Activity related to chapter 3
We have read about media stereotypes. Spend about 90 minutes with one media
that you normally use and take notes about the stereotypes that you find.
For example, you might watch a television drama, a movie, or even a program
that you liked to watch when you were a child. Otherwise, you might read
a magazine, some comics, or even a novel. You can spend 90 minutes on one
occasion, or split the 90 minutes up, for example, 30 minutes on three
mornings, or 30 minutes in the morning and 60 minutes in the evening.
You can focus on one or two particular stereotypes that occur frequently,
or compare a variety of stereotypes. For instance, if you like dramas involving
the police, you could look at how police officers are portrayed, or compare
the portrayal of police officers with the portrayal of villains. Alternatively,
you could look at different stereotypes of women, such as younger women,
older women, career women and housewives. It would be interesting if some
students focus on non-Japanese media.
Questions you might ask yourself include:
1. What are the chief characteristics of this particular stereotype? Points
to think about would be appearance (including clothes), personality, and
behavior/actions.
2. Is it largely negative or largely positive? (Why?)
3. Is it accurate? (Why, or why not?)
4. Is the stereotype harmful in any way?
As you do this, please also ask if there are any groups in society who
are NOT portrayed in the media you have chosen.
In the class, you will compare and discuss each others' findings.