Choose one of the following prompts to respond to in a multi-paragraph response of approximately 1000 words each (similar to a discussion post):
1: In the clip from the CBC documentary included at the beginning of the Lesson Three, Marshall McLuhan says the world has become a “global village” and that we are now “with it” once again. Spend some time discussing the phrase “with it.” What did it mean popularly in the 1960s when McLuhan was writing? What exactly does McLuhan mean by it? Do you think it’s true that during the era of print culture we were not “with it” and that we now are “with it” again? In what senses might we be more “with it†today and in what ways could it be argued that we were more “with it†before we had broadcast culture and the Internet? Discuss clearly and with an appreciation for both print culture and digital culture ways of understanding.
2: According to the readings and lesson, in what ways has the typical American citizen’s experience of war changed since the 1980s? Discuss an aspect of the way modern media represent war today that you or someone you know has experienced and been affected by. (Pay attention to the fact that this is about the experience of war SINCE THE 1980s – don’t talk about machine guns!) Assuming you or someone you know has personal experience of the “military-industrial-entertainment†complex, what are your thoughts on this idea?
3: “Surveillance … benefits the court system and helps prevent wrongful imprisonment when the evidence on camera does not match up with the person’s statement on trial. In a sense there are a lot of positive things that come from video surveillance, but the same cannot be said about dataveillance.” (Former student response in the discussion forums)
Argue for or against the proposition made here that surveillance mainly benefits us as ordinary citizens, while dataveillance is mostly a negative thing in our lives. Be sure you have clearly understood the differences between surveillance and dataveillance and focus on those.
Please write on this one number 4!
4: Restate Postman’s worries about TV and manufactured media turning politics into hyperreal entertainment. Do you think our theoretically democratic medium of the Internet has rendered his worries obsolete or that they should be revised now, but still describe the situation for the average citizen? Think of your own experience of political issues and how mass and social media have shaped your own political attitudes in the world. Do you believe the hyperreality in which we live is a threat to democracy? Discuss.
Spelling/grammar/presentation matter, because they always do.
Submission Instructions
Your response should be submitted as a document (.doc or .docx please;
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