Lit. SocietyLast Name:

Name:

Mr. Kiely

Literature about Society

Date:

Comparative Media Analysis

Marshall McLuhan states that oftentimes, the medium is more important than the message. In fact, it IS the message. For this project you will pick a societal issue that is important to you, and research various media that address it.

Part 1: Media Recon

If you’d rather start with a topic, and then find the resources, here is a list of some topics to start with, but your issue should be more specific than what is included here:

education, race, gender, class, poverty, wealth, war, health, drugs, anything.

Essentially...what is a problem that actually concerns you in the world you live in? Remember social issues have to do with people.

When you have found an issue you are interested in, you need to find at least 4 different media that look at the issue. Make sure at least one of the media takes a stance different from the other three. So...for example...if my issue was teachers giving too much work over the summer, I may include one scientific article written by a doctor about the importance of remaining intellectually stimulated during the summer, one blog article written by a college student who talks about the importance of relaxing, one cartoon showing kids enjoying reading books in the summer, and one song about how reading rules.

Part 2: Brief Analysis

For each of the media you must do the following:

  1. In three to five sentences, explain the author’s central argument.
  2. Does the author have any bias? If so, how does that affect the piece? (You probably need to look a little bit into the author’s life. If there isn’t one author, talk about that.)
  3. Why is this a valuable resource in terms of your understanding of the topic? If you think there are any shortcomings in this article, this would be a good time to elucidate them.

Part 3: Moving on to the bigger stuff.

As you pick the different representations of the societal issue, you will fill out the chart on the next sheet, which asks you to list the different information transferred through each particular medium. Consider different techniques the creator uses to put forth his/her idea. Consider the authors’ use of logos, pathos, and ethos. Think about intended audience. Think about text and subtext. This is one of those times where more is better.

You will then have to write a meaning sentence, and try to figure out who the creators’ intended audience is, for each piece.

After this, you will complete the assignment on the final page, asking you to write your own article.

Finally, you will present your societal issue to your peers. You may present however you wish—prezi, PowerPoint, poster, play, etc.—but you will be graded on your preparedness, and your ability to present the media to the audience effectively, in addition to the written work below.

Part 1 Due:

Part 2 Due:

Part 3 Due:

Part 4 Due:

Part 5 Due:

Part 6 Due:

(part 3)Information by Media Type Sheet

Name: ______Date: ______

Directions: Please list pieces of information you could gather from the image, article, and video you chose for this lesson in the grid below. Include both text, what is explicitly said, and subtext, what is implied. Also include techniques that are used in each medium to convey the message. Think of Logos, Pathos, Ethos, music, the script, editing techniques, etc.

1st Medium:
Title: / 2nd Medium:
Title:
3rd Medium
Title: / 4th Medium
Title:

(Part 4) The Medium is the Meaning Sentence

Directions: Please fill out the title, intended audience, and complete a meaning sentence for each work

Meaning sentence: “In (title of work), (author) develops the meaning that (meaning/purpose/message of work) by (form/structure/style/techniques.)”

Content Form

1st Medium

Title:

Intended Audience:

Meaning Sentence:

2nd Medium

Title:

Intended Audience:

Meaning Sentence:

3rd Medium

Title:

Intended Audience:

Meaning Sentence:

4th Medium

Title:

Intended Audience:

Meaning Sentence:

(Part 5)The Message is in the Form

Finally, you must write your own article about the topic. You should highlight your opinion on the topic and explore the opposing viewpoint. Pretend your audience is of mixed opinion on your issue and consider the best possible way to bring them to your side. (hint: it probably isn’t calling them idiots for thinking something different from you.) Also, in terms of demographic, consider your audience as who they will actually be—high school students, in a middle to upper-middle class area, and a teacher. Also, consider that anyone could read your article at some point. Think about how much people come under fire for things that are posted on twitter, or said off the cuff.

This must be typed and submitted to turnitin.com before you present your media and article. I imagine it should take approximately two pages to adequately to complete this final section. We will have no less than two, and no more than three class periods in a lab or with laptops.

*For up to 5 points extra credit, you can create your own political cartoon about the subject and include it in your article. I need documented evidence of you creating the piece. The cartoon must have a clear point, must utilize the medium effectively, must have a certain level of irony, and must be geared towards your classmates.

(Part 6) Presentation