Movies and television
Topic 1.
Movies and television shows teach us about other countries and cultures. But Sohmetlfifi:
the lessons we learn from media need to be examined in detail. When) you watc “10
and television shows, what kinds of lessons are you actually lcam}flS~ th S that
In an essay, pick a few specific television shows or movies, and discuss e way O h
they represent RACE. How are different cultures and diffeoriirt r?}:::eff:13;::’::“:;’:;ci::;
films/shows, and why do you think representation mlattersér memes: representations of
Do they rely on stereotypes? what do you think we lfearintheo see themselves presented
race? How might people from these cultures react w Y
this wa
Pick on}e of the following specific !°P_1¢55 _ 9 what do they look like?
a Who are the villains in action/superhero movies: _can movies?
men represented in man)’ NW”
o How are African American Wo _ American movies’ and why?
0 What kinds of roles do Indian actors get invies or TV shows?
How is China represented in 63:,-iples of films and/or television
If you P’c.k this topic’ yOutlri1a‘is!ouiare‘i’amiliar with. or do research ‘md fmd Wm“ Scholars
shows. Discuss examPl°_:_ 3′ ‘es
have written about 5P°°’ ‘° “amp
Topic 2; specifically, individual;
I’h<1e,Intemet is changing many Pggtiftiiiiiieiiiiiitirivoriii. How are some people “SW8
and websites are changing 5pc.“ ‘want? Do the new technologies in our world always
social media, and “”h)_’ I? this linp I I sin older ways °f d°i“g mmg.s?
ble that we are 0 8
rove our lives, or is it poSSl UTUBE or FACEBOOK is having
imp . $5 the impact that TWITIER, Yo ~ h e new
In an essay’ dwcu ‘d e do these things before the Internet. and how a‘’
on our lives. How did tfiings for the better, or for worse?
technologies chaI’$€ht include: ‘ 1. t do their job
Some examplef m‘_9 . the way we get news, and thus howJ°‘”’“3 ‘5 5
Twitter is changingh a we meet people and fall in love
0 F8°°b°°k change.“ C Y f one to become famous . t
YouTube makes it possible or an)’ ‘f technologies. Do NOT “me “b°.u
O’ th’ tOPi° Yo“ must focus on very Spec‘ ‘C lc use the lntemet in their
If you Pick t, gengral. focus on one particular way thal:;anetoFzNoTE. ifyou want to
‘the Inteme ‘ . ban es are 1mP° ‘ . ‘ ‘ k me
I, h these c 8 » here,JuSt 35
life, and describe, incdfitnficll Y:/U flan’: like the three examples I ve given
write about this IOP‘ ’ – inal example is acc8P‘3b’°°)
Topic 3.
Men and women are often represented very differently in the media. The stereotypes we
learn about ‘how to be a man’ and ‘how to be a woman’ are often false but w ‘ th
over and over again in our lives Lookin t v ‘f ’ 6 Se? em
illustrate how important this is . g a very speci ic examples from the media can
In an essay, pick on ‘f’
women are represcn:e5:.e\c,lo‘1J(3l:<el:((1l tcgftngeglia. and looik at the differences in how men and
Look for common themes or patterns amli3<t?}<l3I IC._an discuss your examples in detail.
some examples might include. . en 8ive examples as evidence.
0 Fast-Food com ‘ 1
video games. £133: tsh on TV. what do men eat, what do women eat?
e men look/act/behave, and how do the women‘?
ggfvdatgnrfiarlriedia: the llgleirry Potter books/movies, for example.
e ra ers
If you pick this topic, you siiguld focii1‘:;iiutl(iiehr(¢)ewrx(:is)eifi:zli!t1’a le mippm biime? why?
try to prove biological/genetic differences. . focilis on the ftgrgzoln en an women. Don t
media, and discuss why these stereotypes matter (NOTE-2′ if youyvlfiritlifi jveritenatllifut thi
w . – . . . 5
topic, you don t like the four examples I ve given here, Just ask me in class if your
own original example is acceptable.)
Topic 4.
The Internet has changed the way that we consume media. Instead of going to the store
and buying a CI), you can simply download an MP3 file from the Apple iTunes store, or
Just stream music from a cloud-based service. Instead of paying for cable television or a
satellite dish, you can just watch Netflix or I-lulu, or download an illegal torrent file.
In an essay, discuss how the Internet has changed MUSIC, MOVIES, TELEVISION, or
GAMING. Give specific examples, and support your claims with research, as well as
your own experience with these technologies.
If you pick this topic, you MUST focus on one of the examples I have listed here. Do not
try to write about all forms of media in a single essay. Focus on the ways in which people
actually listen to music, or watch movies today. How is this different from the ways that
we consumed media 20 years ago, or 50 years ago? What has been improved by new
technology, and what has not been improved?
You will need to do some historical research for this topic. Do not assume that everything
in 2014 is better than in the past…
Topic 5.
Many o 1 h
we
Companies to spy on us and collect our personal information often §Jitlle()rll.l‘lmu:nl‘(:1:l\:1i
v _ _ ng.
icctme surveillance makes people uncomfortabIe.- video cameras in public places, for
anjp e. And other forms of surveillance are widely accepted – Facebook or Google
keeping track_of your online activity in order to send you personalized advertising.
in an essay, discuss one kind of surveillance and its effects on society. Don’t just tell me
if surveillance if ‘good’ or ‘bad’. Why does the issue of surveillance matter, and how is
our understanding of the word ‘privacy’ changing? Do you feel that you have a lot of
gglliilacy online, or is everything you do fundamentally public? Does this concern you?
y, or why not?
If you pick this topic, you need to research the issue of surveillance, but you also need to
focus on specific ideas and examples. You could write about Facebook and privacy, for
example, or about how companies such as Amazon and Google keep track of the
websites you visit. You MUST be specific, and tell me why surveillance is significant.
Topic 6.
In Week 4, we look at the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis, which states that ‘Different
Languages have Different Worlds’. This means that each language on earth constructs its
own way of perceiving and understanding the world around you. If I speak German, and
you speak Japanese, our daily experience of the world is fundamentally different, because
wjIa'{g.1p)a.].l_y,,differei;t words to describe the things around us.
In an Essay, use your owii’éxperiEfic’é of two different languages to discuss this idea
Focus on specific kinds of words to illustrate your point.
For example: what are the swear words in one language. and what do they mean? Why
are certain concepts ‘dirty’ or ‘obscene’ in that language, and what does this tell us about
a country or culture? Think about very specific examples, and then try to find bigger
patterns. (In English, many swear words refer to pans of the body or specific sex acts… if
you speak another language, are these same concepts considered very dirty in that
language too? Why, or why not?)
If you write about swear words, then research the concept of swearing in general. Why do
most languages have ‘dirty word’ to begin with? Why are they important?
If you write about different kinds of words (Gender; Race; Food; Sports; Colours; etc.),
then research these general concepts. Provide specific examples from your own
experience, but use academic research to support your arguments about language and
culture.
Topic 7.
When someone tries to adapt a book into a movie, or a comic book into a television
show, this is an act of translation: taking a message in one language and ‘ilnovigg it!‘ into I
another language. As many of you know, translation is a very di icu t tas , an it oesn’
always work: the message isn’t the same in the new language as it was in the old one.
In an essay, write about a translation or media adaptation. How are the two versions
different, and what does this tell us about the two languages? _ _ rd
For example, you could write about a popular book that was adapted into a may; (Lot
of the Rings; Harry Potter; Twilight; Hunger Games; etc.). How is the blTcl:Vic die and
from the book, and why i: t‘l)’ieis What kinds of stones work t in m
what kinds of stories wor st in 0 S: . _ video e ‘hat you
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see what scholars have written on this subjlect. 6“
know very well, and discuss them in detai
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