INTERESTED IN PUBLIC RELATIONS?

Public Relations Student Society of America

Come to the first meeting of the semester!

Monday, January 28, 2013Riddick 325

7:00 p.m.

If you have any questions contact PRSSA presidentKailey Miller (kmmille3@ncsu.edu)

COM 327January 24

Colonialism and Imperialism

1. Quiz2. Group work: Key terms3. Documentary: Reel Injun

Question 1

“____________” is a term the authors use to describe an image that becomes imbued with meaning as it is commodified.

a) Burger King cupb) Cipherc) Native Americand) Marxism

Question 2

According to the authors, which children’s toy, connected to Pocahontas, has its roots as a sex toy for men?

a) Pokemonb) My Little Ponyc) Barbied) Tickle Me Elmo

Question 3

Complete the sentence:

"How are products made into commodities? How do objects without ________ come to have _______"? (P. 24)

a) valueb) a soulc) legsd) legal status

Question 4

The authors state that Native Americans were hired for the making of Pocahontas...

a) to make sure their side of the story was toldb) to provide voice work for the film and consult on songs and dancesc) to meet Disney's affirmative action quotad) because the movie producer thought he’d actually gone to India

GROUP WORK- Groups of 4- Each group will be assigned a key

term

1. Define the term in your own words

2. How is the term used in support of the author’s argument?

3. Come up other examples of the term from outside the readings

4. Which terms is it similar to or synonymous with?

CIPHER

1. Definition:A cipher is a symbol, emptied of meaning, that then becomes re-imbued with meaning through its attachment to various commodities

2. How is the term used in support of the argument?

“Cipher” refers not to commodities themselves, but to the PROCESS of commodification. It is therefore better-suited to understanding how modern media industries promote their products by giving symbolic value to otherwise useless objects.

3. Other example of a “cipher”

4. Similar / synonymous concepts

• “empty signifier”

• branding

Terms:

1. DISCOURSE2. FETISH / FETISHIZATION (p. 34) 3. NOBLE SAVAGE4. APPROPRIATION5. SANITIZATION (p. 35)6. CULTURAL IMPERIALISM (p. 36)7. COMMODIFICATION8. COLONIAL / COLONIALISM

FOR NEXT TUESDAY:

1. Think about what to do for your final project (remember you can work in pairs!)

2. Next class readings are on representations of race & gender in video games: How does our understanding of representation change when the media is INTERACTIVE?