Every student is expected to make a presentation and write an essay during the semester.
Pick a Media Message (TV-program , newspaper articles) and describe it in your presentation (using critical analysis, screenshots and data).
Who made this message? (AUTHORSHIP)
Why was this made?
Who is the target audience (and how do you know)? (PURPOSE)
Who paid for this? (ECONOMICS)
Who might benefit from this message?
Who might be harmed by it?
Why might this message matter to me? (IMPACT)
What kinds of actions might I take in response to this message? (RESPONSE)
What is this about (and what makes you think that)?
What ideas, values, information, and/or points of view are overt?
Implied?
What is left out of this message that might be important to know? (CONTENT)
What techniques are used?
Why were those techniques used?
How do they communicate the message? (TECHNIQUES)
How might different people understand this message differently?
What is my interpretation of this and what do I learn about myself
from my reaction or interpretation? (INTERPRETATIONS)
When was this made?
Where or how was it shared with the public? (CONTEXT)
Is this fact, opinion, or something else?
How credible is this (and what makes you think that)?
What are the sources of the information, ideas, or assertions? (CREDIBILITY)
Your presentation is the minimum requirement to make the satisfactory grade (3).
The next level is an essay which is supposed to be based on your previous presentation – 3.5 – 4. It is a kind of analytical work (3 – 5 pages). In other words, it is supposed to contain a certain amount of your own ANALYSIS.
Those of you who are looking to get an even higher grade – 4.5 – 5 – are expected – apart from the presentation and essay – to get ready for the final talk which will be based on the recommended literature
Peter B.Orlik, Electronic Media Criticism, 2001
Media And Society: Critical Perspectives, By Graeme Burton, First Published 2005
Everette E.Dennis, John G.Merrill, Media Debates: Issues in Mass Communication