Globalization and media

WRITING ASSIGNMENT – MAJOR ESSAY 02 You have spent this semester applying the concepts of globalization to a region/country outside the United States. For this last assignment, you have been chosen to be a guest lecturer at a school in your region of choice. You will be doing a presentation to fourth-graders (children ages 9 to 10) on American culture. Choose a film, a television show/series and a type of music (either by a single artist or a mix representative of a genre). All three of these choices should be significant in showing an aspect of American life or culture to this group. You must explain why you have selected each particular example of the medium. For example, “It’s a Wonderful Life” might speak to the ideal we share in the United States that everyone matters, every voice matters. “The Brady Bunch” might illustrate our acceptance of blended families, etc. Hip-hop might demonstrate the freedom of speech via music. What are the messages you want to take to the children of your chosen region regarding lifestyles and customs in this country? Remember that globalization is more than the clich� of taking over a country and obliterating its native culture. It is a method of sharing, a bidirectional force. You do not want to be indoctrinating children with an “everything American is better” message, you want to share an understanding of a way of life. How do you speculate these young minds will receive these media? Now, project forward fifteen years. It is 2034 and these children are young adults. One of these students has produced some form of entertainment based on one of your choices. Perhaps they have written a book based on “A Wonderful Life.” In a paragraph or two, relate how their own culture has influenced this new telling. What are the differences between the original messages in the American media and the evolved foreign version? Though this essay calls upon your creativity, it still must be based on your readings and independent research of the culture of the region, the reception of “Americanism,” etc. You will want to make your media choices based on what lessons you wish to impart to these children. The lessons you choose will come from what you know of the people and the direction the culture seems to be going, again, which you will know via your research over the semester. For instance, if the youth of your country seems to be overly romanticize American culture, you may choose to share an American film extolling the virtues of foreign cultures. Organize your thinking with your research, observations, and ideas to write your final Major Essay of 2000 words. Give a fact-based overview of the situation, but also include your own personal observations and insights. Remember this is a more formal essay and you must cite references to the sources you draw upon. This essay is four times the size of your weekly writings so write clearly and carefully. You will be graded not only on what you say, but how you say it. Use the word-count function in your editor to write a 2000 word essay, give or take 200 words. The format for the references to sources is not important: use any standard format, but be consistent. Be sure to include all the pertinent data. Provide a list at the end of the essay. (Do not include this list of sources in the word count.) Review the information about the Major Essay in Course Information. You must use the following file name for your essays: Doe-John-WE01.doc or Doe-Jane-ME02. E stands for Essay, ME stands for Major Essay and then use the corresponding number (to the assignment).