cultural Comparison
In this module we learned that most people learn about people, places, and things through mediated representation. Earlier, we learned that whomever controls communication systems, controls perception. This phenomenon is easily seen in representational media platforms such as news. In short, representations have consequences and all representations have a “point of view”. Related to discourse (in the language chapter), words build certain understandings of people/places and things and those understandings influence and fuel behavior toward them.
Prompt: Background: To understand how the representation of a current social/political issue affects people’s beliefs and attitudes as well as our behavior, compare and constrast two articles about the same specific topic of your choice that portray the perspective of mainstream/dominant U.S. Americans (i.e., heterosexual, Christian, white), versus a perspective put forth by a particular non-dominant co-cultural group (e.g., Latinos, LGBTQ). It is best to choose articles published by disparate sources (i.e., national/international, liberal/conservative). For example, you could compare and constrast points of view put forth by an article from U.S. News & World Report on the issue of gay marriages, drag happy hour, and an article from a magazine (e.g., The Advocate) or website (e.g., GLAAD) that is targeted toward a gay/gay friendly audience. Conversely, you could compare and contrast the issue of asylum seekers in Germany between liberal and conservative points of view. Keep in mind that the articles need to be about the SAME SPECIFIC ISSUE or you’ll end of comparing apples and oranges!
Keep in mind the point is NOT to regurgitate the articles but to read them and think about the point of view being expressed and how this point of view leads us to particular ways of thinking about the issue or group and relatedly, how to act or respond.
Once you have read both articles, write a short essay analyzing (1 or 2 pages)how the perceptions lead us to particular ways of thinking about the issue. You must incorporate chapter/lecture ideas. DO NOT SIMPLY DESCRIBE WHAT YOU READ. Be sure to provide a works cited list so I can read the articles.
