CULTURAL STUDIES MULTICULTURALISM MEDIA CULTURE KELLNER media culture enables us to forge our identities radio tv film media culture our sense of selfhood our notion of what it means to be human what it means to be male or female our sense of class of ethnicity and race of nationality of sexuality of us and them media images help shape our view of the world and our deepest values what we consider good or bad positive or negative moral or evil media stories provide symbols myths resources through a common culture media demonstrates who has power and who doesn t they dramatize the power of the forces that show the powerless they they must stay in their places or be oppressed Media contributes to educating us how to behave and how to think feel believe media are forms of pedagogy that teach us how to be men and women pedagogy the method and practice of teaching fear and desire and what NOT to Media teaches us how to dress look consume react to different social groups be popular and successful and avoid failure conform to norms Gaining media literacy allows people to learn how to cope with their environment learning how to read criticize and resist socio cultural manipulation helps a person be empowered in relation to dominant media and culture media literacy enhances individual sovereignty gives people more power over their cultural environment Culture constitutes distinct forms of identity and group membership provides the material for constricting view of the world behavior and identities mainstream vs subculture those who follow the dictates of media culture tend to mainstream themselves They conform to dominant fashion values and behavior Subcultural groups of people resist these dominant forms of culture and create their own styles and identities instead Ex people who obey the dominant dress and fashion codes produce their identities within the mainstream group white middleclass Americans Those who identify with subcultures like punk culture look and act differently from those in the mainstream this creates opposing identities and interpret one s culture critically Cultural studies is valuable because it provides some tools that enable one to read it distinguishes between high and low culture by considering a wide range from novels to tv Study of the codes of tv film or popular music is enhanced by studying the cultural forms are structured by well defined rules and conventions conventions of production Ex because of the demands of the format of radio or music tv the most popular songs are 3 5 minutes fitting into the frames of the distribution system because of their control by giant corporations that are interested in profits film and tv productions dominated by specific genres like talk shows this economic factor explains why there are cycles in certain genres The effects of political ideologies on film the takeover of tv networks by the major transnational corporations was part of a right turn in U S society in the 80 s where powerful corporations controlled the state and the mainstream media that people viewed Ex media culture in politics is effective because it uses huge corporate conglomerates like ABC to influence criticisms of political candidates and to support their programs and presidencies production and distribution of culture explain mainstream media support of the Bush admin Corporate conglomeration has intensified today and controls many domains of the The ownership by conservative corporations of dominant media corporations helps Audience reception and the use of media culture members of different genders classes races and nations read texts differently Media culture provides ways for people to create their identities there are specific ways that people use cultural forms Ex teenagers use video games to escape the demands of a disciplinary society Problems with audience reception class Class as a variable that structures how audience understands texts is downplayed and missing attention Self gender age group class nation and family shape how audiences receive texts Audiences use texts according to the specifics of their class race gender or sex Audience reception studies describe a wide range of perspectives Cultural studies provides comprehensive approaches to culture that can be applied Cultural studies encompass political economy textual analysis and audience Cultural studies can be part of a struggle for a better society and a better life REPRESENTATION MEANING LANGUAGE HALL to a wide variety of things research and provide perspectives that enable people to dissect the meanings messages and effects if dominant culture Cultural studies is part of a critical media pedagogy that allows people to resist media manipulation and to be free thinkers It empowers people to gain sovereignty over their own culture and to struggle for alternative cultures representation connects meaning and language to culture It means using language to say something meaning about or to represent the world to other people It involves the use of language and signs and images which stand for or represent things 1 reflective language reflects a meaning that already exists in the world of 2 intentional language expresses only what the speaker wants to say his 3 constructionist the meaning is constructed in language Has the most 3 theories about how language is used to represent the world objects people and events intended meaning significant impact on cultural studies 2 variants in the constructionist approach 1 semiotic approach 2 discursive approach representation is the production of meaning through language 1 to represent something is to describe or depict it 2 to represent also means to symbolize or stand for ex this picture represents the murder of Abel by Cain ex in Christianity the cross represents the suffering of Christ 2 systems of representation representation is the production of meaning of the concepts in our minds through language It is the link between concepts and language which enables us to refer to either the real world or things or the imaginary world of things 1 Mental representation the system by which all things are correlated with a set of mental concepts which we carry around in our heads Meaning depends on the system of concepts and images formed in our thoughts which can stand for or represent the world System of representation conceptual representation we form concepts for things we can perceive people chairs desks But we also form concepts of abstract
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