Media Representation Production and Theories Research Paper Our semester has been structured according to four different “ways of looking” at media and the

Media Representation Production and Theories Research Paper Our semester has been structured according to four different “ways of looking” at media and the cultural artifacts that it produces. We have explored what it means to examine and critique media from the standpoint of production, consumption, socio-historic analysis and representation. For each of these approaches, we discussed the theories and bodies of knowledge that are fundamental to that method of studying media as well as famous and relevant case studies for each approach. In doing so, we have had the opportunity to tackle some of the key analytical questions, histories, pieces of legislation, politics and methods that have governed the field of media studies. We have also had the opportunity to see the benefits and the limitations of each approach.

Media Studies scholars typically utilize a multi-perspectival approach to studying media. This means that scholars typically investigate their questions using more than one of these approaches (for example: analysis of production + analysis of representation). For our final essay assignment, your task is to reflect on which of these approaches you find most useful and why, keeping in mind a multi-perspectival approach.

(1) Choose at least 2 approaches that you feel are most useful/productive for studying media (whether that’s media institutions, media processes, or media artifacts).

(2) Explain the theoretical foundations (including key questions, concerns, aims, assumptions) of each approach.

(3) Explain how you envision the two approaches being in conversation with one another. In other words, why would you choose to utilize these two in an analytical combination? What do you gain from this combination?

(4) Choose a media example and explain how you would analyze it using the two selected approaches. You do not have to go through the analysis of the media artifact; you only need to explain how you would tackle this analysis given the tools you have selected. What would you gain from this type of analysis? Your objective here is to use this media example to illustrate how useful the combination of approaches are.

Requirements:

? Your responses should be in conversation with at least 3 readings from our class. Episodes of Still Processing and any visual material we watched may be used as supplementary texts, but do not substitute the 3 required texts.

? Responses should be 4 – 6 pages.

? All submissions will be in 12-pt font, 1” margins, double-spaced