Module 4: Media, Social Class, and Race
Texts:
“Framing Class, Vicarious Living and Conspicuous Consumption” by Diana Kendall: Diana Kendall (1)-1.pdf
“Missing in Action: ‘Framing’ Race on Prime-Time TelevisionLinks to an external site.” by Meera E. Deo, et al. https://www-jstor-org.libproxy.sdsu.edu/stable/29768493?socuuid=3418a7c3-6593-41b7-88c5-665f55a2aa54
Documenting Portrayals of Race.pdf
. Riva Tukachinsky, et al.
A media or cinematic text of your own choosing (a film or TV/streaming show).
Paper #2: Using Texts as a Lens for Evaluating Another Text
Prompt:
Employ concepts and arguments from the “frame” or “lens” texts—specifically, Diana Kendall’s “Framing Class, Vicarious Living, and Conspicuous Consumption”—to analyze and evaluate a recent media text (such as a television show, movie, or documentary) of your choosing in order to analyze the media’s discussion of money, class, status and/or success in our culture. (Learning Outcomes addressed: 2, 5–11, 13–14).
Of course, we are adding the media’s framing of race to our analysis. Use the other two scholarly texts to add to your analysis of race and other identities that may occur in your media selection.
In your introduction, you need to introduce Kendall’s text, as well as the media text you are analyzing. Kendall provides plenty of interesting and clarifying discussion and commentary that would work well in helping you to create a solid context for this study of the portrayal of economic class in our current media. The media do shape our perceptions of class; they also shape our perceptions of race, ethnicity, and gender.
Two main questions as you proceed to analyze your chosen media text (TV/streaming show o film):
Does your media text evidence some of the framing discussed in Kendall, Deo, et al., and/or Juna, et al.? Be specific with the scenes or characters in your media and clarify the framing explained in our Module readings. Use quotes from the readings, and carefully described scenes from the show/film to explain your arguments. Remember that your media text can challenge the arguments made by the readings.
Is the show/film you are analyzing a “good” show, meaning does it portray people and our world accurately or is this media troubling in that it gives viewers “a socially constructed reality that is not necessarily an accurate reflection of the United States” (Kendall 431)? Any thoughts on the consequences for viewers seeing these kinds of stories or “realities” (and more so children/young adults if they are part of the audience)?
The Paper:
After your paper introduction (~1/2 page), provide a brief understanding of some of the lenses you will use. Kendall’s text will likely be a significant part of your analysis. Briefly provide some background on the frames you will use in your paper. Kendall provides social class frames and the other texts help us define framing that coincides more with race, etc.
This first part explaining the frames you will use, following your introduction, should be about 1 page.
Clarify the lens(es) you will use to frame the target, your media text.
Next, move to the analysis of your media text, where you will use Kendall’s frames to help clarify the discussion of class that’s taking place in the film or show that you chose for this paper. You should find three to four good examples from your media text that enable you to apply Kendall’s frames, whether the media text reinforces or complicates her argument. Over the course of your application (framing your media text with Kendall), the quality of your analysis will be based on your insight (the clarity and intelligence of your analysis), which is supported and strengthened with the use of text (references to the target text and to Kendall). Please, do not overlook the use of text in strengthening your writing.
Of course, of your 3-4 examples from your show/film, if the framing of race or gender occurs that you would like to include in your paper, simply substitute those frames for the social class frames. Your body analysis should be 3-4 examples total.
Three to four good examples from your media text could mean to 3-4 scenes, or 3-4 episodes, or 3-4 characters. I am letting you figure-out the best way to approach your analysis of the show using Kendall’s (and other) frames. This analysis is 2-3 pages long.
In your conclusion, briefly discuss the importance of studying our media in this way, the importance of our awareness of some of the truths of American social class, race, gender, etc., and/or share some thoughts on the value of Kendall’s text as a frame or lens. Does her approach continue to be useful in 2024? Why or why not?
Your paper is to be about 5 pages long. Please adhere to MLA format (double-spaced, one-inch margins, page numbers, etc.), include a Works Cited page (not included in the page count), and edit and proofread carefully.
