MCJ 355 EXAM 2

Critical Theory

- Concerned with a critique of power and ideology - Seeks to get at the political and social influences that serve as the foundation for cultural practices (or discursive practices) - Based on the premise that meaning is political

The distinctive "moments" that happen in the Encoding/Decoding model:

- Production, circulation, distribution/consumption, and reproduction: - Production - this is were encoding takes place; draws upon dominant ideologies (certain body types sell products, are seen as "normal") - Circulation - how individuals perceive things (visual/written); how message is received determines how it will be put to use - Distribution/Consumption - how message is used by audience (receiver); the decoding or interpretation (understanding) of the message - Reproduction - What is done with the message after it has been interpreted based on individual experiences and beliefs

Clark's 4 Stages of Representation

1. Nonrecognition- groups are not seen in substantial numbers in various media. 2. Ridicule- group is still underrepresented and often portrayed in a stereotypical manner. 3. Regulation- when a group receives a more accurate frequency of depiction with a one dimensional portrayal. 4. Respect- groups with an appropriate level and diverse set of roles.

Media texts are analyzed and discussed in a systematic way. List three ways:

1. Take an interpretive position (Feminist perspective, Sociological Analysis, Marxist Analysis, Semiotic Analysis, etc.) 2. Present logical arguments supporting your premise 3. Defend your premise based on reasonable and plausible presentation of the facts, of the work, or audience

Distinction between bias/non biased news, real/fake news and know tips for analyzing news sources:

1. The use of exaggerated words or a headline all in CAPITALS are clues to be skeptical. 2. When a site lacks an "About Us" section or requires you to register to learn more about the site, that should be a red flag. 3. Beware of sites with lots of ads or images that could simply be used for clickbait. "Sponsored" = AD 4. Professional and expert quotes are used in most publications; lack of them should lead you to question what you are reading. 5. Recognize first what kind of content you're looking at. 6. As you read, listen or watch a piece of content, note who is being cited.

Decoding

?? Interpretation of the language and symbols sent by the source through a channel

Encoding

?? The processing of information into the memory system—for example, by extracting meaning.

Media Text

Analyzed and discussed in a systematic way: 1.Take an interpretive position (Feminist perspective, Sociological Analysis, Marxist Analysis, Semiotic Analysis, etc.) EXAMPLE: Feminist Analysis - concentration on how biological categories like male and female become conflated with cultural gender expectations, resulting in discriminatory social systems that privilege men over women; creates gendered stereotypes Gendere Stereotypes Active/passive - Public/private - Logical/emotional - Sexual subject/sexual object 2.Present logical arguments supporting your premise 3.Defend your premise based on reasonable and plausible presentation of the facts, of the work, or audience

Enlightened Racism

Equality exists

Framing

How the media talk about an issue, tell, and construct news stories. 6 types from lecture: 1. Demonization Frame - "Feminists" demonized more often in media than "women" 2. Personalization and 2b. Trivialization Frame - Attention to personal attributes (appearance, marital status, personal style). "Feminists" personalized/trivialized by media less often than "women" 3. Goals Frame - Workplace, reproductive rights, preventing violence towards women. "Feminists" more closely associated with women's movement goals than "women". 4. Victimization Frame - "Women" portrayed as victims more than "feminists". 5. Agency Frame - Active individual having strength, capability, voice, leadership, power

Representation

How we give life to social categories through cultural differences.

Intersectionality

No one is a member of just one group. The idea that no two people have the same experience even if they have race or gender in common. There are multiple factors that contribute to who we are as individuals.

Archetype

Reoccurring character types, story patterns, symbols, etc. are found over and over in stories.

Social Constructs

Something that exist not in objective reality, but as a result of human interaction. - "Feminists" relatively absent from news and public affairs programs. - Media from "feminism" as unimportant. Feminists condemned in media. - Feminists not quite "normal" Assumes that elements of culture (understanding, significance, meaning) are developed not separately within the individual, but by society, unconsciously.

Passive Racism

Struggle for equal rights doesn't exist

Stuart Hall's definition/explanation of encoding/decoding:

Stuart Hall (1980) applied the more advanced (transactional) models of the communication process to mass communication •Notes that decodings do not follow inevitably from encodings•Highlights the importance of active interpretation •Gives significant role to the decoder and encoder •Refers to various phases in the Encoding/Decoding model of communication as moments Hall stressed the role of social positioning in the interpretation of mass media texts by different social groups.

Heroine

The main female character of a story. - Essential in the western coming-of-age story. - The re-construction of the archetype in modern film suggests a need for it in modern society. - Whiteness and heterosexuality are essential in constructing the archetype so that it may apply to ALL women. - There must be a place for a prince charming.

Dominant Reading

The reader fully shares the text's code and accepts and reproduces the preferred reading (a reading which may not have been the result of any conscious intention on the part of the author(s)) - in such a stance the code seems 'natural' and 'transparent'; there is barely any misunderstanding because both the sender and receiver have the same cultural biases

Negotiated Reading

The reader partly shares the text's code and broadly accepts the preferred reading, but sometimes resists and modifies it in a way which reflects their own position, experiences and interests; this position involves contradictions

Oppositional Reading

The reader, whose social situation places them in a directly oppositional relation to the dominant code, understands the preferred reading but does not share the text's code and rejects this reading, bringing to bear an alternative frame of reference (radical, feminist etc.)

What Jacqueline Bobo (Color Purple) means when she says The Color Purple is a media text "made according to the encoding of dominant ideology"

The text was directed by a white, male; dominant culture. She means that she wanted to make sure that the movie came from an African American's prospective to make sure that the film displayed accurately as the book.

Symbolic Annihilation

When powerless groups are ignored in the media. almost suggesting they don't exist in the real world. Based on two concepts: 1. Media offers a symbolic representation of society rather than a literal portrayal. 2. To be represented in media is in itself a form of power. Social groups that are powerless are easily ignored; media almost implies that they don't exist.