Media Studies 2012 Period 4 Class

The purpose of these questions is a) to help you to understand the key points of each chapter;  b) to help you to think about the content (Do you agree or disagree? How do points made apply to the media in Japan?...); c) to provide material for discussion in class; and d) to give you opportunities to practice your paraphrasing and summarizing skills.  Preparing and submitting your answers is therefore an important part of your work for this course, including your preparation for classes.

Please write your answers in English, and be ready to submit them at the end of the class. You do not have to write whole sentences except in the case of summaries. However, you must always try to use your own words. Do NOT just copy from the text.

Chapter 2

Some questions should be answered by all students, some by members of the following groups:

Please write your answers in English, and be ready to submit them at the end of the class. You do not have to write whole sentences except in the case of summaries. However, you must always try to use your own words. Do NOT just copy from the text.

1. Explain the meaning of the following key words/phrases/sentences:
a) visual media (p.9) GROUPS A and B
b) aural media (p.9) GROUPS C and D
c) media-saturated society (p.9) ALL
d) anchor (the meaning of a photograph) (p.10) GROUP A
e) media text (p.16) GROUP B
f) voice-over (p.25) GROUP C
g) even natural-born killers can be presented in a sympathetic light (p.27). ALL
h) disruptive forces (p.28) GROUP D

2. Explain why Peter Wall talks about 'reading' in connection with television. ALL

3. Explain the meaning of 'denotation' and 'connotation' using the example of photographs of the following:

4. The top paragraph on p.17 mentions 'a soap opera'. Coronation Street and Neighbours, mentioned later in the same paragraph, are both examples of soap operas, the former originating in the UK and the latter in Australia. Look them up on the Internet and try to work out what a soap opera is. Are there any soap operas made in Japan? (What are Othello and Silas Marner?) ALL

5. Peter Wall mentions 'the common picture of the passive TV viewer who mindlessly consumes whatever images are displayed on the screen' (p.18). Do you think that he agrees with this viewpoint? Explain your answer, and give your own opinion too. ALL

6. On pp.18-19, Peter Wall describes some of the codes associated with news bulletins, and suggests that they are different from the codes associated with quiz shows. What codes are associated with quiz shows on Japanese television? How are they different from the codes associated with news bulletins? GROUPS A and D

7. Notice how shots are used on film. What would be the effect of starting with a long shot of a scene which then gradually zoomed in to a close-up of a particular person? What would be the effect of doing the opposite? ALL

8. What does Peter Wall mean by 'the link between stories and behavior' on p.24? Why does he mention this? Be ready to give reasons for your reply. GROUPS B and D

10. Do you agree that 'most narratives are variations on a limited number of timeless themes' (p.24)? Give reasons for your opinion. GROUPS A and C

11. Give examples of the device of the enigma being used in TV programs other than dramas. ALL

12. Think of a news story, such as the Olympics, the disagreement between China and Japan over the Diaoyu/Senkaku Islands, or the 2010 Soccer World Cup. How are narrative techniques used by the media when covering such stories? Is the coverage free of bias? Give reasons for your opinion. GROUPS A and B

13. What were your favorite TV programs when you were at elementary school? Did they have a particular view of the world? If so, what was it? Do you 'trust the people who control the media to work in your best interests?' (p.29) Give reasons for your answer. GROUPS C and D

14. Give some more examples of genres. Are there any genres which are especially associated with Japan? GROUPS B and C