– choose examples (such as media texts, as detailed in the question)
– do additional research around the topic. You will need more supporting theory reading, and you will need to reference the textbook where relevant
– write up the essays including references to academic writing and examples from the texts
1. How do the narrative structure and genre codes in a reality TV show of your choice express ideology?
To answer this question you need to choose a Reality TV (RTV) show, and identify the taken-for-granted worldview and values that express its ideology. Use specific examples from the programme and reference the textbook and / or other academic sources. (Weeks 7,8,9)
2. How is character, narrative and ideology expressed in a song from a Disney film, or another film or TV musical, of your choice?
To answer this question discuss how the song expresses an attribute of a character or characters, the role it plays in the narrative, and the ideology (worldview and values) expressed in the song, referencing the textbook and/or other academic sources where relevant. For context identify the film and some key aspects of its audience reception and / or production context that relate to your analysis of the song. (Weeks 9,10,11, also 7,8,9)
3. How does the television show Gogglebox represent television audiences?
Use examples from one or more episodes of Gogglebox, from one or more countries (available on YouTube), to support an argument that draws on audience theory and the medium specificity of television to answer this question, referencing the textbook, and other academic sources as necessary. (Weeks 3 + 4)
4. How do theories of technology help explain the use of media technologies in sport?
Focus on theories of technology from the textbook and / or another peer reviewed source, and on specific examples of media technologies and sport: for example used by audiences to watch and follow a particular sport, to connect sportspeople and audiences, for advertising and marketing, and for sports institutions to track and monitor players. (Week 4)
5. In what ways does a New Zealand-made media text of your choice demonstrate Authentically Inclusive Representation?
Analyse the representation of Māori and any or all of gender, ethnicity, sexuality, mental health, and disability, in a New Zealand-produced media text of your choice (a TV programme, film, news programme / paper / site, podcast, a social media account, online creator’s work, etc). Discuss the relationship between the representation in the text and the degree of diversity in its production roles. Refer to the reports linked in week 10 on Learn and any other academic sources you need. (Weeks 10, 6, 4)
6. How are the ‘Paradoxes of Professionally Producing Culture’ evident in an example of media work of your choice?
Read the section ‘The Paradoxes of Professionally Producing Culture’ in Deuze (2023, pp196-211), and relate three of these paradoxes to an example of media work. You will need to research the actual work practices of a particular media field (eg journalism, online content creation, TV or film production, music, podcasting, etc), and provide evidence of how this relates to three of the paradoxes. (Week 6)
7. How is your bingewatching supported by the genre and content of a programme, the technology you use to watch it, and by other people’s audience practice?
Make sure you give specific examples – you can focus on one or more things you bingewatch, and reference course material (readings, lectures and textbook) and additional reading, if necessary, to answer this. Other people’s audience practice refers to things like how people talk about it online / other online content about it, what your friends and others around you are watching and talking about. (Weeks 3, 4, 5)
8. Analyse a text of your choice using one of the theories discussed at the end of the course: postcolonialism OR postmodernism (or poststructuralism).
This is a bit of an extension question because we haven’t spent much time on it. Reference the textbook (ch24) and any other sources you need to understand the context. ‘A text’ is any kind of media content. (Weeks 7-12)
