WOMS 5Q Media Project II
Dr. Susana L. Gallardo
Media Analysis
The second media project is a webpage essay that offers a thorough and insightful analysis
of a single piece of media. We have discussed how all media is carefully crafted in stages
by many people to look, feel, sound a certain way, appeal to a particular audience, incite a
particular behavior. Your job is to “deconstruct” that piece of media, taking it apart and
identifying the various contexts in which it was designed.
You will work with a partner to choose an image or video clip, spend a good amount of
time analyzing, discussing and rethinking the image, then co-write a short essay in which
you write up your analysis and post it (and the image/clip) on a webpage for the class, and
the public. By “piece of media,” I mean a small/brief image or ad, or a 30-60 second
video clip of a commercial or film. Keep it short so you can do an in-depth analysis.
This is a partnered project—you must work in teams of two—precisely because I want to
encourage you to consider different perspectives. You don’t have to agree with a partner
on a particular viewpoint—rather, you want to challenge each other to think about multiple
possibilities.
Possible terms of analysis:
You must use at least five; briefly define each and apply
 Framework (Material Frame, Ideological Frame)
 Text/Message (Overt, Covert)
 Audience (Inscribed, Actual)
 Reading (Preferred, Negotiated, Oppositional)
 Distribution
 Power/Resources
Production Context
Text
Audience Context
Distribution Context
The audience for your project is both the class, and the general public. That means you
need to briefly define your terms, and then carefully explain how you are using those terms
to analyze and understand this work. Design is also important--plan your webpage
carefully so you show images to accompany your essay in a way that clarifies and
highlights your analysis.
Projects must be finished and posted online by midnight Thursday, March 21. Your
project should be roughly the equivalent of a 5-page essay, so about 1000-1250 words.
Remember, the blog notes the exact time of any updates, so late work will be marked
down a half-grade per day. You will have time to work in class with your partner, so use
that time carefully for in-person exchanges and save individual work for outside of class.
Grading: 60% Analytic content (five terms), 20% teamwork, 10% writing/grammar, 10%
page design quality