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Midterm Project: Introduction to Media Project An Overview of the Media Project: For this project, we are going to witness and document how culture has impacted advertising in America

Sociology

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Midterm Project: Introduction to Media Project
An Overview of the Media Project:
For this project, we are going to witness and document how culture has impacted advertising in America. You will be viewing both print and electronic advertisements, examining the cultural impact on how advertisers present their products. This project should include both description and compare/contrast elements; HOWEVER, also you should simply write about your general observations when viewing the ads.
The end goal is an essay between 1000 and 1,250 words in MLA formatting with a minimum of four sources. This is the Gordon Rule assignment for the course, so you must 1) complete the assignment, and 2) pass the assignment with a minimum of 70 points.
What to do:
You are going to be finding/viewing/watching multiple advertisements based on the criteria below. Here is the breakdown of what I specifically want you to do for both types of advertising:
Step 1: Find and select two products from print advertising to examine across 4 generations.
Example: for Print ads, I selected soft drinks and cigarettes.
Find and view print ads for soft drinks in generation 1, generation 2, generation 3, and generation 4.
Find and view print ads for cigarettes in generation 1, generation 2, generation 3, and generation 4.
Step 2: Find and select two products from electronic (TV) advertising to examine across 4 generations.
For electronic ads, USE TWO DIFFERENT products than those you used for the print advertising.
Example: For electronic ads, beer/alcohol and perfume/cologne.
Find and view electronic ads for beer/alcohol in generation 1, generation 2, generation 3, and generation 4.
Find and view electronic ads for perfume/cologne in generation 1, generation 2, generation 3, and generation 4.
Note: You can use the products I have provided as examples.
Step 3: Take notes to help with the final paper when viewing/watching the ads. Here are some questions to get you started:
What was your first impression of the ad?
Were you surprised or not surprised how the ad was presented?
Do you think the ad was effective or ineffective?
Was the ad controversial?
As for the societal factors:
How were gender/sex roles portrayed? Traditional, not traditional?
Language: Cursing, tone, "Innocent" or "adult" type of language.
Sexual content: Include nudity, partial nudity, a high degree of sexuality, sexually suggestive (either overt or more disguised)
The overall content of the ad:
How family-friendly? a) Very? b) Somewhat? c) Neutral? d) Not family-friendly? e) OMG, hide grandma!!??
Step 4: After you have gathered your data, start writing an essay using the following patterns of writing:
An introduction, including a thesis statement
Compare and contrast
Descriptive
A conclusion to wrap up the paper.

Remember, you must include BOTH print and electronic ads, NOT just one.

Here is a breakdown of what I mean by "Generation:"
Generation 1: the 1940's through the 1950s.
Generation 2: the 1960's through the 1970s
Generation 3: the 1980's through 2015
Generation 4: 2016 through Present day

Resources:
For more information about Thesis Statements, click here.
For more information about the Descriptive pattern of writing, click here.
For more information on the Compare/Contrast Essay pattern, click here.
For more information on MLA 8 formatting, click here.