reading assignment

Critical Process Assignment: Magazine Advertisements

This assignment asks you to apply the steps of the critical process to a pair of alcohol ads, one from a men’s magazine (the Skyy Vodka ad below), the other one from a women’s magazine (the Absolut Vodka ad below), in order to determine how ad creators understand differences between men and women in society, or at least how they evoke gender di�erences in order to sell us products.

Directions

Both advertisements are at the end of the document. Be sure to address separately each stage of the critical process. The description section can be partially in list form, like the example below, but the other sections of the assignment need to be in paragraph form. You should strive to write at least a couple paragraphs for each step of the critical process. These papers do not need to have a traditional introduction or conclusion!

In terms of formatting, it does not matter if your �le is single or double spaced, but please use a standard, size 12 font. Please also label each section of your critical process assignment. Finally, please turn in your assignment to the appropriate spot on Google Classroom.

1.) Description

Pay close attention and note everything you can about each ad, and list them in two columns. Not everything you list here will �nd its way into the body of the paper. As this section is the foundation of everything that follows, it will be graded on its thoroughness. Be careful to stay at the level of description!

Ad 1. (name of the company/product advertised, ex: Absolut) - ex: there is a man and woman - ex: the man has a big/round stomach -

Ad 2. (name of the company/product advertised, ex: Sky) - ex: the man is holding two glasses - -

2.) Analysis

Group the elements listed in your description together and �nd as many categories of comparison as you can (for example, “facial expression” could be an important category, but you are encouraged to compare more abstract ideas such as control or the relationship between participants in the ads).

Compare the two ads based on these relevant patterns to identify the desires that are important for men and women and that the products claim to satisfy. How do men’s and women’s desires di�er according to the creators of the ads? In this section, your grade will be based on the number and quality of comparisons that you present.

3.) Interpretation

So, what does all this mean? What do these di�erences tell us about the ad creators’ understanding of what men and women are like? What role does alcohol play in helping satisfy men’s and women’s di�erent desires?

The interpretation section is the most di�cult part of your paper. Here’s where you bring your own conclusions to the table and support them with the evidence marshaled in the description and the analysis sections. There is no single “right” answer, but some answers are clearly better than others: close reading is a must. In this section, your work will be graded on the inventiveness of your ideas and the quality of support you provide for them with the help of the �rst two sections.

4.) Evaluation

To what extent do you agree with the creators’ views about the di�erences between men and women? Have you noticed these di�erences in your daily life? Are representations of such di�erences bene�cial, detrimental or unimportant? Explain.

5.) Engagement

Instead of taking action, please comment on the likelihood of your ever taking action to create a better media world? Would you ever consider writing to a media organization? If yes, why and in connection with what sort of issue? If not, why not?

While you should try to strive to separate your work according to the steps of the critical process, be aware that this is not an exact science. If you come to an idea and cannot decide whether it belongs to the interpretation or to the evaluation section, don’t fret. A couple of misplaced ideas will not a�ect your grade. A lack of ideas and a lack of connections between ideas will.

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By the time you are ready to hand in the assignment, you should be able to explain the di�erences in the appeals used by the two ads and interpret what they say about the creators’ views about the di�erences between men and women in society.

Ad 1

Ad 2