Analyzing Mass Media and Pop Culture: How the Image Shapes the Need

 Data Workshop: Analyzing Mass Media and Pop Culture: How the Image Shapes the Need (Sample paper available below)

This workshop is a modified version of a Workshop activity from Chapter 3 of “The Real World: An Introduction to Sociology” by Kerry Ferris and Jill Stein, 7^th Ed.For this Data Workshop, you will be using existing sources—specifically, popular magazines in print or online—to discover how culture gives meaning to items considered necessary for modern living. You will be doing content analysis to arrive at your conclusions. Refer back to Chapter 2 for a review of this research method.  You will write an essay to outline your findings and how this analysis relates to sociological concepts and theory.

Pick your necessity—clothes or cars. Now go to your local bookstore or newsstand, or go online, and identify a magazine dedicated to that necessity. For example, you could choose a magazine such as InStyle, Essence, or Vogue for women’s clothing, or GQ, Details, or Esquire for men’s clothing. For cars, you could choose Car and Driver, Road and Track, or Motor Trend. Immerse yourself in the content of the magazine, looking over the headlines, articles, photo spreads, and advertisements. Then consider the following questions. Support your answers with data in the form of text/image descriptions, etc. taken from the print magazines or their websites.

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Format/Structure of Essay (this is how you will compose your essay):

 General Essay Structure:

    Introduction

·         Part 1

·         Part 2

·         Part 3

·         Conclusion

·         Citation

Compose your findings from the analysis in an essay format (paragraphs, etc.).  Use complete sentences.  Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Submit your essay in one of the following formats:  Microsoft Word, rtf, or pdf.  If you are a MAC user, I cannot access ‘pages’ format. Please convert all work to accepted formats.

Provide the following in your essay and answer the following questions: 

Introduction:  Provide an Introduction to your Essay.

Part 1:  Themes and Presentations: 

Answer the following: 

·         How is the modern necessity of [clothing or cars] presented in the magazine? Can you find any themes, patterns, or topics that seem predominant in the magazine?

·         Describe one example of material culture (physical objects) and one example of symbolic culture (language, norms) that best represent the magazine’s approach to [clothing or cars].  Be sure to bold your description of material and symbolic culture.   

·         What values or beliefs about [clothing or cars] are reflected in the magazine? What kind of messages are embedded in the images and text in articles and advertisements?

·         Select a term/concept from Chapter 3 to relate to your findings.  Select a term other than material and symbolic culture as these have been covered.  How is this term/concept illustrated or exemplified in your content analysis?  Be sure to bold your term/concept. 

Part 2:  Acquisition of the Necessity:

Answer the following:

·         How does the magazine suggest that we satisfy our needs for [clothing or cars]? How much of the magazine’s content is about satisfying just the bare minimum of our need for [clothing or cars]? Who is the magazine’s intended audience? How are you addressed as the reader? How does the magazine affect you and your desires for [clothing or cars]? Do you find yourself wanting the [clothing or cars] pictured? Who benefits when you act on your desires by purchasing the products featured in the magazine?  Finally, which force is more important in shaping human behavior when it comes to modern necessities—instinct or culture? 

 Part 3:  Sociological Theory:

Answer the following:

·         Select one of the major Sociological Theories from Chapter 1 that is illustrated by this content analysis of clothes or cars (examples include:  Structural-Functionalism, Conflict Theory, Symbolic Interaction, Feminist theory, Postmodernism, etc.).  Define and bold your selected theory from Chapter 1. 

·         Explain how this theory is illustrated or related to your analysis? 

·         What evidence do you see in how this theory is exemplified?   

Conclusion:  Complete your Essay with a conclusion to tie together your research and findings.

Citation:  Provide a citation for your media/magazine source(s).  You are not required to provide a citation for the three Sociological terms and the theory as we will use the textbook and/or class materials for the terms/theory.

Here is an example of a citation for the source:

Vogue.  (2021, September). Vogue: Fashion, Beauty, Celebrity, Fashion Shows.  Retrieved September 23, 2021 from https://www.vogue.com/?us_site=y

Important note about Netiquette:  This is an activity to aid in understanding of course material as well as this course as a whole.  Please be respectful in all communications.  Be respectful of fellow classmates as well as the Instructor.  Please use respectful language, wording, and communications in all forms. 

Any rude, offensive, derogatory, or otherwise inappropriate writings in discussion posts, assignments, communications, writings, or essays will result in a grade of 0 on that assignment and might result in disciplinary action.

Formatting Criteria:

•           Double-spaced 3 page minimum for the writing.  This means that the data workshop will contain 3+ pages of writing

•           12 point font maximum with 1 inch margins maximum

•           Answer the questions in depth.  Use complete sentences.  Use proper spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Submit your essay in one of the following formats:  Microsoft Word, rtf, or pdf.  If you are a MAC user, I cannot access ‘pages’ format.  Please convert all work to accepted formats.

Submitting your Essay:  There are two attempts for you to submit your Essay.  This is to account for uploading the incorrect document, uploading a blank document, etc.  If there are two documents submitted, I will only grade the 2nd attempt.  It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that the correct document is submitted for your Data Workshop.  Click directly on the Data Workshop link (beside the image of the paper, pencil, and ruler) to upload your document.

 Important:  We will use Safe Assign for this Essay to check for Plagiarism.

Submit your own, original work.  Plagiarized work will result in a grade of 0 and may result in disciplinary action.

I'm looking forward to reading your work!

 

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                                            Sample paper

NB:This is a sample, do not use plagiarized content.

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