book contains a lot of examples… Make sure you start there. Your slides should include bullet points (and not paragraphs) of the information you share in the narration for that slide. The slide is the visual highlight. You are using the narration to make your case. Also, please know that you may use graphics to give your presentation visual appeal. Please keep in mind that graphics make files larger. This means you may have to “compress” your file before attaching it to the dropbox. If it is still too large to send, you will have to remove some of the graphics used. Do not email assignments. They are to be submitted via this dropbox. Presentation This final assignment will include a PowerPoint w/narration presentation in which you will discuss your topic and debate your arguments for or against it. There should be narration associated with each slide. If you are unfamiliar with creating a PowerPoint file w/narration please use your search engine power to find out how to do so. Your presentation should be no less than 16 slides. Your first slide should be a title slide and your last slide should be a reference slide. Make sure you present your topic first, lay out your argumentation and stake out your position. Also, state the position of the person you have interviewed. Include their name and title on the reference slide. List of topics to choose from: 1. The media are quite powerful vs. the media are not so powerful. 2. Media content is poor and getting worse vs. media content is good and getting better. 3. Journalism can be objective vs. journalism will always be subjective. 4. The media and government should not be adversaries vs. the media and government should be adversaries. 5. Consolidation of ownership in the media helps democracy vs. consolidation of the media hurts democracy. 6. American media import culture and not innocent products vs. American media import just commercial products for consumption. 7. Media promote violence in society vs. violence in the media is pure entertainment and does not have consequences on audiences. 8. Advertisers are too close to the editorial board of the media vs. advertisers are only interested in selling their products. 9. The Internet will experience the same end as other media technologies in terms of ownership vs. the Internet will always be free and neutral. 10. Stereotyping in the media is good vs. Stereotyping in the media is bad. 11. Advances in technology have changed the way we consume media for the better vs. Advances in technology has made us subject to privacy invasion.
