As with Chapter 3, there is a lot of new information in this chapter.  You may think it is overkill, but Turow’s point is that you cannot be an informed media consumer if you don’t understand what the research means is a good one.  Because Turow does such a thorough job, there are only a few items I would like to clarify or get you to think about.  I should also let you know that my personal research bias is toward qualitative studies from the critical theory and cultural studies perspectives.  I conducted such a study for my dissertation in which I examined the transfer success of minority community colleges. 

Sample Size.

Some issues involved in sample size have to do with the concepts of “randomly chosen.”   Often, university students seem to get chosen as samples for research.  Why?  Because they are accessible.  If they are easily accessible, are they truly random?  Also, if your sample is comprised of students from a “large Midwestern university," how representative can your sample be said to be as compared to Los Angeles?  New York?  Hawaii?  Often the “convenient” is not the “best” sample.  This is an important issue because researchers then try to “generalize” their findings.  In other words, if it works in the Midwest, it should work everywhere else.  Personally, I have a problem with this kind of thinking, but that's the quantitative viewpoint. 

Digital Divide and Cultural Capital.

An interesting concept which makes the “digital divide” so problematic is the notion of cultural capital.  Essentially, those in power (generally, those with more economic resources) control the information one needs to be successful.  For example, depending on economic resources, parents may or may not know what to do to help prepare their children for college.  Parents with more resources know the importance of the S.A.T., know about S.A.T. preparation classes their children can take, and are able to do everything within their power to help maximize their children’s S.A.T. scores.  Parents without such economic resources often do not know about these tests and are unaware of the help that is available to their children—nor could they afford that help.  Therefore, their children often take the S.A.T. without sufficient preparation. 

It may help to think of it another way.  If your parents went college, you develop a basic understanding of how college works and are prepared for that environment.  You know which offices to go to for assistance and how the basic system operates.  However, if you are a first generation college student (first in your family to go to school), then you walk into a system with which you are unfamiliar.  You may not understand all of the processes and rules colleges follow.  If you know what to expect, you are prepared and can handle obstacles more effectively.  If you don’t know what to expect, every obstacle may seem insurmountable and you won’t know where to go for assistance.  You would also be more likely to give up, deciding that you can’t figure out how to navigate the college system. (And, clearly this is not the case for any of you J ).

This is a simplistic way of looking at the issue, but it highlights a problem that is often not discussed.  By understanding how cultural capital comes into the picture, hopefully the connection to the digital divide is clearer. 

One final thought under this heading is the work of Maslow and his hierarchy of needs.  How would his theory apply to this conversation? Any takers?  Post your answers in an academic forum for us to participate in.

The Location of Meaning.

On pp. 158-159, Turow explains Linguistic and Literary approaches to cultural studies.  So, where does meaning reside?  In the message or in the person?  Both.  Let’s look at an example.

If you have taken other speech courses, you most likely have studied some aspect of language.  You may have also discussed the difference between “denotative” and “connotative” meanings.  Denotative meanings are the dictionary definitions, the commonly understood usage of a word.  The definition of dog, according to Webster, is “a domestic quadruped of many varieties.”  Connotative meanings are the associations you have attached to words.  So, if you have happy memories of your dog growing up, you probably have warm fuzzies thinking about your dog--just like I do when I think of my Golden Retrievers!  However, another student may have been attacked by a dog at an early age.  For this student, the connotative meaning associated with the word dog may be one of fear or something stronger—no warm fuzzies!  Our personal experiences, our socialization, our education, and our cultural beliefs all help create our connotative meanings.  Mine are different from yours, and none of ours are the same.  Looking at meaning from this perspective, we can see that meanings can be in both—the message (denotative) and within us (connotative).  

Race, Class, and Gender.

One of the most fascinating aspects of cultural studies is to examine the portrayals of race, class, and gender in the various media forms.  The following assignment will get you thinking about those concepts:

Assignment:

Select your favorite sitcom and watch three episodes closely to assess its portrayals of stereotypes (think race, class, and gender).  For each episode, point out how the sitcom addresses various stereotypes.  Submit your response to me under the “Race, Class, and Gender” assignment.  This assignment counts as 20 points toward your participation grade.

SPECIAL NOTE:  You should begin your advertising analysis project if you have not yet done so.  Let me know if you have any questions.