...secondary education, one of the best places to start educating culturally ignorant Americans. While religious persuasion in public schools is against policy, students could only stand to benefit from a general exposure to other religions (“Religion in the Public Schools”). Imagine that a Christian student, who knows next to nothing about world religion, takes a class that provides a survey of Islam. Considering the tensions in the Middle East and the role religion plays in these conflicts, an understanding of Islamic religion can make for more enlightened and socially aware citizens in the U.S. who can form educated opinions on America’s foreign policy and also be more empathetic towards the struggles of foreign peoples. Further fueling the belief that traditional American cultural values are somehow superior to minority or foreign culture identities, many schools only offer classes for Bible study. Another facet of education that can be utilized as a tool for eliminating nationalism is an understanding of historical context. History repeats itself and can serve as a guide for navigating the complex situations facing the modern world. If high schools in America offered more world history courses that focused...
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...seminal paper Encoding/Decoding (1980) arose primarily from Hall’s reservations regarding the theories of communication underpinning mass communications research. It worked on the assumption that the ‘media offered an unproblematic, benign reflection of society’ (Proctor, 58). Mass communications research became prevalent after the Second World War and was funded by commercial bodies with a desire to know how audiences could be influenced more effectively through advertising. According to the mass communications model, the sender (mass media) generates a message with fixed meaning, which is then communicated directly and transparently to the recipient (audience). Hall’s paper challenged all three components of the mass communications model ; arguing that – (i) the message is never transparent to the audience (ii) meaning is not simply fixed or determined by the sender; and (iii) the audience is not a passive recipient of the meaning. Hall’s encoding/decoding theory focuses on the different ways audiences generate (rather than discover) meaning. Hall’s theory re-addressed the themes of the Uses and Gratifications theory : examining audience power over the media, rather then the media’s effects on the audience (Katz: 1959). Such theoretical study later concluded that audiences use the media to fulfil their own needs and gratifications (Katz, E., Blumler, J. G., & Gurevitch, M.: 1974). Hall's model focuses on groups rather then the individual, which is more useful when looking at...
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... | |Email: Jason.Lind@skagit.edu | | |Meetings: Online using Canvas | | |(https://canvas.instructure.com/) | | |Textbook: Baran, S. J. (2012). Introduction to | | |mass communication: Media literacy | | |and culture (7th ed.). Boston: | | |McGraw-Hill. | | Welcome to COMM 102: Intro to Mass Communication This course develops students’ ability to think...
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...really thought about before. Also, I never thought I would find as much interesting information as I did about many ethnic groups and even religions. The statistics and other information that I have read about have helped me to have a better understanding about how diverse the United States really is. Before I took this class, most of the Latino Americans that I had met had been in a better economic status that I had or have ever been in. I tended to think that the majority of Latino Americans had that same status. I now understand that the majority of Latino Americans are in the same socioeconomic status as me and my family. While we were talking about genocide, the discussion prompted to me to do some added research. I have a better understanding of how the genocide came about as well as the consequences that were created because of it. I have a better understanding of the guilt that was felt in the aftermath by the ones that condoned the genocide. When I was younger, I felt that it was unfair for the Native Americans to be given so many privileges that only they were allowed, and as I grew up I became confused by the things that they could do that we couldn’t. The research that the discussion on genocide helped me to gain a better understanding of the Native Americans and the different contractual things that are allowed to them because of their historical way of life and cultural beliefs. In the state of Oregon, there is an increasing amount of immigrants from Mexico, among...
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...Cultural Studies? Why is it relevant on a media/ communications programme? Firstly what is cultural studies? Cultural studies is devoted to understanding how a society creates and shares meaning. So, cultural studies searches to understand how meaning is brought about, constructed and dispersed throughout all social structures, practices, beliefs within each certain culture. It is important to remember that cultural studies is a holistic analysis, taking the social whole into consideration, including and combining every known theory from political theory, feminist theory, social theory, media theory and so on. ‘This approach analyses culture in order to understand the lives, experiences, consciousness, values and struggles of particular groups in society’[i] There are a number of important concepts when it comes to cultural studies. Society creates meaning for everything that exists. All of these meanings are constructed; therefore they are only perceptions of reality. our understanding of meaning and view of the world has been created by the society in which we are surrounded in, brought up in and bred in. who plays the major role in all of this, who makes meaning out of what we see and learn? Is it the man on the side of the road who believes god is real, because he came from a religious background? Or is it the politician that we all elected and trust will tell us what’s right and wrong, and what really means what. Culture then goes on to create social roles for...
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...Version 4 Media Influences on American Culture Copyright © 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009 by University of Phoenix. All rights reserved. Course Description The course provides an introduction to the most prominent forms of media that influence and impact social, business, political, and popular culture in contemporary America. It explores the unique aspects of each medium as well as interactions across various media that combine to create rich environments for information sharing, entertainment, business, and social interaction in the United States and around the world. Policies Faculty and students will be held responsible for understanding and adhering to all policies contained within the following two documents: University policies: You must be logged into the student website to view this document. Instructor policies: This document is posted in the Course Materials forum. University policies are subject to change. Be sure to read the policies at the beginning of each class. Policies may be slightly different depending on the modality in which you attend class. If you have recently changed modalities, read the policies governing your current class modality. Course Materials Lule, J. (2012). Exploring media and culture. Irvington, NY: Flat World Knowledge, Inc. All electronic materials are available on the student website. Week One: The Formative Influence of Mass Media on American Culture Details Objectives 1.1. Identify the effects of mass media on American culture. 1.2...
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...Regina Pacheco, Ed.M., PhD. Week 9 Final Assignment My experience in this Culture Diversity course has given me a new insight and thought provoking information that has helped me to relate and understand diversity in a new and different way than I had before. Diversity can be such an interesting topic. When one mentions the word “diversity” several things come to mind. An most often, the first thing that comes to mind is the diverse culture, right here in America. To gain a better understanding of all the different cultures around the World. A person could spend their lifetime traveling around the world, from one culture to another. Why do that? When all one has to do is sit back and take in the daily occurrences and experience everything around them. Right here in America. It is hard to find a country more culturally diverse than our very own, and yet we fail to see it. There are several reasons why one could fail to see all this diversity, whether it be a lack of understanding or just a lack of willingness to understand. For a country that is called “the melting pot” (Schaefer, 2012, p.24), we certainly still have a prevalent degree of prejudice and discrimination. Some would call it a lack of insight and willingness to grow, I prefer to call it ignorance and fear. Fear of differences and change. Diversity is the inclusion of different types of people from different races and culture in a group of organization. Diversity is valued because it allows all of us human...
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...Media and Social Inequality The Media promotes and reproduces societal values and norms, establishing common meanings and understandings among groups and individuals. These common meanings are portrayed in the media and put forward by the dominant culture; and for this reason the patterns of inequality that benefit the dominant culture are produced and reproduced. The media today are not only entertaining the people but also favor the spreading of certain information. The different media thus convey the messages of the dominant culture and provide subcultures with justifications for these relations of ruling. These patterns of inequality can be interpreted through four major sociological angles: structural functionalism, conflict theory, and feminism. The term media is the plural of “medium” and is commonly found in association with the process of communication. “The mass media include newspapers, motion pictures, radio and television” (Curtis 304). These forms of communication have influenced in a greater scale society with the advance of technology in the last decades. The age of mass communication has made it possible for people to gain access to far more information than any society ever had. Information is indispensable to an advanced and complex civilization to the point of becoming a commodity for which individuals are willing to pay for. However, this commodity has not been a convenient tool when enhancing social values that promote social equality. In fact, it has...
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... There are both benefits and challenges to having such a diverse population. Fostering a culture of acceptance in society is key to reaping more benefits and reducing challenges. Mass media has an influential impact in society, perpetuating stereotypes or building appreciation for diversity. If individuals and the U.S can come together, they can reduce prejudice and increase acceptance and tolerance. Final Paper The plethora of information about diversity in the United States can give someone a better understanding than they may have previously had. Through understanding, a person may be able to better relate to someone that is different. Many websites are available on the Internet with information on the various diversity groups in America. The diversity of the U.S. is ever changing with immigration and inter-racial couples having children. As the country becomes more diverse, we will face challenges as well as receive benefits. The key to reaping more benefits, while reducing the challenges, is to foster a culture of acceptance in society. The media plays a large influential role in society and can work to perpetuate stereotypes and prejudice or build appreciation for diversity. Working together, the government and the people can work to reduce prejudice through education and intervention. What I Have Learned Better understanding of those who may be different can come through reading up on information about diversity within...
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...Netnography: The Marketer’s Secret Weapon How Social Media Understanding Drives Innovation By Robert V. Kozinets, BBA, MBA. Ph.D. M A R C H 2 01 0 Executive Summary Marketers in today’s competitive world need an edge. This paper offers two of them. First, it tells marketers to consider social media not just as a marketing tool, but as a way to continuously build high-level consumer insight. Second, it offers a rigorous method based in anthropology for building social media data into applied cultural insights. That method is called netnography. In netnography, online interactions are valued as a cultural reflection that yields deep human understanding. Like in person ethnography, netnography is naturalistic, immersive, descriptive, multi-method, adaptable, and focused on context. Used to inform consumer insight, netnography is less intrusive than ethnography or focus groups, and more naturalistic than surveys, quantitative models, and focus groups. Netnography fits well in the front-end stages of innovation, and in the discovery phases of marketing and brand management. Netnography follows six overlapping steps: 1. Research planning 2. Entrée 3. Data collection 4. Interpretation 5. Ensuring ethical standards 6. Research representation A short illustration of a computationally assisted netnographic approach to a brand study of Listerine is provided. It demonstrates how insights can be used to inform marketing activities including...
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...Walter Lippmann, and turned against his creation. Kennan argued that the Truman Doctrine overcommitted the United States by defining American interests in ideological and expansive terms. For Kennan and Lippmann both, ideology influenced not only Soviet but also American policymakers. Beginning in the 1960s revisionist scholars turned traditional scholarship on its head, arguing that American, not Soviet, policy was ideological, and that the Soviet actions in the immediate postwar period were motivated by legitimate security needs. How has the media influenced our understanding, both positively and negatively, of other cultures? Be prepared to give specific examples. We humans are a bunch of manipulatable species where the media feeds off this ever-growing trait that lies within us all. It affects us in so many ways both consciously and otherwise, where half the time we aren't aware of what it is doing to us. The biggest tool in the media that generates revenue by the millions every...
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...Reflection Two How can one define deviance in a society? Who is considered to be a deviant? In a society, deviance is any behavior or belief that violates the culture’s norms. However, the norms constantly change as the popular culture continues to transform with time. Mass media, on the other hand, is what constantly spreading and influence popular culture as it has becomes part of nearly everyone’s daily life. Since deviance depends in the current culture’s norms, which involves a large group of people in a society, one can say that it learned at a macro level. Therefore, mass media plays an important role in defining deviance socially as it sends powerful messages that spread popular culture to its targeted audience. There are several theories surrounding deviance. One should understand these theories to understand how the media plays apart in defining and promoting social deviance. Three theories that explain deviance are the Strain theory, Opportunity theory and Control theory. While each theory has its own unique analysis on deviance, one similarity they all share is that deviance is the result of unachieved goals through the normal accepted means. As a result, the pursuer of goals will rely on means that the society may not accept. The society will label those who do not follow the norm deviant. However, the label deviance is subjected differently between different groups in the society. While one large group in the society may accept a norm, other groups may not. For...
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...intellectual strands. It is the study of the ways in which culture is constructed and the ways in which it evolves and changes over time (Study.com 2003 – 2017). Cultural analysis focus on the political dynamics of contemporary culture, its historical foundations, defining traits, conflicts, and contingencies. Researchers in this field investigate how cultural practices relate to wider systems of power associated with or operating through social phenomena, such as ideology and class structures. For Stephen Loosley, who was a New South Wales Senator in the 1990s, culture is ‘a complex of social customs,...
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...Popular American Culture SOC/105 March 11, 2013 Popular American Culture When examining popular American culture it is critical also to look at culture in its entirety. Understanding culture and popular American culture, and all its intricacies provides a view of the differences of each person we encounter daily. This paper defines culture and popular culture and also identifies three major trends in popular American culture, and how popular American culture affects personal decision making. Defining Culture The culture of the United States is predominantly a Western culture; however, we see the influence of Native Americans, African American, Latin Americans, Asians, and many other cultures. Culture identifies the behaviors, beliefs, and social forms, which are characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group and may include language, religion, social traditions, and music and arts. Define Popular Culture According to Petracca and Sorapure (2007), “Popular culture represents a common denominator, something that cuts across most economic, social, and educational barriers” (p. 3). Popular culture involves the immediate and contemporary aspects of our lives. These aspects are continuously evolving specifically because of the exceedingly technological world we live in, which exposes people to ever-present, various forms of mass media. The term media is commonly used to identify radio, music, Internet, television, print, film, and video, and it is in these forms...
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...SHARING KNOWLEDGES FOR PRESERVING CULTURAL DIVERSITY – Vol. II - The Impact Of Media On Literature - William Egginton and Bernadette Wegenstein THE IMPACT OF MEDIA ON LITERATURE William Egginton and Bernadette Wegenstein The Johns Hopkins University Keywords: media, media studies, media theory, history of media, new media, comparative literature Contents U SA NE M SC PL O E – C EO H AP LS TE S R S 1. Introduction 2. Current Media Theory and Media Studies 2.1. Origins of Discipline 2.2. New Media Theory 3. Historical Examples 3.1. Oral Transmission 3.2. Pictography 3.3. The Andean Khipu 3.4. Manuscript 3.5. Print 3.6. Theater 3.7. Photography 3.8. Moving Image 3.9. Radio and Television 3.10. The Digital 4. Conclusion Acknowledgements Glossary Bibliography Biographical Sketches Summary The growing consensus among literary scholars is that the meaning of literature cannot be properly studied or understood outside of the specific medium of its transmission and archival. This realization can be considered a revolution in literary studies, and its fundamental ramification is the confluence of literary studies and theory with media studies and theory. The fields of media studies and media theory are dedicated to the analysis and understanding of the myriad media through which information is communicated. Under the influence of these fields, the media through which literature is communicated is no longer considered secondary to the...
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