TV Project (50 points)

• For our TV Project, you must follow all the steps listed in this assignment. Between now and our next class (Monday/Tuesday) you must watch at least 5 hours of television. In that 5 hours you must cover each of the following:

1. A half-hour of news and/or TV journalism (Dateline, 60 Minutes)
2. A half-hour of comedy sitcom (Family Guy, Everybody Hates Chris)
3. A half-hour of drama (NCIS, Law and Order)
4. A half-hour of reality television (American Idol, Cheaters)
5. A half-hour of commercials
6. A half-hour of music videos

• Beyond those 3 hours, whatever you decide to watch for this project is up to you. Just be sure to record the show you watched on the attached TV Log.
• As you watch the shows, chart violence and moral issues on the attached charts. Each time you see one of the chartable occurrences (shooting, racism) happen, make a mark in the column for the show you are watching.
• Commercial Assessment Chart: As you watch commercials answer the 5 Questions on the chart for each commercial.
• Write a 2-page analysis of your television watching experience.
  • Compose a written assessment, based on what you saw, of what television is “selling” to the average American viewer. Be sure to discuss issues of fashion, physical shape, music, family values, violence, and global issues.
  • What images are presented most often? Why do you think this is so? How is mass media used by various businesses (via advertising), governments (news), the entertainment industry (dramas, comedies) and individuals (videos, movies)?
  • Hypothesize why Americans are so easily influenced by television, and how that influence affects the way we interact with others.
  • This paper can be hand-written, but you will get 5 extra credit points if you type it.

~ by mrrosentel on May 13, 2009.