Assignment:
Below are some questions that ask you to think critically about the information you learned in Chapter 12. Choose 2 questions, and respond. Whenever possible, bring in concepts from the textbook to help you answer the questions.
1) If one or two people out of a million who watch a particular movie or listen to a particular song are negatively affected by it, is that reason enough to ban or withdraw the movie or song? Or should peopleeven adolescentsbe responsible for how they respond to media?
2) Why is it that physical appearance and relationships are virtually the only topics in magazines read by adolescent girls, but these topics scarcely exist in magazines read by adolescent boys?
3) To what extent is the portrayal of sexuality in television shows watched by adolescents similar to and different from the way adolescents regard sexuality in real life?
4) Think about advertisements you have seen lately and describe them (e.g., what products, what media TV, radio, newspaper, magazine, Internet). What were the messages in the advertisements? How did the advertisements affect you? Why? What do you think was the target market of the advertisements? Evidence? Did you end up buying the products? Why or why not?
5) What is one idea or research finding presented in this chapter that surprised you? Why do you think you reacted the way you did? How has this new understanding changed you?
6) Choose one of the theories of media influence discussed in Chapter 12: Cultivation Theory, Social Learning Theory, or the Uses and Gratification Approach. Describe an example from your life that is consistent with this theory.
In crafting your responses, please be as specific as possible. Also, don’t forget to comment on 2 other students’ posts.
Formatting Your Assignment: There are 6 questions listed above (labeled 1 – 6). Whichever 2 questions you choose, make sure you label each questions as it is labeled above. For example, if you answer question 3, label it as 3), 3., Question 3 or something similar. BOLD any words or phrases you use from the TEXT and also put the page number.
