MDSA02 History of Media – Short PAPER 1 “Postmodernism Option One (Strinati)”

—Due: Feb 25 before midnight (11:59pm) uploaded to Quercus
—Length: 1250 Words (min)
—MLA or APA format: quotes and paraphrasing need page numbers (Smith, 2000, p. 235).
Quotes are best. Avoid footnotes in any form, or the Chicago style of citation.
—Reference 3+ outside academic sources (non-academic blogs, wikis, pop websites are
permitted, but do not count for these 3 scholarly sources)
—State your thesis at the end of Paragraph 1 — what will you claim? –Include a copy of small
image as an Appendix after your Works Cited, if you analyze an ad or other visual item
Writing Tips:
Introduce/integrate quotes. As Smith suggests, “Ads are a system…” that can “educate us…”
(Smith, 2005, p. 5) Quotes cannot stand alone. “Ads are platforms for action” (Smith, 2005,
p.5)
The topic sentence tells readers what the topic is. “Historically, ads were outdoors…” OR you
can use a question “How did we move from a needs society to a wants society?…”
Use transitions between paragraphs. “But Farnsworth was not only the creator of TV, he
also…”
Block quotes (more than 3 full lines) should only be used in rare cases when you cannot
summarize the gist, and almost never in short papers.
Begin each paragraph with a topic sentence and address that topic.

*************Topic 2*************

PLEASE USE THIS ONE

Postmodernism Option One (Strinati)
In our reading on “Postmodern Culture,” Strinati outlines 5 Elements of the
Postmodern Era. He claims that in our Postmodern Media Culture:
1. There is no distinction between culture and society.
2. There is an emphasis on style more than substance.
3. There is no longer a distinction between high culture (art) and low/popular culture.
4. Time and space are treated as “fluid” or uncertain concepts.
5. The “metanarratives” or over-arching stories of a society (religions, myths, ethical
systems) are in decline.
Do you think we live in a Postmodern Media Culture? As examples of this culture, the
textbook lists these media: “music videos, remote controls, Nike ads, shopping malls,
fax machines, e-mail, video games, blogs, USA Today, YouTube, iPads, hip-hop, and
reality TV.” Select a Medium (for example, TV or Cinema) and a Media Text (for
example, a Show like “Game of Thrones” or a movie like The Great Gatsby).
Outline in your paper how your example illustrates 3 of the Elements of
Postmodernism listed above. (For example, “Game of Thrones” confuses time since
it appears historical due to the castles, costumes, medieval customs, etc. but is pure
fantasy. The Great Gatsby with Leonardo DiCaprio examines style and “appearances”
over substance and reality. Select a Medium and Media Text from the Postmodern
Era (1950s-present).