CMNS 315 / EDUC 315 (Understanding Media Literacy) – Media Literacy Application
Grade weight:
25%
The purpose of this assignment is to demonstrate your mastery of the course material through application, synthesis and evaluation. You will engage in an authentic learning task which consists of deconstructing media messages conveyed by a series of media products that will be featured in an electronic portfolio (e-porfolio) that you compile.
Within the context of this assignment, you will:
- build an electronic portfolio of evidence that clearly demonstrates main ideas from the course material;
- write an expository essay that serves as both description and analysis of the evidence chosen for your portfolio; the content will be wholly supported by concrete and specific references to pertinent course concepts and theories.
This assignment can serve as a model for assignments you intend to assign to your own students – the requirements of the assignment can be simplified and/or rendered more specific dependent upon the needs and abilities of the grade level taught and the aptitudes and interests of your students. Keep in mind that elementary and secondary students are, in general, very comfortable with technology and electronic archiving of materials – electronic approaches to learning are far from novel for digital natives. In fact, such approaches tend to reflect the values and habits of younger generations who are immersed in cultures characterized by media technologies and products.
A suggested methodology and essay approach/outline are presented below as well as a marking rubric that will be used to evaluate your work. Your finished paper will be 10 to 12 pages in length doubled-spaced and formatted in MLA or APA style; please advise your tutor if you require guidance or resources in this respect. Note that the Purdue University On-Line Writing Lab (OWL) offers current information on both styles of academic formatting, which could be of great use to you in this respect. Athabasca University’s WriteSite also presents useful tools and information on academic writing and formatting. Before you write the essay, please read the section in the Student Manual entitled Writing Essays.
It is essential to include textual proof within your essay; quotes and citations taken directly from the course material should appear within your content whenever possible, properly cited, to support the arguments presented.
Methodology:
Part 1 – Information Selection: Creation of the Portfolio
1) Choose a concept on which to focus your portfolio-building that is related to the course material studied. The concepts should focus on a specific type of media product such as photographs that you have taken for specific purposes (e.g.: for Facebook postings), a selection of related images that you have found online, advertisements (print or audio-visual), music videos, representation of media personalities/celebrities, etc. Choose a media product that interests you and upon which you can base an interesting and engaging analysis supported by course concepts and ideas.
2) Develop a working thesis statement for your project that reflects both the concept you will present and the assertion you will make about the topic, which will be developed through the application of pertinent course theories.
- For example, you may choose to focus on automobile advertising as a media product:
Advertisements for family vehicles (topic) focus heavily on concepts of family closeness, the importance of safety and tongue-in-cheek humour (assertion). Analysis of a selection of such advertisements based on the ideologies they represent, the codes and conventions used as well as the preferred meaning of the content, provides a considerable amount of insight into the automaker’s presuppositions about its clientele.
3) After reviewing the Mahara e-portfolio tutorial, create an e-portfolio that will enable you to collect and upload examples of the media product chosen; these uploads will become evidence (or blocks) within the portfolio (photographs, images, videos, etc.). The evidence constitutes the material upon which you will base your written component.
4) Your portfolio should consist of 10 – 15 different pieces of evidence, or blocks, that are clearly related to your thesis statement.
Part 2 – Application of Theoretical Material: The Essay Outline
The outline provided below is intended to serve as a suggested guideline only – it is not the only effective way of approaching this assignment. Please advise your tutor if you would like a preliminary review of your outline.
Your tutor is also available to discuss possibilities for an alternative method of presentation of the written component as well (e.g.: online tool called Prezi www.prezi.com, video diary, etc.).
Introduction
(1-2 paragraphs)
In the introduction, present the following information:
- explain the theme chosen for your portfolio – explain the nature and intention of the media and media products presented therein (topic);
- explain who has disseminated these messages (sender) and why;
- explain who is the intended audience for this message (receiver) and why;
- explain the context in which this information is disseminated;
- present your thesis statement – what is the main idea you will develop within your analysis (assertion)
- outline the concepts and theories you apply within the essay to generate analysis and draw conclusions (blueprint for the development).
Development
(multiple paragraphs)
In preparation for the writing of this section, choose key terms and concepts from the course material to generate analysis of the evidence (blocks) compiled in your portfolio. Note that the terms and concepts chosen should first be presented in the outline (blueprint) that appears at the end of your introduction.
E.g.:
Section 1 – Focus on ideologies presented in a section of automotive advertisements
Application of Unit 9 concepts and theories to the analysis of subject
Section 2 – Focus on social codes
Application of Unit 5 concepts and theories to the analysis of subject
Section 3 – Focus on linguistic conventions
Application of Unit 6 concepts and theories to the analysis of subject
Section 4 – Focus on advertiser’s preferred meaning
Application of Unit 10 concepts and theories to the analysis of subject
Note that references must be made within your essay to the evidence that you have chosen to include in your e-portfolio.
Conclusion
(1 – 2 paragraphs)
In conclusion, evaluate the overall effectiveness of the evidence included within your e-portfolio. Consider the following:
- In your opinion, are the blocks effective in transmitting the messages intended by the sender? Explain why or why not based on the course concepts discussed within the development of your essay.
- In your opinion, could the speaker have positioned his message in a more effective way? Explain how.
Evaluation:
The following rubric will be used to evaluate your essay. Please read the criteria before beginning the assignment and refer back to the same as you work on your paper to make sure that assignment expectations are being met.
|
Criterion |
A Range |
B Range 70 – 80% |
C Range 60 – 69% |
D Range 50 – 59% |
|
Content |
Relevance - demonstrates thorough understanding of course concepts by synthesizing the most appropriate information from the materials chosen - demonstrates thorough understanding of the artefacts chosen by focusing on the most appropriate aspects of these media products |
- demonstrates a considerable degree of understanding of course concepts by synthesizing highly appropriate information from the materials chosen - demonstrates a considerable degree of understanding of the artefacts chosen by focusing on highly appropriate aspects of these media products |
- demonstrates understanding of course concepts by synthesizing some appropriate information from the materials chosen - demonstrates understanding of the artefacts chosen by focusing on some appropriate aspects of these media products
|
- demonstrates little understanding of course concepts by synthesizing little to no appropriate information from the materials chosen - demonstrates limited understanding of the artefacts chosen by focusing on few appropriate aspects of these media products
|
|
Reasoning |
Definition and precision of terms - shows thorough understanding of the relationship between the assignment requirements and content (artefacts and theory)
Use of evidence - offers pertinent arguments to justify response, draws from a variety of course materials; demonstrates a subtle understanding of relationships between ideas |
- shows definite understanding of the relationship between the assignment requirements and content (artefacts and theory)
- offers pertinent arguments to justify response, draws from course materials |
- shows some understanding of the relationship between the assignment requirements and content (artefacts and theory)
- offers some arguments to justify response, draws from a limited selection of course materials |
- shows limited understanding of the relationship between the assignment requirements and content (artefacts and theory)
- offers few arguments to justify response |
|
Organization |
Logical consistency - follows all recommended essay writing guidelines as set forth in the Student Manual, follows an appropriate academic style rigorously (APA or MLA) |
- follows most recommended essay writing guidelines as set forth in the Student Manual, follows an appropriate academic style consistently (APA or MLA) |
- follows some of the recommended essay writing guidelines as set forth in the Student Manual, follows an appropriate academic style (APA or MLA) |
- follows few of the recommended essay writing guidelines as set forth in the Student Manual, and fails to use an appropriate academic style (APA or MLA) |
|
Research Skills |
Accuracy of information - demonstrates a high degree of research ability: applies a wide variety of course concepts; consistently and accurately references sources |
- demonstrates research abilities: applies a variety of course concepts; consistently and accurately references sources |
- demonstrates some degree of research ability: applies some course concepts; references sources |
- demonstrates little research ability: applies few course concepts; references sources |
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