Difference between revisions of "Ideological Criticism, Cultural Studies (Discussion)"

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List two strength(s) of ideological criticism, cultural studies and/or production studies. List two weaknesses of these approaches.
 
List two strength(s) of ideological criticism, cultural studies and/or production studies. List two weaknesses of these approaches.
  
*'''Group 1:''' (Lakesia Doctor)
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*'''Group 1:'''
**Strength = Negotiating decoding allows for shared compromises between dominant-hegemonic and oppositional decoding.
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*'''Group 2:'''
**Weakness = This process can't work all the time, it is limited to the viewers standpoint between dominant or oppositional. Too much of one decoder can leave the viewer against the show entire because they don't want to understand the other's views. (You can please some people some of the time, but you can please all of the people all of the time.)
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*'''Group 3:'''
*'''Group 2:''' (Andrea Hildensperger)
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*'''Group 4:'''
**Strength: Ideological criticisms allow the viewer to basically weed out something that they will have no interest in. E.g., Someone working paycheck to paycheck can know they won't enjoy Real Housewives of Atlanta.
 
**Weakness: If you use ideological criticisms to define what you watch, then you're alienating yourself from seeing other viewpoints.
 
*'''Group 4:''' (Andrew Wallace)
 
**Group 4 established a strength of Ideological Criticism is that it is subjective, while a weakness is that it reinforces stereotypes found in media.
 
  
 
== Bibliography ==
 
== Bibliography ==

Revision as of 14:36, 21 October 2014

Decoding (or reading) a text

Group 4

  1. Perform a dominant-hegemonic decoding of My So-Called Life. What would be the result of your reading in terms of representations of gender and sexuality, ethnicity, and youth (vs. middle age)?

Group 2

  1. Perform a oppositional decoding of My So-Called Life. What would be the result of your reading in terms of representations of gender and sexuality, ethnicity, and youth (vs. middle age)?

Group 1

  1. Perform a negotiated decoding of My So-Called Life. What would be the result of your reading in terms of representations of gender and sexuality, ethnicity, and youth (vs. middle age)?

Group 3

  1. What do you feel is the preferred reading of this episode? What is the preferred reading in terms of representations of gender and sexuality, ethnicity, and youth (vs. middle age)? ("Hall and others often presume that the preferred reading encoded on the text by the television apparatus will be from the dominant position," but in this case it probably is not.)

Readings from Thompson & Mittell, How to Watch Television

  1. Group 4: How does Daniel Marcus define "nostalgia" in "The Wonder Years: Televised Nostalgia"? Thinking back to our discussion of semiotics, what do you think he means by "denotative authority" and "connotative authority"? What effect does this connotative authority have on the ideological decoding/reading of The Wonder Years?
  2. Group 1: In "I Love Lucy: The Writer-Producer," Miranda J. Banks lists five things for which I Love Lucy is "celebrated." In addition to these, what significant shift in the behind-the-scenes TV-production hierarchy does she identify? What new title did this result in and which unheralded individual associated with I Love Lucy fit this title? Why was the Screen Writers Guild wary of this development?
  3. Group 2: In "Modern Family: Product Placement," Kevin Sandler specifies two distinct attitudes toward the iPad's inclusion in the "Game Changer" episode. Summarize these "attitudes". Which do you think is correct and why? Also, how have technological changes necessitated marketing changes that affect narrative?
  4. Group 3: In "Modern Family: Product Placement," Kevin Sandler refers to Timothy Havens and Amanda D. Lotz's "industrialization of culture” framework as a way to understand the relationship between art and commerce in TV production. Explain Havens/Lotz's use of these terms: "mandates, conditions, and practices". How can these terms be used to explain the iPad's product placement in "Game Changer"?

Strengths/weaknesses

List two strength(s) of ideological criticism, cultural studies and/or production studies. List two weaknesses of these approaches.

  • Group 1:
  • Group 2:
  • Group 3:
  • Group 4:

Bibliography

  1. Jeremy G. Butler, Television: Critical Methods and Applications (NY: Routledge, 2012).
  2. Ethan Thompson & Jason Mittell, eds., How to Watch Television (NY: NYU Press, 2013):
    1. Miranda J. Banks, “I Love Lucy: The Writer-Producer,” 244-252
    2. Kevin Sandler, “Modern Family: Product Placement”, 253-261
    3. Daniel Marcus, “The Wonder Years: Televised Nostalgia,” 223-231