Yousman, Gender, Race, and Class in Media 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Class Activities
Part IV: Advertising and Consumer Culture
Activity 1
Question of the Day
The question of the day is a fun and easy way to draw students into the topic of the
day’s class, get to know one another, take roll, or use as a discussion question for
an online class. Here are the questions for use in Part IV.
1. How many advertisements do you think you see and hear every day? Where do
you see them? What makes an advertisement stay in your memory?
2. What’s an advertisement that you’ve seen that subverts stereotypes around
gender, race, or class?
3. Do you think advertising influences what kinds of products you buy? If yes, how?
If no, explain why you think you’re able to resist it.
Activity 2
Critical Viewing in Action: No Logo
1. Obtain a copy of No Logo from your campus library or from the Media Education
Foundation.
2. Depending on time and instructor preference, show the entire film or selected
sections to the class.
Activity 3
Viewing the Ads
1. Assign the McAllister + Aupperle piece to students to read.
2. Assign each student (or break the students into small groups depending on the
class size) to look up and watch the ads which are discussed in the article. They are
all readily available online.
Yousman, Gender, Race, and Class in Media 6e
SAGE Publishing, 2021
Activity 4
Alternative “Celebrity” Humanitarians
1. Assign the Hopkins article for students to read.
2. Find the covers/articles referenced in the essay from Marie Claire, Vogue, and
The Bling Ring. They are readily available online. Assign them to students to read.
3. Discuss the problematic nature of the celebrity humanitarian and then ask
students to suggest alternative (female?) humanitarians that embody the values of
Activity 5
The Hidden History of Product Placement
1. This activity illuminates the long, storied history of product placement in film and
television. After students have read the Jhally piece, assign the article “The Hidden
History of Product Placement” by Newell, Salmon, and Chang which is available
from the Journal of Broadcasting + Electronic Media (December 2006).
2. Ask students in the class to think about how product placement works and if they
can think about any examples off the top of their head. The instructor can show clips
3. Give students time in class or as a homework assignment to find an example of
product placement. Then have students show (or talk about) their own examples and
how it makes them feel about the brand that is featured.
4. (Optional) Discuss with students the idea of reverse product placement—when a