american diversity and design

ARC 211 American Diversity and Design - Spring 2016 Project 1 – Critical Analysis of Paid Media Draft position statement due 2.11 at 3:30 p.m. Final due 2.23 at 3:30 p.m. Advertising is the greatest art form of the twentieth century." -Marshall McLuhan In the absence of traditional authority, advertising has become a kind of social guide. It depicts us in all the myriad situations possible to a life of free choice. It provides ideas about style, morality, behavior." -Ronald Berman Introduction Advertising is one of the greatest persuasive forces in our culture today. Not only does advertising urge us to buy things, go places, and change our behavior, but also it influences our cultural values, self image, sense of what is ‘normal’ or ‘ideal’, and understanding of race, gender, age, ethnicity, social class, religion, and physical/cognitive abilities. In this project, we will establish a relationship between advertising and a specific diversity group. “We will operate under the assumption that advertising is a powerful cultural force, both reflecting and shaping values, beliefs, and priorities within American culture.” (L. Boercker). Objectives § To refine skills in critical analysis § To conduct a ‘close reading’ of an aspect of both historical and contemporary advertising § To understand the purpose, intended audience, and persuasive techniques of advertising § To uncover social messages that have been designed into advertising § To understand what advertising reveals or conceals about a specific culture and time § To uncover the diversity issues inherent in advertising

Project Write a critical analysis on ways that a specific type of advertising has affected one of the diversity groups/issues that will be addressed in this course. OR Write a critical analysis on ways that one of the diversity groups/issues that will be addressed in this course has affected a specific type of advertising.

Information Specific Types of Advertising (Examples) Diversity Groups/Issues

• Political advertisements • Public service or advocacy campaigns • Financial service advertisements • Automobile advertisements • Toy advertisements • Skin care/cosmetics advertisements • Fashion advertisements • Food advertisements • Video game advertisements • Product placement in films, videos, games, etc. • Sports branding/mascots • Guerilla advertising • Targeted advertising (amazon, google, etc.) • Other

• Race: Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish origin; White; Black or African American; American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian or Asian American; Pacific Islander; etc.

• Ethnicity: Irish, Guatemalan, Swiss, Japanese, Chinese, Kenyan, Cuban, etc.

• Gender Identity: Male, Female, LGBTQ, etc. • Socio-Economic Class: Upper, Middle, Lower • Age: Children, Teens, Gen Y, Gen X, Boomers,

Older Americans • Physical Abilities: Uses a mobility device, Deaf,

Blind, Star athletisism, Extreme height, Extreme weight, etc.

• Cognitive/Psychological Abilities: ADHD, Dyslexia, Bi-polar disorder, Depression, High intelligence, Photographic memory, etc.

• Religion: Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, etc.

1. Choose an item from each of the two columns in the table above and develop a statement connecting the two items.

(For example, you might choose ‘political advertisements’ and ‘race.’ Your statement might read: The growing U.S. Latino or Hispanic population has influenced dramatic changes in both the form and content of U.S. presidential political advertising. OR Given that Hispanic or Latino individuals make up 17.6% of the U.S. population, some presidential political advertisements targeted towards this growing population have been surprisingly bigoted.

2. Use the following (presented in the critical thinking presentation) to help structure the paper: (In order to be eligible for a grade of B or higher, the following questions must be addressed.)

Statement What is the primary thesis/argument of the paper? Clarity Can you elaborate further?

Can you give an example?

Accuracy How can you verify this? What authorities/experts support your position? Precision Can you be more specific?

Can you provide more details? Context: What contextual information is important to understand this issue? What does historical context teach us about this issue?

Relevance How does what you say relate to the issue?

Why is it relevant to the issue?

Depth What factors make this a difficult issue or problem? What are some of the complexities of this issue or question?

Breadth Do you need to look at this from another perspective? Do you need to consider other points of view?

Logic Does this make sense as an argument?

Does what you say follow from the evidence?

Significance What is the significance of this issue? What are the larger implications of this issue or question?

Fairness Do you have any vested interest in this issue? What are your potential biases? + Historical Context How does historical context affect the issue?

How does historical context change or provide more insight into the issue? ----- The assignment and other helpful documents can be found at UB Learns>Assignments>Project Assignments>Project 1 of 4, Spring 2016 – Media Analysis. Requirements (In order to be eligible for a grade of B or higher, the following requirements must be met.) 1. Underline the primary statement in both the draft and final paper. 2. Length: Approximately 1500 words 3. Font: Times Roman – 12 pt. 4. Spacing: 1.5 line spacing 5. Margins: 1” on all sides 6. Sources: Must be listed as footnotes. (Must use the Chicago Manual of Style humanities format for footnotes (N).

See http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/dept/history/lavender/footnote.html or http://www.citationmachine.net/chicago/cite-a-website/create or use Endnote/free at UB: http://library.buffalo.edu/help/endnote/ )

7. Include copies as well as links of all visuals with your assignment. (If you are using video, include relevant stills and the link.)

8. Your name and person number must be in the upper left corner of the first page. 9. Submit a draft position statement of the assignment by February 11, and a final hard copy of the assignment at

the beginning of class on February 23. Evaluation You will be evaluated on: § The clarity of the thesis statement § The relevance of your elaboration and examples § The inclusion of significant historical and contextual information § The logic and specificity of your argument § The depth/breadth of the discussion § The accuracy of the facts used to support the argument § The consideration of other points of view § The quality of the discussion on larger implications of the issue § The quality of your research § The extent to which the paper relates a diversity issue to a design issue