Mass Media Final Project

In this final project of the course, you will focus on a particular media issue or aspect of popular culture.

Explore in more depth an area or aspect of particular interest or concern and work through several steps:

• Choose a particular media issue or aspect of popular culture of concern or interest.
• Conduct the necessary research and preparation and prepare the necessary product(s) to share findings and conclusions.
• Present the project.

It is expected that you will:

• define popular culture
• recognize the role of culture in all communication
• write to express understanding
• read to find meaning and interpret
• speak to share thoughts, opinions, and feelings
• confer with peers and teachers
• recognize underlying values and issues as they apply to a particular media issue or problem
• recognize the impact of media communications
• use a variety of resources to assist your research
• learn how technology impacts on our lives, society, and the environment
• manage time and resources
• work independently
• communicate findings and conclusions in an appropriate manner for a specific audience and purpose.

Choosing, Focusing, and Planning

Take some time to think carefully about the topic and focus of the project.

Consider the following list of issues and aspects of mass media and popular culture.

What would you like to explore?

What questions would you like to investigate about this topic?

Generate as many ideas as possible and then highlight the ones that might be most useful. For example:

• What is so interesting/unusual/popular about this particular medium or form?
• What do we know about it? Who does it affect? How did it become popular? How is it marketed?
• Are there some people who are critical of aspects of this medium or form? Who? Why does it bother some people?
• When was it invented? Has it changed over time?
• What are some ways of doing this investigation? For example, are you going to visit sites, interview people, read books, examine the artifact, view videos or photographs, or collect promotional material?

Preparing the Project

• Keep a project notebook or folder for their notes and observations.
• Date the tasks, interviews, viewing dates, and publication dates.
• Quote from the medium exactly word for word when something helps to "make a point".
• Use a variety of sources--video, photographs, readings, diagrams, people, and promotional material.

Presenting the Project

A final step is to share the findings of the research. Think carefully about what the final projects will look like. Consider the following:

• How are you going to put it all together and make sense of your investigation?
• How are you going to present your findings to others?
• Consider a project write-up or presentation method (e.g., a talk, an audio presentation, a video presentation, a display, or a poster). What will serve your purpose?
• Outline how your project will be evaluated.
• Think about what you investigated and why you investigated it. How did you go about investigating it?
• What did you find out? What sense did you make of all of this? Can you think of further research that someone might go on to do or other questions that might be asked? What conclusions can you draw?

Sample Project Planning Form

Sample Project Self-assessment

Sample Project Assessment Form

Sample Project Assessment and Evaluation Summary