Soci 100 - Homework - Chapter 3. Culture and Media

Two weeks after Pearl Harbor, Time magazine ran a piece on ways in which Chinese and Japanese people differ in appearance. What was the name of the article?

"How to Tell Your Friends from the Japs"

Cultural Lag

-occurs when a cultural shift occurs in response to technological change Example. Jim and Beth have a baby with assisted reproductive technology. Their families don't understand the technology, and one uncle even jokes about the baby possibly being a robot because it was conceived with technology.

Examples of culture jamming

-providing content for free that is usually sold by companies -using comedy to draw out the contradictions and ill effects of advertising

Culture Jamming

-the act of co-opting media in spite of itself -differs from appropriating ads for the sake of are and sheer vandalism Examples: - "Joe Chemo" - Calvin Klein's "Obsession: for women"

Place the events in chronological order.

-the first interracial kiss in motion pictures -the first interracial kiss on television -the first same-sex kiss between women on television -the first same-sex kiss between men on television

In 1963, images of white police officers attacking black civil rights activists were broadcast on American television to a national audience. Fill in the blanks to complete the passage about reflection theory. The TV images stirred up sympathy for the (1) and support for (2). This is (3) reflection theory, which holds that (4) only reflect, and do not influence, (5).

1. activists 2. the civil rights movement 3. a counterexample to 4. mass media 5. social relationships

Place the media technology developments in chronological order.

1. black and white television 2. color television 3. videotape cassettes 4. DVDs 5. YouTube

The media, particularly (1) have been (2) for (3) female beauty and for depicting (4). One difficulty in creating new media to (5) these images is the need for media producers to rely on (6).

1. women's magazines 2. criticized 3. glamorizing 4. violence against women 5. counteract 6. advertising

Short-term Intended

A TV ad generates a strong turnout for a hardware store's holiday sale.

Long-term Unintended

A pro basketball team's mascot is offensive to an ethnic minority; over time this hurts the team's image.

In 2005, Unilever, which owns the Dove brand of skin-care products, launched the Real Beauty ad campaign. Identify the accurate statements about this campaign.

Accurate Statement(s): -It presents flattering images of women who are not supermodel-thin and whose skin is not perfect. -It is a clever marketing move by Dove, designed to make them stand out as a unique and activist brand. -It may reinforce women's insecurities about how they look.

Match each ad character to the campaign featuring that character.

An advertising campaign for a brand of cigarettes owned by R. J. Reynolds -Joe Camel A fire-prevention campaign sponsored by the Ad Council -Smokey the Bear An anti-pollution campaign sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service -Woodsy Owl

Identify the terms associated with sabung (rooster) in Balinese culture.

Associated: -"dandy" -"warrior" Not Associated: -"healer" -"father"

Short-term Unintended

Basketball fans at a sports bar watch their team win, then celebrate by vandalizing nearby cars and shops.

Identify the concerns about media coverage that were raised after the flooding of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

Concern(s) -Reasonable and defensible behavior by flood survivors was portrayed negatively depending on their race. -Coverage that focused on behavior by white flood survivors questioned the lack of government response. -The coverage portrayed white and black people differently.

Culture = Man - Machine

Culture is craft and intellectual refinement, not commerce and industry.

Culture = Human - Nature

Culture is what human beings have created by mastering their environment.

Culture = (Superior) Man - (Inferior) Man

Culture is what separates advanced civilizations from savages.

Interaction of social norms and mass media

Culture{ mass media > summer blockbusters > social norms > MPAA movie ratings

Identify the defining parts of an ideology.

Defining Part(s): -an understanding of cause and effect -a system of concepts and relationships Not Defining Part(s): -a system of rewards and punishments -a religious or political agenda

As colonialism led to increased interaction with non-Westerners, Europeans came to recognize that much of what they took for granted as natural was not. For example, American architecture relies on Greek styles of columns, a product of tradition. Evaluate the statements regarding the Lincoln Memorial and the Blue Mosque, and identify whether they are ethnocentric or not.

Ethnocentric: -The columns of the Lincoln Memorial are more functional than the Blue Mosque columns. -The Lincoln Memorial is more visually pleasing than the Blue Mosque. Not Ethnocentric: -The architecture displayed in each is due to cultural differences. -They display different columnar styles.

What term encapsulates the idea of a culture reflexively believing that it is naturally superior to other cultures and judging other cultures by its own values?

Ethnocentrism

Identify the examples of someone following a cultural script.

Examples: -A woman diets in order to look good in her swimsuit when summer comes. -A vegetarian avoids meat for religious and ethical reasons Not Examples: -An alcoholic avoids alcohol, knowing it would trigger a return to addictive behavior. -A diabetic avoids sugary foods in order to keep his blood sugar under control.

Identify the ways in which goths fit the definition of a subculture.

Fits Definition of a Subculture: -They share a common set of symbols that mark them as goth. -They share vocabulary particular to their group, such as "baby bat." Does Not Fit Definition of a Subculture -Others cannot easily recognize them as goth. Only goths can recognize identifying characteristics within the group. -In and of itself, black clothing is indicative of membership in the goth subculture.

According to the movie industry's Production Code that was in effect decades prior to 1967, identify the forbidden depictions in American movies.

Forbidden Depiction(s) -an interracial romance -a graphic depiction of a brutal murder -a clergyman acting in a ridiculous, comic manner -drug and alcohol abuse Not Forbidden Depiction(s) -a married couple sharing a bed

According to Janice Radway, identify the legitimate functions romance novels serve in the lives of women readers.

Function(s): -They offer an escape from drudgery. -They provide alternative behavioral scripts. Not Function(s): -They reaffirm traditional gender roles. -They show women how to be happy without men.

Given the fact that even unique names tend to follow gendered naming conventions in the United States, identify each name as belonging to either a girl or a boy.

Girl's Name: -Timitra -Lamecca Boy's Name: -Husan -Oukayod

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, new technologies and forms of business also changed European definitions of culture. Match each historical figure to his response to these social changes.

He painted La Grande Odalisque, an example of Western idealization of the female body in art. -Jean A. D. Ingres He described culture as an intellectual pursuit that lifts people above the dull routine of self-centered pursuits. -Matthew Arnold He contrasted corrupt European culture with that of idealized non-Western "savages." -Jean-Jacques Rousseau

How was Shakespeare viewed by American audiences in the nineteenth century?

He was known as the poet of the common man - "poet of the people"

A feudal social order might be enforced in various ways. Using Antonio Gramsci's categories, identify each scenario as an example of either hegemony or domination.

Hegemony: -A priest preaches a sermon on the theme of being subject to those in authority. -A farmer tells his children stories about how brave and kind the duke is. Domination: -Anyone guilty of serious crimes forfeits all his material property. -A petty thief is put in stocks in the public square.

What role does a red light play in each of these settings?

It is a cultural symbol signaling a different meaning each setting.

Channel One brings news and other informational programming into public schools. Why is Channel One controversial?

It runs commercial advertisements.

Code Switch

Jorge can alter his clothing and his speech so that he can appear natural at both a rodeo and at an upscale restaurant.

Identify examples of material and nonmaterial culture.

Material Culture: -smartphones -a social media service, like Facebook Nonmaterial Culture: -"do not feed the trolls" as a norm in online discussion forums -texting in place of spoken conversations

Culture Shock

Miko moves from a rural town to a large city and finds her jokes, her clothing, and her hairstyle aren't "right" for the city.

Match each type of television programming to its means of funding.

Paid Viewer Subscriptions -satellite TV Annual Fee to Own a TV -the British Broadcasting Corporation Commercial Sponsorships -network over-the-air broadcast in the United States

Label each description as applying to either affluent families, lower-income families, or both.

Parents practice symbolic indulgence. -lower-income families Children argue that they need this or that item to be socially accepted. -affluent families -lower-income families Parents practice symbolic deprivation. -affluent families A child's plea based on social acceptance sways the parents. -lower-income families -affluent families

Nineteenth-century poet and cultural critic Matthew Arnold extended and altered Plato's views of culture. Match each statement as being true of either Matthew Arnold or Plato.

Plato: - He argues that culture was an ideal what could not be attained, but could be approximated by an artisan or artist. Matthew Arnold: -He argued that culture was not about self-centeredness and materialism. -His ideas developed in response to technological changes that gave the middle class access to mass-produced goods that had previously been out of reach.

Identify each statement as either a value, a norm, or neither.

Race-based job discrimination is illegal. -norm All people should have the chance to advance by "pulling themselves up by their bootstraps." -value There is no inherent difference between different races. -neither

Long-term Intended

Repeated product placement in a TV series boosts sales for a fast-food chain.

Which social researcher coined the phrase cultural relativism?

Ruth Benedict

Relative to American culture today, identify examples of subcultures.

Subculture(s): -hunting enthusiasts -skateboards Not Subculture(s): -incompetent doctors -litterbugs

For a sociologist, the goal in examining things such as language, media, and stereotypes is to take what we see as natural and view it as a product of culture. Identify the statements that support this goal.

Supporting Statements: -Thinking like a sociologist means making the familiar strange. -Sociologists seek to uncover cause-and-effect relationships.

What is a likely sociological explanation for the fact that African American parents, more often than parents of other ethnicities, give their children unique and often made-up names?

The civil rights movement stirred up a sense of wanting to break away from the dominant (white) culture.

What is the essential attribute of all media?

They communicate information.

Identify each of the following as either a value or a norm commonly found in the United States...

Value: -individualism -free speech Norm: -holding a baby shower for a new mother -shaking hands as a greeting

When European explorers and colonists arrived in the New World, they claimed plots of land on which to build and plant crops. This led to conflict with Native Americans. How is this conflict best understood?

as a conflict of different concepts of ownership

What is an example that is part of the definition of consumerism?

buying material things in the belief that they will bring happiness

Which pair of concepts consists of two direct opposites?

ethnocentrism and cultural relativism

According to Antonio Gramsci, what term sums up the idea of a dominant group exerting control over other groups by getting them to accept the status quo as the natural, proper order of things?

hegemony

The process of analyzing the content of a particular form of media, such as women's magazines or television commercials, is known as what?

textual analysis

Which media effect was the Hays Code, which regulated film content from 1934 to 1967, intended to combat?

the unintended long-term effects of violent and sex-related content on society's moral standards