For Monday, December 1

1. Find a book from the Queens College library that's related to your research topic. Write the citation on your group wiki, a 3-4 word summary of the book's relevance, and bring the book to class on Monday.

2. We will meeting in Powermaker Hall 208 on Monday and Wednesday.

3. Class is cancelled on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

Monday, November 24

Monday's class will be held at the library. We'll be meeting with librarian Michael Miller to learn about research techniques, in room 101A (downstairs to the bottom floor) in the Rosenthal Library. See you there at 4pm. Do not be late.

Essay #3 : A Short History of X

Your final essay for this course will be a carefully researched history of something that we don’t often think of as having a history: cultural institutions, concepts, and inventions that we usually take for granted. A list of possible topics is below.

Since this will be a research-intensive process, we are going to take a slightly different approach: you will be assigned to a group of three or four students, and as a team you will choose a topic and conduct research. Your research must presented in an annotated bibliography on a group wiki (created on Google Sites). Each of you will be responsible for reporting on at least one source related to the topic (Wikipedia does not count). Then, using these sources, each of you will write your own 4-5 page paper on your group topic using a wiki format. Finally, you will compose a short (3-4 minute) video that briefly presents your topic.

Possible Topics

Parks
Libraries
Resorts
Bars / Taverns
Hotels / Inns
Subways
Cemeteries
Sewers
Weekends
Hitchhiking
Sneakers
Keys
Pets
Birthdays
Chewing Gum
Soup
IDs
Money
Receipts
Magazines
Fandom
Dentistry
Grades
Composition classes

For Monday, November 17

1. Post a comment on Erik's blog, Samuel's blog, or Yan's blog. If you are Samuel, Erik, or Yan, write a post that analyzes your ad in 300 words.

2. If you're not one of the three mentioned above, write a post that analyzes your ad in 150 words.

3. Bring in 3 copies of your second paper following the instructions given for its format and content.

For Wednesday, November 12

1. Type up your explanation of how myth works in advertising.

2. Find another ad for your theme and post it on your blog.

3. By Wednesday at noon, email me your thesis statement for your next paper. Also, send me a link to an advertisement that you will use to support your argument and briefly explain how it does so.

4. Post a comment on Esther's blog or Nicholas' blog. If you are Esther or Nicholas, write a post that analyzes your ad in 300 words.

5. If you're not Esther or Nicholas, write a post that analyzes your ad in 150 words.

U.S. Army Recruitment Commercial


Coca-Cola Commercials




Commercial for Canadian Tourism

For Monday, November 10

1. Type up your analysis of the Garnier Fructis ad.

2. Find another ad for your theme and post it on your blog.

3. Read this essay by Roland Barthes, "Myth Today." Much of class on Monday will be spent discussing how we can apply Barthes' theories.

4. Post a comment on Stephen's blog or Diana's blog. If you are Diana or Stephen, write a post that analyzes your ad in 300 words.

5. If you're not Diana or Stephen, write a post that analyzes your ad in 150 words.

Funny

Paper #2 Guidelines: Analyzing Ads

Paper #2 is going to focus on the theme you chose to analyze in advertising. Here are answers to some questions you may have. I'll answer any additional questions in class on Wednesday.

How long should the paper be and how should I format it? The paper should be 4-5 pages, double spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font or equivalent.

Do I need a thesis statement and supporting quotations? Yes, you definitely need a thesis statement for this paper. Supporting quotations are helpful, but in this paper I'm looking for analysis more than for an integration of secondary sources.

How should I cite my sources? You can follow the directions I provided for the last paper: footnoting your sources.

When is the paper due? We will peer review the paper in class on Monday, November 17. You must have a full draft of your paper by then. The final draft of the paper will be due on Monday, November 24.

How many copies of my paper should I bring for peer review? Please bring 3 copies of your paper.

After you grade my paper, will I be able to revise it again for a higher grade? No, you will only have the opportunity to revise your paper after peer review.

What exactly should I write about in this paper? By now you should have an archive of ads on your blog. Choose three ads that you find particularly interesting or that are good examples of the theme you're investigating. Then construct an argument that explains how the ads use that theme to sell a particular product or message.

Ultimately, your paper will answer a form of the following question: How does [fill in with your theme] work to either consciously or unconsciously persuade viewers that product/message will make their lives better, easier, richer, happier, etc...?

Are there some things that I should make sure to mention in my paper? Just remember to pay close attention to the details! Reviewing some of the questions and resources for analyzing ads that I've posted on this blog should provide helpful guidelines for writing a nuanced, analytical, and thoughtful reading of your ads.

For Wednesday, November 5

1. Type up your analysis of how race works in ads.

2. Find another ad for your theme and post it on your blog.

3. Look through this site: http://www.genderads.com/ Make sure to read "How to Read Ads" and "Controversy." You might also want to look at examples under "Side by Side."

4. Post a comment on Sara's blog or Sylvia's blog. If you are Sara or Sylvia, write a post that analyzes your ad in 300 words.

5. If you're not Sara or Sylvia, write a post that analyzes your ad in 150 words.

Ponds Commercial (Shown in Asia Pacific)

Race in TV Commercials

We'll look at these two examples from Old Navy Ads in Class on Monday.