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Dines, Gender, Race, and Class in Media, 5e
SAGE Publications, 2018
Course Projects
Part I: A Cultural Studies Approach to Media: Theory
All of these assignments are designed to foster students’ ability to critically read and understand
the readings in the text. They are designed, so that students will have identified the key
elements of the essays and thus be prepared to participate and engage in class discussion.
These assignments can be used individually or together for this unit or all eight parts of the text.
By focusing on key elements of writing (research questions, thesis, etc.), students can identify
positive models that may inform their own writing.
1. Identifying the Research Question: In this assignment, students are asked to identify the
research question in the assigned essay and turn it is as homework. It is helpful to explain to
them that, in some cases, it may read more like a research statement than a question and that it
may be implied. Explain to students that this is the author(s) motivation and impetus for doing
the research and it is important to understand what questions the research is designed to
answer.
Here are some examples for students:
2. Identifying the Thesis: In this assignment, students are asked to identify the thesis
statement in the assigned essay and turn it is as homework. Explain to students that the thesis
is the major argument that the author is trying to make or prove in the essay, or how they are
answering the research question. Remind students that sometimes the thesis is preceded with “I
3. Identifying the Claims/Facts: In this assignment, students are asked to identify 3–5 claims
and facts in the assigned essay and turn it is as homework. Remind students that the claims
and facts of an essay are the points that the author uses to provide support for their thesis and
argument: think of them as the findings of the study. Distinguish for students that claims and
facts are not examples, opinions, elaborations, or definitions but statements that the author is
asserting as true.
Dines, Gender, Race, and Class in Media, 5e
SAGE Publications, 2018
Here are some examples for students:
4. Creating Prezi/PowerPoint Presentations: Students create researched-based
presentations using either Prezi or PowerPoint around the following topics. The
associated readings from the text are designed to get students started on the topic.
From there, they will need to gather more scholarly and popular press research to build
the content of their presentations. The topics are fairly broad, so students can narrow
down the focus as they deem relevant and interesting. Place students in five groups and
assign topics/readings. Presentations should be between 10 and 20 min and the
instructor should specify required number of references, images, and examples to be
included.
Topic Reading
