Monday, October 29, 2007

Reading Questions: Media and Behavior

• According to McQuail, what are the different kinds of changes media may lead to? Have you experienced these in your own life?

• What is the basic presumption of social learning theories of media effects? What did the Bobo doll studies seem to prove about social learning?

• How do the McGuire Process Model and The Theory of Reasoned Action differ? How are they the same? Apply them to one of the two advertisements we watched in class on Monday: how are they helpful in understanding how those ads were produced?

Monday, October 1, 2007

Reading Questions: Grossberg 1

As you prepare for Wednesday, consider the following in response to the Grossberg reading, "Media and Money":

• What is the difference between "use value," "exchange value," and "surplus value"? If you bought a DVD at a video store of your favorite movie for $24.99 and it cost the production company $0.99 to make, which is which and where does the third one come in?

• What is an "economy of scale"? How do many media companies benefit from them?

• Do media companies tend to prefer a maximal or minimal amount of risk? What strategies do they employ to address this preference?