Need help with this final paper. I am doing this research on how families have changed on television over the years. I use prime examples of the brady bunch and modern family. I also have uploaded an

Need help with this final paper. I am doing this research on how families have changed on television over the years. I use prime examples of the brady bunch and modern family. I also have uploaded an example of a codebook that the Professor wants this paper to be somewhat about. This is a huge part of my grade and need a good score. Thanks!

Media Analysis Project

OVERVIEW

Overall, each student is expected to produce and submit an 8-12-page, double-space media analysis report that is based on systematic observation, analysis, and synthesis of a selected set of mass media content. 

In your paper, use examples from the media content as evidence to support your arguments and state all your claims and premises explicitly. For example, if you wish to say that an ad for Levi’s reinforces traditional gender roles (and hence the dominant ideology), you need to describe what you saw in the ad, and explicitly tell us why and how it does that. 

The focus of this assignment is to analyze media content. Thus, in your papers, there should be very little detailed and elaborate recounting of what you saw. Instead, you should spend most of your time analyzing the content. In grading this type of analysis, the emphasis is on your insight, appropriate application of course concepts, and depth and sophistication of the arguments presented (a separate grading rubric will be distributed later). 

PROJECT GUIDELINES

One of the best ways to “see” media at work is to analyze in it firsthand. For this paper, you will understand media representations through content analysis and using examples in the media to find evidence to a research inquiry that is both empirically and socially valuable. 

Choose one form of media from the following list for your research. You may select from:

MEDIA

SAMPLE SIZE

Song   lyrics

at least   30 (must then include all the lyrics)

Music   videos

at least   15

TV shows

at least   5 episodes (1 hour) or 10 episodes of 30 minutes

Movies

at least   4

Magazine   ads 

at least   50 (include actual ads)

News   articles 

at least   15 (include a copy of the articles)

Television   commercials

at least   30

YouTube   Videos 

at least   15

**Any other suggestions, must receive permission by the instructor beforehand.

Be careful about how you choose your media (movies, TV shows, etc.) as you want to be able to find substantial evidence to make a valid finding. You can narrow your selection by certain criteria (which you’ll talk about in your methods) such as a specific time frame, highest ratings or movies based on a certain theme. Some good sites to utilize to narrow your search are: www.imdb.com (Internet Movie Database); www.tv.com; www.vaio.com; www.filmsite.org; www.watch-movies.net

• Decide on a research question. Choose a question that both interests you and you can feasibly research. Think about what you want to look at with regards to mass media.

• Create a codebook. This is a method of recording what you specifically want to look at. The codebook needs to be done BEFORE you begin the final coding and examining of your media sample.  

• Watch your movies/listen to your songs/look at your ads. As you do so, you will fill out your coding sheet, writing down evidences you notice.

• Analyze your coding sheets. What patterns do you see? What stood out? What do the patterns mean? THEN…

In about 8-12 pages, address the following sections. Use these headings.

I. Introduction (about 2page)

§ Introduce your research topic and why you chose it. 

§ Explicitly state your research question(s). 

§ What makes this topic sociologically important? 

II. Methods (about 2-3 page): Content Analysis

§ Introduce the titles of the sources you analyzed and provide rationales (be specific; for example, if three different magazines, which ones, which month/year and why?) What criteria did you use to select your sample? How did you decide on which movies to watch?

§ How did you collect the data? (i.e., how did you record your observations?) What specifically did you look at? What were the categories on your codebook?

§ How did you then organize your data?

§ Did you run into difficulties in your data collection? What are the limitations of doing this kind of research? What are the limitations to this study specifically?

III. Findings and Analysis (about 6-7 pages)

Findings = description of patterns found; Analysis = what do the patterns mean?

This section should be the main part of your paper.

§ Discuss any patterns you found and/or relationships between aspects with regards to your research inquiry (eg. messages, assumptions, representations of race, class, gender, etc.)

§ Organize this section according to the themes or patterns you found (using subheadings). Use some specific examples from your data to support the themes.

§ Connect to communication. How might your findings relate to a media/mass comm theory discussed in class? 

§ So what? What do these patterns tell you about society? What local and global consequences do they have? What message or dominant ideology is being promoted?

IV. Conclusion (about 1 page)

§ This should summarize the major points of your paper. What conclusions can you draw from your research? 

§ What further questions about your research inquiry need to be explored? (If someone else was to do a similar study, what should they look at?)

V. APPENDIX (separate page)

• Include a list of the movies watched, magazine      ads or song lyrics with details of dates, year, artist etc., and your codebook.

IMPORTANT NOTES ABOUT YOUR PAPER:

▪ Papers must be typed, double spaced with 12 pt. font and one-inch margins. Please page number your paper. 

▪ Attach your completed/filled out coding sheets to the back of your paper. (Note: even if you are analyzing song lyrics or magazine advertisements, you should be constructing a coding sheet about themes/patterns you are seeing).

“DOING SOCIOLOGY” FINAL PROJECT CHECKLIST

Please check:

q My margins, font size and spacing are correct

q I numbered my pages

q I used headings and sub-headings

q I included an appendix with a list of the media I used

q I included my codebook in an appendix

q I included a bibliography (if sources referenced)

q I reviewed my paper for spelling and grammatical errors

Grading Rubric for the Paper

Grading Components

Expectations

Points 

Research topic and research questions 

• The research topic is clearly stated with articulation of the        purpose and scope (5)
• There is explicit statement of the sociocultural impact of the        issue (5)
• The research topic is further operationalized through more        concrete and specific research questions. (5)
• The research questions are suitable to be answered via content        analysis of media materials. (5)

20

Content analysis and codebook 

• Selection of media materials reflects strategic thinking based        on research topic and research questions (5)
• The codebook is relevant to the research topic and includes        effective coding labels for the exploring research inquiries (10)
• The coding labels and coding categories reflect layered and        in-depth analysis of media content (15)
• The write-up of the method part is clear, concise,        to-the-point, and explicit (10) 

40

Results and findings 

• The results are reported logically and clearly with concrete        evidence and specific examples backing them up (10)
• The results entail responses to the research questions (10) 
• The results are synthesized into themes and patterns that        facilitate more holistic understanding toward the research inquiries        (10) 
• The results and findings shed light for further understanding        and explanation of mass media content (10) 

40

Discussion and conclusion 

• The key points/conclusions/arguments of the media analysis        study are recapped (6) 
• There is discussion about the implications and significance of        your study (8) 
• State how future research, based on your analysis, can further        explore this range of media analysis (8) 

20

Language and writing 

• Typos and grammatical errors are reduced to the minimum 
• Language is thoughtfully and clearly written that facilitates        readability and comprehension

20

Organization and Logics

· Logical flow exists between sentences, points, and   paragraphs 

· Overall structure reflects careful and purposeful   formatting, with headings assisting navigation 

10

Appendix A 

A list of media materials coded and analyzed 

-5 if absent 

Appendix B

Complete codebook 

-10 if absent