Media Analysis
Due: Wednesday, June 10, 2020 @ 1:05 pm CANVAS
Learning Outcomes: The Media Analysis is designed to address three of the student learning outcomes for this course:
- Develop the interpretive skills necessary to examine media texts closely and critically
- Connect the theories and models of media and cultural studies with their everyday experiences in a media-saturated society
- Improve written and oral communication skills by way of analytical papers and class discussions
Overview: A report on MTV programming the Parents Television Council issued in 2004 made the following reference to the Super Bowl Halftime Show that included Janet Jackson’s infamous wardrobe malfunction:
“Parents witnessed first-hand the incessant crotch-grabbing and revealing clothing, the dangerous mixture of aggression and sexuality, and the relentless sexual simulation and stimulation that characterize MTV’s programming”
Janet Jackson’s breast was exposed for 19/32nds of a second, but the attention on MTV and music videos remained much, much longer. Dreamworlds 3 addressed some of the same issues.
Assignment: Write an analysis – four-to-five double-spaced pages in length – on one of the music videos on the list that follows.
Your analysis should:
- Address the surface meaning of the video and how the meaning compares with the deeper meaning based on a reading of signs and knowledge of the lyrics.
- Explore how the video represents race, gender and ethnicity and how it portrays sex, violence and substance use.
- Reflect on how the video might influence viewers, through direct effects, enculturation and/or desensitization.
There are some videos that might not include portrayals of sex, violence or substance abuse.
Grades will be based on organization, integration of course material (i.e. lectures and readings), writing and the strength of your arguments. This is also where the articles you identified in your annotated bibliography should be used to support your argument. Your paper should open with an introduction that includes a thesis statement that advances the core arguments that you intend to make. It should also have a conclusion.
A well-crafted analysis will . . .
- Take a position and analyze the chosen music video, not just describe the content
- Begin building an argument in the opening paragraph with a strong thesis statement, which names your topic, asserts your ideas about this topic, and suggests the arrangement of your paper’s argument
- Integrate course readings and lectures into the analysis, including material collected for your annotated bibliography
- Utilize and define important terms and concepts
Some Helpful Hints
- Since the thesis statement asserts your ideas about this topic, it is often easier to write this part last, once you have developed your argument over the body of your paper.
- Write a draft of your paper, put it aside for a day or so, and then look at it again with fresh eyes.
- Think global when revising your paper. In other words, do not worry about punctuation, spelling, etc. the first time through. Think about the content of your paper and structure/organization. Then focus on grammar, etc. in the final read.
Media Analysis
Eligible Videos (Spring 2020)
- Arcade Fire, “The Suburbs”
- BTS, “Fake Love” or “On”
- Five Finger Death Punch, “Wrong Side of Heaven”
- Lizzo, “Truth Hurts”
- Miley Cyrus, “We Can’t Stop”
- Taylor Swift, “The Man”
- Beyoncé, “If I Were A Boy”
- Childish Gambino, “This is America”
- Kanye West, “No Church in the Wild”
- Katy Perry, “California Gurls”
- Lady Gaga, “Telephone”
- Rihanna, “S&M”
- Tyler, The Creator, “See You Again”