MAS104 - Revision Notes
Week 1 - Intro to Media Studies:
- What is media?
>>communication of ideas
- Outline some key approaches to media studies.
>>power relations
>>representations of the real world
>>semiotics, content analysis, effects research, and their respective counter-arguments
Week 2 - Problematizing the Nation
- How/why is language important in the construction of nationhood?
>>social discourses and the construction of meaning
- What role does the media play in the construction and maintenance of a nation?
>>Role of representation, contruction of the imagined community and the perpetuation of systems of discourse and nationalism.
Week 3 - Tools for Analysing Media
- what type of analyses can be employed to analyse media?
>>Semiotics, racialization, orientalisation, sexism, content analysis, etc
Week 4 - Introducing Australian Cinema
- Is there a need for a national film industry?
>>Construction of identity, support local film-makers, industry.
- How does this perceived need fit with the theories of the "nation" discussed in week 2?
>>Perceived need is due to this allocation of identity and the concurrent discourses which lie underneath. The need is created as a means to create some sort of mould or distinguishable concept of identity.
- Outline some significant policy changes to Australian cinema since the revival of the film industry.
>>Funding of national films and incentives. Although there is the "australian" need for the film rather than funding something 'made' by australians. Problem of Australian cinema and its ability to compete. Mabo - the omission and marginalisation of the non-'Australian' archetype.
Shift from Nationalism > Multiculturalism > Recapturing of the 'identity' (Split of the various sub-genres)
Week 5 - Indigenous Cinema
- What is "Aboriginality" and how is it represented in Australian media?
>>Concept of the "other" construction of representation. White black/Black white.
- Should indigenous Australians have more control over representation of themselves?
>>Reverse engineering of the racialization debate
- Can representations ever be described as accurate?
>>Representations are only ever observable characteristics attached to objects in a bid to subjectify them.
Week 6 - Digital Cinema
- What is the difference between digital and analogue?
>>Digital: efficient, centralised, multi-functional. Analogue: expensive, large-scale, specialisation.
- What will be the impact of digital cinema on the Australian film industry?
>>Impacts: efficiency, centralisation of film-making techniques, non-linear/digital implications of technology.
- Does the digital age signal the death of cinema as we know it?
>>Not necessarily, TV/radio comparison.
Week 7 - Contextualising Australian TV
- How does studying the changes that have occured in the history of Australian TV aid your understanding of media?
>>Concept of imagined nation, lack of an identifiable concept of identity, and the rise of TV as a means of constructing this identity. unparalleled access to the masses. Free to Air TV. Rise of ABC, and SBS. Hybridity of the television industry. Contextualisation and localisation. Stuart Cunningham - mixed system, Janus-system.
>>1956 - Australian TV first broadcast. Started as a continuation of the radio industry.
>>1975 - Colour TV > Colour reignited sense of nationalism. 80's Golden age of drama. 10BA Tax, rewarding 'australian' productions.
>>SBS as an ethnic station, seen as a second national broadcaster.
>>90's - destabilisation of media, law to prever ownership of 2 media outlets now revoked, and monopolies emerge.
>>Stuart Cunningham, 'places the australian tv within the
- Philip Bell argues that Australian TV is creolised ot vernacularised. What is meant by these terms and give some examples?
>> vernacularised - contextualised.
- How has Australian TV programming evolved and what is its historical significance?
>> Australian TV has evolved into the vernacularisation of various international programs and concepts and adapted them to the context of the Australian masses.
>> The fragmentation of audiences due to increased genres and technology.
>> Rise of post-modernism and cultural studies.
Week 8 - TV Comedy
- How do satire and parody differ?
>>Satire is usually of a politically motivated critique, parody usually funny imitation.
- What are key generic traits of a comedy?
>>Laughter, jokes, contextual/vernacular. Stereotypes and generalisations.
- How is Australianness critiqued in a comedy of your choice?
>>Stereotypes/generalisations and formation of self/other, and the difference/oppositions at play.
Week 9 - Introduction to Radio
- What can studying the history of radio tell us about the relationship between media and technology?
>>Development follows ease, economic and political concepts. Media and technology symbiotic.
- Outline the main policy changes to radio over the last two decades.
>>1924 Split of A - Community/Functional. B - commercial. Remnants of the system still evident.
>>1978-SBS. Commercial radio-1980. ABc also set. Guidelines and government restrictions. 1998-205 commercial stations. Digital radio-2001. Current-Podcasting and streaming.
Week 10 - Talkback
- Why is talkback so popular?
>>Radio as an accessible medium exceeds other forms of media.
>>Conservative, political, rather popularist opinions.
>>Form of radio rarely changes, thus they grew up with it.
- What are journalistic ethics and should talkback hosts have them?
>>The ethics should apply to all facets of media, else we run the risk of falling into disrepute.
- Why do politicians hold talkback hosts in such high regard?
>>Access to masses and the devoted following. Reflect popular conservationist opinions.
>>Demographic and target similar.
Week 11-12 Bleh
Week 1 - Intro to Media Studies:
- What is media?
>>communication of ideas
- Outline some key approaches to media studies.
>>power relations
>>representations of the real world
>>semiotics, content analysis, effects research, and their respective counter-arguments
Week 2 - Problematizing the Nation
- How/why is language important in the construction of nationhood?
>>social discourses and the construction of meaning
- What role does the media play in the construction and maintenance of a nation?
>>Role of representation, contruction of the imagined community and the perpetuation of systems of discourse and nationalism.
Week 3 - Tools for Analysing Media
- what type of analyses can be employed to analyse media?
>>Semiotics, racialization, orientalisation, sexism, content analysis, etc
Week 4 - Introducing Australian Cinema
- Is there a need for a national film industry?
>>Construction of identity, support local film-makers, industry.
- How does this perceived need fit with the theories of the "nation" discussed in week 2?
>>Perceived need is due to this allocation of identity and the concurrent discourses which lie underneath. The need is created as a means to create some sort of mould or distinguishable concept of identity.
- Outline some significant policy changes to Australian cinema since the revival of the film industry.
>>Funding of national films and incentives. Although there is the "australian" need for the film rather than funding something 'made' by australians. Problem of Australian cinema and its ability to compete. Mabo - the omission and marginalisation of the non-'Australian' archetype.
Shift from Nationalism > Multiculturalism > Recapturing of the 'identity' (Split of the various sub-genres)
Week 5 - Indigenous Cinema
- What is "Aboriginality" and how is it represented in Australian media?
>>Concept of the "other" construction of representation. White black/Black white.
- Should indigenous Australians have more control over representation of themselves?
>>Reverse engineering of the racialization debate
- Can representations ever be described as accurate?
>>Representations are only ever observable characteristics attached to objects in a bid to subjectify them.
Week 6 - Digital Cinema
- What is the difference between digital and analogue?
>>Digital: efficient, centralised, multi-functional. Analogue: expensive, large-scale, specialisation.
- What will be the impact of digital cinema on the Australian film industry?
>>Impacts: efficiency, centralisation of film-making techniques, non-linear/digital implications of technology.
- Does the digital age signal the death of cinema as we know it?
>>Not necessarily, TV/radio comparison.
Week 7 - Contextualising Australian TV
- How does studying the changes that have occured in the history of Australian TV aid your understanding of media?
>>Concept of imagined nation, lack of an identifiable concept of identity, and the rise of TV as a means of constructing this identity. unparalleled access to the masses. Free to Air TV. Rise of ABC, and SBS. Hybridity of the television industry. Contextualisation and localisation. Stuart Cunningham - mixed system, Janus-system.
>>1956 - Australian TV first broadcast. Started as a continuation of the radio industry.
>>1975 - Colour TV > Colour reignited sense of nationalism. 80's Golden age of drama. 10BA Tax, rewarding 'australian' productions.
>>SBS as an ethnic station, seen as a second national broadcaster.
>>90's - destabilisation of media, law to prever ownership of 2 media outlets now revoked, and monopolies emerge.
>>Stuart Cunningham, 'places the australian tv within the
- Philip Bell argues that Australian TV is creolised ot vernacularised. What is meant by these terms and give some examples?
>> vernacularised - contextualised.
- How has Australian TV programming evolved and what is its historical significance?
>> Australian TV has evolved into the vernacularisation of various international programs and concepts and adapted them to the context of the Australian masses.
>> The fragmentation of audiences due to increased genres and technology.
>> Rise of post-modernism and cultural studies.
Week 8 - TV Comedy
- How do satire and parody differ?
>>Satire is usually of a politically motivated critique, parody usually funny imitation.
- What are key generic traits of a comedy?
>>Laughter, jokes, contextual/vernacular. Stereotypes and generalisations.
- How is Australianness critiqued in a comedy of your choice?
>>Stereotypes/generalisations and formation of self/other, and the difference/oppositions at play.
Week 9 - Introduction to Radio
- What can studying the history of radio tell us about the relationship between media and technology?
>>Development follows ease, economic and political concepts. Media and technology symbiotic.
- Outline the main policy changes to radio over the last two decades.
>>1924 Split of A - Community/Functional. B - commercial. Remnants of the system still evident.
>>1978-SBS. Commercial radio-1980. ABc also set. Guidelines and government restrictions. 1998-205 commercial stations. Digital radio-2001. Current-Podcasting and streaming.
Week 10 - Talkback
- Why is talkback so popular?
>>Radio as an accessible medium exceeds other forms of media.
>>Conservative, political, rather popularist opinions.
>>Form of radio rarely changes, thus they grew up with it.
- What are journalistic ethics and should talkback hosts have them?
>>The ethics should apply to all facets of media, else we run the risk of falling into disrepute.
- Why do politicians hold talkback hosts in such high regard?
>>Access to masses and the devoted following. Reflect popular conservationist opinions.
>>Demographic and target similar.
Week 11-12 Bleh
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