The test will be the usual–some multiple choice, matching, short answer, short and long essay. If you need a quiet space and have accommodations with the Learning Center, let me know so I can send them the exam.

TV

• Neil Postman’s thesis about TV and show business–what is he saying, what are the implications?
• How has politics changed in the TV age? Can you produce examples/illustrations of how media can affect politics?  Does democracy look any different in a print-based versus TV- or image-based society? How does the 24/7 news cycle affect this?
• Does television change presidential politics? We spent some time covering different aspects of debating, for instance. Does it elect a different kind of candidate? How have debates changed over time?
• What kinds of pressures (Postman and Powers reading …) do local (network affiliate) TV stations face, and how do they bring people ‘into the electronic tent?’ Why do local TV newscasts all look the same?
• TV and infotainment–what happens to serious discourse?
• The rise of talk shows, comedy as a forum for political discourse–are television and entertainment incompatible, according to Jeffrey Jones (hint: no)?

Personalization, the ‘internet bubble’

• What is Eli Pariser’s argument (there’s a logic here you need to follow)?
• How does it differ from the traditional commercial news business model (meaning you need to know that one, too)?
• What are the implications for democracy when everyone has their personal ‘bubble’?

Power and authority

• Max Weber’s three legitimate authority types: charisma, tradition, and bureaucratic institutions (‘legitimate’ in the sense that most people recognize the authority and hence costs of enforcement decline)
• Steven Lukes’ discussion of the ‘three faces’ of power
• Remember our discussion of David Samuels’ piece on White House aide Ben Rhodes–how does that story illustrate issues of legitimate authority and power (questions from small group assignment)
• How do these factor in to modern media and news, what people ‘know,’ how they ‘know’ it? One way to think about this–how does this affect the ability of those in power to control the flow of information, employ propaganda techniques, etc.?

Propaganda and Counterpropaganda (specifics)

• What to do, what’s being done . . . we’ve studied problems with the media all year. The above link provides some ideas, several lecture pages.
• By this point in the term you should have a strong sense of different means to address problems with news media, from the perspective of an individual, or from a more structural point of view. If you can identify key problems, you can discuss options for addressing them.
• Concepts from Cialdini et al.:
  • From the small group assignment with Ben Rhodes
  • Multiple pages here and here and here for a refresher

The Group Term projects

• You will have some question asking you to respond to the topic your group addressed. So you need to be familiar with the entire project, not just your part of it.
• The question will likely focus on the use of propaganda and filtering.
• Send me a copy of your group’s handout and slideshow, and I’ll post them.

Junk Food News and Democracy

The Power Point slideshow . . .

Concepts

A useful (and highly recommended) review