MediaStudies.com | Vancouver Island University | SOCI 205 | Messages and Media

Essay Topics | Value: 20%  (10-15 pages, typed and double-spaced)

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Please choose one of the following:

• Has the implementation of the Canadian Broadcasting Act been a failure or success ? 

• Do Canadian content requirements generate support or resentment ?  Should there be an increase in the freedom of the market to determine what is available to consumers ? 

• How effective is the Canadian magazine industry in capturing and maintaining the public interest about domestic issues ?

• The Canadian government is the largest advertiser in the country.  Where does all the money go ?  Discuss whether you think it is well spent and/or what you see as wasted tax dollars.        

                 

• Do you agree with the view that Canada is an advanced underdeveloped society,  i.e. advanced in technological infrastructure but not in terms of culture ?  What do you believe the future holds for Canadian culture over the next decade given current trends in media technology ?  Consider the increasing fragmentation of media audiences and what effect this is likely to have on nation building.  In what ways might a cultural nationalist feel optimistic and/or pessimistic about this trend ?

• Discuss the merits of webmedia such as 'The Tyee', 'Rabble', 'Global Research.ca', 'SooToday', and 'COA News' in providing alternative news sources.  Do they pose any real competition to mainstream print and broadcast media ?

    Global Research.ca       

• Discuss whether Canadian national TV news represents a broader ideological spectrum than large American network(s).  In what ways do U.S. TV news values affect Canadian news programming ?

• Would the availability of Al Jazeera undermine or enhance Canadian democracy ?  Discuss.  

• With reference to programmes such as The Final Cut, Human Cargo, the Trailer Park Boys, and/or other Canadian shows, discuss whether or not Canadian cultural goals are being achieved.

• Are a significant number of Canadian programmes popular because they are knock-offs of American formats ?  Which shows are most similar and which are least similar to those produced south of the border ?  Explain.      

• What resources are available to support the development of new musical artists in Canada and how effective are they ?

• Examine the interplay between the Culture Industry, as understood from the Frankfurt School perspective, and Canadian society. 

• To what degree does advertising cause resentment among CBC television viewers ?  Is it plausible to consider making CBC television non-commercial along the lines of the BBC model ? 

Concepts to consider in essays and presentations might include: 

Ideology; Technology; Power; Market Economics; Organizational Structure; Convergence; Resources; Audience; Reception; Ownership; Monopolies; Culture; Identity; Socialization, Protectionism, Nationalism, Imperialism, Dependency, Hegemony, Globalization, Professionalism, Cultural Policy, Regulation/Deregulation, Consumer Sovereignty, Quality.