Friday Flix Cancelled

Your Humble Blogger received the following email this morning...

Due to meeting obligations, I'll have to cancel the Friday Flix screening of "The Party" tomorrow, June 5. My apologies!

Regards,
Michael Petros
Associate Professor, Media Arts Dept.

Because of this unforeseen development, Your Humble Blogger has created an alternate opportunity to get last-minute field trip credit.

All MC101 students are eligible to complete the following assignment for field trip credit (five points):

The ongoing saga of Bruce Jenner’s transformation into Caitlyn Jenner has drawn the attention of millions. For field trip credit, answer the following questions. Your paper should be 200-300 words. Turn it in on hard copy by slipping it under my office door (SG315) by 3 pm on Monday, June 8.

1. Discuss the notion of mass media and “agenda setting.” How is Jenner’s saga a prime example of agenda setting?

2. In regard to the criteria for what makes something newsworthy (from the newsgathering chapter), why is Jenner’s transformation a big news story? What news criteria apply to it?

3. One of the ways that advertising sells products is to glamorize them. Glamorizing a car sells cars, for example. Does the recent Vanity Fair cover (shot by arguably the world’s most accomplished portrait photographer, Annie Leibovitz) glamorize Jenner? Does it glamorize transsexuality? (You can Google the Vanity Fair cover.)