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Paper Instructions:
Media Analysis Paper
Directions: This assignment asks you to serve as a cultural critic towards the end of the semester. Write a 3-4 page paper, double-spaced, 12-point font, using the cultural analysis techniques/topics that we have employed/learned about in this course this semester. Follow each of the steps detailed below and answer each of the questions in their entirety…..AKA deal with the 4 Focus Areas.
Four Focus Areas
Select a specific item within a media form studied in this course for a textual analysis/interpretation. Examples of a specific item within a media form might include a film, an episode of a television series, a graphic novel, an album by an artist or musical group, a radio broadcast, a podcast, a website, a book, etc. Please consult with your instructor if you have any questions about your specific item within the media that you are choosing. What is the text saying AKA what is the media form saying? What values does it endorse?
Focus Area 1 Choose one issue such as popular culture, race, class, gender, sexuality, violence, authority, individuality, responsibility, duty, conformity, success or happiness and other such issues and address how your item reflects/addresses the issue? (HA 1)
Focus Area 2 What role does your item play in reference to popular culture, the media and society? (HA 2)
Focus Area 3 How does the item of media build on the tradition of its genre or medium? (HA 3)
Focus Area 4 How does the item use the potential/tools of its medium in order to communicate a message? (HA 4)
Media Analysis Paper Directions Using The Simpsons as an Example
Directions: This assignment asks you to serve as a cultural critic towards the end of the semester. Write a 3 page paper, double-spaced, 12-point font, using the cultural analysis techniques/topics that we have employed/learned about in this course this semester. Follow each of the steps detailed below and answer each of the questions in their entirety…..AKA deal with the 4 Focus Areas.
Select a specific item within a media form studied in this course for a textual analysis/interpretation. Examples of a specific item within a media form might include a film, an episode of a television series, a graphic novel, an album by an artist or musical group, a radio broadcast, a podcast, a website, a book, etc. Please consult with your instructor if you have any questions about your specific item within the media that you are choosing. What is the text saying AKA what is the media form saying? What values does it endorse?
…..Example: The Simpsons…..I feel the Simpsons is a giving a critique of life in contemporary America….this critique is happening through humor….
Four Focus Areas
1. Choose one issue such as popular culture, race, class, gender, sexuality, violence, authority, individuality, responsibility, duty, conformity, success or happiness and other such issues and address how your item reflects/addresses the issue? AKA Choose one issue mentioned above and how does your item reflect this…. Example: The Simpsons addresses issues such as popular culture and provides humor about popular culture through the numerous popular culture examples in each episode…..
2. What role does your item play in reference to popular culture, the media and society? AKA how does your item fit into the world of popular culture and the media….Example: The Simpsons is a television show, and is directly connected to popular culture and the media by being a media form directly, specifically, television.
3. How does the item of media build on the tradition of its genre or medium?AKA what are other examples of this type of media in popular culture and the media….Example: The Simpsons is an animated comedy….this type of program is hugely popular and while the Simpsons has been groundbreaking, there have been other animated comedy shows as well, such as MTV’s Beavis and Butthead or such as South Park or Family Guy….
4. How does the item use the potential/tools of its medium in order to communicate a message? AKA How does the media form that you chose bring a message…..Example: The Simpsons brings a message through humor and it uses the art from of animation, storytelling and humor to bring a message about contemporary life in America….
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*****EXAMPLE FOR PAPER****
Media Analysis of Office Space
The movie Office Space was initially considered a flop through the box office standards; however, it has grown to be a cult classic since its release to DVD and airing on cable networks. Although Office Space was released nearly 20 years ago you still may hear many of the catch phrases and quotes from the film on a daily basis (Gold, 2014). The film follows one main character named Peter, played by actor Ron Livingston, who hates his job due to mundane tasks, clueless supervisor’s, and ridiculous procedures in an office setting for a company named Initech. The other characters dynamics only add to the humor of how corporations are running in America. This movie appeals to anyone who has ever experienced work in an administrative setting or the service industry.
Focus Area 1
One of the many values throughout Office Space is authority and responsibility of work being accomplished. Within the first moments of the opening scene the main character, Peter just arrives to work to have each of his eight bosses inform him that he failed to put a coversheet on his TPS Reports. Each boss then states that they will send him a copy of the Memo regarding the coversheet to his email to reference for future applications. You can see that Peter is getting frustrated with the simple error while being constantly bombarded by his supervisors saying the exact same thing to him. Many people I work with can quote the movie verbatim from Peter’s conversation with his main boss Bill Lunmbergh when something comes up at work that is generally conceived as “busy work”. However, when I use an Office Space reference it is typically with my supervisor when he tasks me to do something that I know is mundane I will say “Sir, I will make sure the TPS Report has a cover sheet attached to the Memo”. This is all in good fun of course, and we both know that his supervisor is tasking our work center to do the “busy work” at no fault of his own. Another major value that Office Space does a great job highlighting is conformity or the lack thereof as far as Peter is concerned. In the movie all the characters toe the line and do exactly enough to simply keep their jobs at Initech. Then Peter has an epiphany while sleeping which resulted in him missing work and when Peter finally shows up at work his attitude is completely shifted to non-conformity. Peter arrives to work wearing pajamas and shows blatant disrespect towards his eight bosses which are dumbfounded by his lack of concern. Later in the movie Initech is going through an in-house production audit to eliminate waste and to find out if better practices can be initiated to streamline production. The audit and interview process are being conducted by two characters both named Bob (the Bob’s). The Bob’s will have the final authority in cut backs or firing of employees based on their respective performance in Initech. When the Bob’s finally getting to interview Peter they are completely caught off guard by his honest assessment admitting that “he only really accomplishes about 15 minutes of work in a week”. Peter also explains how the TPS process works with his eight bosses and that there is absolutely no incentive to improve performance at Initech because they will just give more work. The Bob’s are so surprised at the feedback Peter is providing that they think he should be rewarded with a promotion to upper management. Peter displays other acts of non-conformity like fileting a fish in his cubicle. What people eat in an office setting can be repulsive and smells up the entire area. If you have ever worked in this type of setting you know exactly how bad some people food can smell. Another non-conformal act that Peter did was to dissemble his office cubicle and let the walls hit the ground. Seeing the walls fall down from Peter’s cubicle felt liberating for many of us viewing the movie. Surely,
most of us wished we could do something just as shocking but the fear of reprisal from supervisors limit such behavior.
Focus Area 2
The movie Office Space plays significant roles in pop culture as administrative work is concerned. The quotes within the movie can be related to just about any careers or type of work that has mundane tasks associated with it. Some of the most famous quotes are still heard daily for example: “somebody has a case of the Monday’s” when someone is dragging behind at work. Other references as mentioned in a previous paragraph are the “TPS reports” and “PC load letter” are classic references of busy work items that are far too familiar in most jobs. As if quotes and references did not make a big enough impact on popular culture and media take the red Swingline stapler featured in the movie. Swingline, a stapler company initially refused to make anything different from the standard grey color but Mike Judge, the creator of the movie was persistent on a color contrast (Gold, 2014). Specifically, a red Swingline stapler that was owned by the character Milton, has grown in popularity, this led Swingline to create a color line of staplers.
Focus Area 3
Office Space falls under the comedic genre of movie entertainment. If I had to label an exact medium it would be a dark comedy because some of the things Peter does at work is cringing to see if you put yourself in his shoes. The movie’s setting seems so real and relatable it creates an emotional response during most of the scenes. Without a doubt viewing this movie you will have laughs but from unexpected and most likely very inappropriate sources. A Good dark comedy should will make you burst out laughing but make you feel guilty at the same time. However, Office Space is more of a mild dark comedy as most other movies in this genre have murder and sinister acts within the storyline.
Focus Area 4
Office Space can provide any person with key life lessons and messages that can be used at the work place or in any social environment. First, is to pay attention how your supervisors interact with their subordinates. Learning what skills, they possess, or lack can help you later decide how you will lead people in the future. Peter’s boss, Bill Lunmbergh is a prime example of someone that does not know how to lead their people and adopts a micro-managing style to get things done. Secondly, do work that will make you happy, not rich! This message was conveyed at the end of the movie when Peter elected to take a construction job with his neighbor despite having other opportunities after Initech burned down. Peter enjoyed working outdoors away from the claustrophobic cubicles that many office settings utilize. Lastly, Office Space has drawn a significant amount of attention to the undesirable working conditions of places like Initech that were considered the industry standard. As of late, there has been a strong push in many technical corporations like Google to change the atmosphere of administrative work (Gillett, 2016). Google has made revolutions and advances which include yoga rooms, work out areas, slides from floor to floor, and the flexibility to work from home to entice the best workers to perform at their very best.

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Media Analysis Paper
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