21 multiple choice and 1 short essay for an exam(media and theories
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MS 112: Media Theory and Processes Exam 1 Study Guide For our first exam you will have 90 minutes to complete multiple choice, true/false and one short essay. Most questions ask you to recall and differentiate main points of theories, terms, types of theories, and methods employed in media research. This study guide is useful to prepare in advance given the limited time to complete the exam. As opposed to module quizzes, there is only one attempt for exams. See your GSI for DSP-related questions. Logistics The exam will be available 6PM on October 1st until the due date, Oct 5 at midnight. You will have 90 minutes to finish the exam once you begin. The exam is open-book, but students should not work with others while taking the exam. When you are ready to take the exam once it is available, go to our bCourses site and click “Quizzes” and find Exam 1. Please make sure that you are signed into bCourses using your CalNet username and password. You will need a Wi-Fi-enabled computer that is fully charged to prevent losing your data. For the essay section of the exam, you will compare THREE theorists’ stances on a given statement about media theory. The theorists will be drawn from the following list:
• Theodore Adorno • John Robinson • Maxwell McCombs • Robert Entman
• Elihu Katz • Paul Lazarsfeld • Elisabeth Noelle-Neuman • Paul Tichenor
Review Sheet
The following lists aim to help your midterm exam review. In addition, you should carefully consult all readings and review lecture materials. You should study:
• readings’ main arguments • how readings’ arguments help us understand media effects • agreements / disagreements about media effects among theorists • meaning of key terms (“narcotizing”, “oligopoly”) • how key terms relate to one another • historical experiments and research examples from lecture
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Key Concepts Core Theoretical Frameworks
● epistemology ● ontology ● axiology ● four core theoretical types ● four eras of mass media theory
Mass Society Era Thought Core Theorists: Theodor Adorno
● administrative research ● commodity fetishism ● standardization (of music)
o means of standardization o effects of standardization
● moral panic ● yellow journalism ● hypodermic needle model
Limited Effects Theorization Core Theorists: Paul Lazarsfeld, Elihu Katz, John Robinson, Paul Tichenor
● three social functions of mass media o status conferral o norm enforcement o narcotization
● three reasons for limited effects of mass media propaganda
o message monopoly failure o canalization o supplementation
● two-step flow of communication ● factors in information diffusion ● the Knowledge Gap
Social Context and Interpretive Effects Expansions of LET Core Theorists: W. Phillips Davidson, Elisabeth Noelle-Neuman, Leonard Berkowitz, Robert Entman
● the Third-Person Effect ● the Spiral of Silence ● the Agenda-Setting Function ● theories of violence in the media:
o symbolic catharsis o “instigational” role