Media Studies 200: An Introduction to Media Studies
Intended for 72 undergraduate students
Spring 2024 at the University of Victoria
lək̓ʷəŋən and WSÁNEĆ territories
M and Th, 10 - 11:20am
Taught by Jentery Sayers (he / him)
Office hours: Th, 11:30am - 12:30pm, in CLE D331
jentery@uvic.ca
This worksheet covers material from Weeks 6, 8, and 9 of MDIA 200. Your response is due via Brightspace by Thursday, March 14th at 10am. (Note that there’s a grace period. See details under “When to Submit It.”)
The worksheet is open-book, meaning you are allowed to use assigned primary sources, handouts, the course website, my slides, your notes, the library, and the internet to address the prompts.
Please cite your source material.
Please download the worksheet (DOCX format) to complete it in a word processor such as Microsoft Word, Google Docs, OpenOffice, LibreOffice, or Pages for Mac.
This open-book worksheet contains four prompts. Each response is worth 25 points for a total of 100 points. You are welcome to attach media (audio, image, or video files) to your response when prompted.
1. A challenge facing media effects research is determining how to measure an effect, especially when it’s ephemeral. Let’s test this prevailing assumption by attempting to index an effect and then reflecting on that attempt.
Use an image to index a short-term effect of media on your mood or feelings. You’re welcome to focus on a format (such as television, video games, podcasts, live music, animation, or social media) of your choice. Then use no more than 350 words, including terminology from the “Uses and Effects” handout, to A) communicate the challenges you encountered while trying to index a media effect and then B) explain the effect three ways: as a direct effect, a minimal effect, and a third-person effect. Don’t forget to attach your image or embed it in your worksheet.
2. Representation in media is always partial. I can, for instance, feel seen by a fantasy character without assuming I am that character. Let’s test this claim by indexing the experience of feeling seen by television and then reflecting on it.
Use an image to index a moment when you felt seen both personally and socially by a television show. Then use no more than 350 words, including terminology from the “Ownership Effects,” “Representation,” and “Intersectionality” handouts, to explain A) the image, B) how you felt seen personally in that moment, C) how you felt seen socially in that moment, and D) how frequently you feel seen by television in this way. Please also identify one of the show’s production companies as well as another show that company produced. Don’t forget to attach your image or embed it in your worksheet.
3. Blank spots in data raise questions related to trust and public access to information. Identifying a missing dataset may motivate people to act on the biases and indifference that enable those blank spots. Let’s test this idea by describing a dataset that doesn’t exist and then arguing for its existence.
Visit Mimi Ọnụọha’s “Library of Missing Datasets,” including the GitHub repo for it. Then use no more than 350 words, including terminology from the “Access and Trust” handout, to A) describe a missing dataset you wish existed, B) explain why it should exist, C) identify which community or social group would benefit most from access to it, D) state how you would benefit from access to it, and E) communicate why you believe or know the dataset doesn’t exist.
4. The boundary between front and back stage communications is porous on today’s streaming platforms. Their communications appear to unfold in the same place they are prepared. Let’s test this idea by observing a streamer and then describing how they stage their stream and communicate through it.
Select a Twitch channel of your choice and watch a stream for at least 30 minutes. Take notes as you do. Then use no more than 350 words, including terminology from the “Dramaturgy and Impressions Management” handout, to describe the streamer’s personal branding and specifically their A) setup, including their cameras, microphones, and mise-en-scène, B) messaging, including any phrases they use repeatedly, C) persona or lack thereof, including their display name and channel URL, D) interactions with chat, including moderation as well as unpredictable and toxic communications, E) approach to monetization, including subscriptions, ads, and/or donations, F) content, including whether they played a game, watched a video, or “just chatted,” G) goals, including whether they appear to prioritize income, performance, or social interaction, and H) ultimate impression on you as a viewer, including anything notable about how they stage their stream and communicate through it. Feel free to attach or embed screen caps if you wish.
I will use the following rubric, based on UVic’s official grading system, to assess your responses.
1 point will be deducted for every 25 words over the prescribed word count.
10 points will be deducted from the overall mark if no references are included at the end of the worksheet (see details below).
The total of these points (0-100) will constitute 20% of your final mark in this course.
You do not need to meet the word count in each response to earn a high mark.
Please do not forget to cite any material from which you draw ideas or examples. This includes material from the course. Here are some sample references to get you started.
Please submit a DOCX, ODT, PAGES, or PDF file containing your answers and references along with any media you were prompted to attach or embed. You are welcome to use your preferred citation style (MLA, Chicago, or APA, e.g.). The examples above (“Citing Your Sources”) are in MLA format.
A response to Worksheet 3 is due by 10am on Thursday, March 14th.
I will deduct five points for every business day (excluding holidays and weekends) that I receive Worksheet 3 after Monday, March 18th at 10am. I will close the submission portal at 10am on Thursday, March 28th and cannot accept any submissions after the portal is closed. Thank you for understanding.