MassMedia: Visual Media: Ideological Criticism: How to Do Ideological Criticism (W9-P3) Fa16

How to Do Ideological Criticism (according to Foss)

“The primary goal of the ideological critic is to discover and make visible the dominant ideology or ideologies embedded in an artifact and ideologies that are being muted in it” (Foss, p. 295-296).

• Step 1: Formulate RQs
• What is the ideology embodied in this artifact?
• What are the implication of this ideology?
• What are the alternative ideologies not expressed?
• Are there aspects of the artifact that support emancipation? Etc.
• Step 2: Select Unit of Analysis
• What specific aspect(s) of the artifact/text will you focus on?
• Step 3: Analyzing the Artifact
• Identification of Nature of Ideology
• What does the artifact ask the audience to believe, understand, feel or think about?
• What are the arguments made in the artifact?
• What is seen as good or valued?
• What ideologies are hidden?
• Identification of Interests Included
• What is the power structure and what groups are supported?
• Identification of Strategies in Support of Ideology
• How does the rhetoric legitimize the ideology and interests of some groups over others?
• How exactly is the dominant ideology supported?
• How exactly are alternative ideologies hidden?

Source: Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice

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Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Visual Media: Ideological Criticism: Basic Concepts (W9-P2) Fa16

We all, more than likely, watch a lot of film and TV.  How much do we carefully think about what we watch?  What are ways of analyzing, critiquing and better understanding these texts? One means of analyzing a film or TV program is to do an ideological critique of it.

What is ideological criticism? How do you do an ideological critique of a film or television series?


Ideological Criticism:

For our purposes here, ideological criticism is a particular type of rhetorical criticism.

Previously, we've gotten an idea of what rhetorical criticism is.  So, what is ideological criticism?  What is an ideology?

Ideology:

• “A system of shared meaning that represents the world for us; it gives us a common picture of of reality” (p. 296).
• “A pattern or set of ideas, assumptions, beliefs, values, or interpretations of the world by which a culture or group operates” (Foss, p. 291).

An ideology is a characteristic of a group.  Groups have ideologies that individuals in those groups follow.  In a diverse society with many different groups, it is typically the ideology of the dominant group that is promoted in that society.

So, an ideology shapes the way we see the world, what we pay attention to and what we do not.

What purpose does an ideology serve?  Where does an ideology come from?

And now to some related terms.

1. Hegemony:

• “the process by which a social order remains stable by generating consent to its parameters through the production and distribution of ideological texts that define social reality for the majority of the people.” (from Rybacki & Rybacki, Oprah article)

What are these ideological texts?  Books, newspapers, web sites, political speeches, movies, etc.

So, these media texts develop in us an ideological perspective?  They tell us how we should think?  How we should view the world?

2. False consciousness:

• “a failure to recognize the instruments of one's oppression or exploitation as one's own creation, as when members of an oppressed class unwittingly adopt views of the oppressor class” (American Heritage Dictionary).

So, there are somethings that we may not be aware of, we don't see?
So, we can live in a dominant ideology and be blind to other ways of seeing?


With these above concepts in mind, let's look at ideological criticism. Ideological criticism is a means of bringing often overlooked ideologies out into the light for all to see.

The Basic Argument of Ideological Criticism

1. “When an ideology becomes hegemonic in a culture, certain interests or groups are served by it more than others – it represents the perspective of some groups more than others” (Foss, p. 294).
2. “When an ideology becomes hegemonic through a process of accord and consent, it accumulates ‘the symbolic power to map or classify the world for others…’ It invites ‘us to understand the world in certain ways, but not in others’” (Foss, p. 295).
3. “To maintain a position of dominance, a hegemonic ideology must be constructed, renewed, reinforced, and defended continually through the use of rhetorical strategies and practices” (Foss, p. 295).

How is the hegemonic ideology maintained? Who? With what?  Those of us in the media, are we responsible?

What film or television series would you do an ideological critique of and why?

Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Audio Media: 4 Songs for Rhetorical Analysis (W8-P4) [VID] Fa16

What would a rhetorical analysis look like for the following songs?
Notice how they are paired together.


Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddamn. Live Version (lyrics)



Steve Earle -- "Mississippi, It's Time"



Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. (lyrics)



Rihanna - American Oxygen (lyrics)




Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Audio Media: Rhetorical Criticism, "Ohio" & Kent State (W8-P3) [VID] Fa16

Quantitative research papers which use methods like experiments, surveys, and content analysis typically follow a certain format.

Quantitative research paper outline:

1. Introduction 
2. Review of literature
3. Research question(s)/hypothesis
4. Methods 
5. Results
6. Discussion 
7. References

Rhetorical criticism papers usually take a different approach.

Writing the Rhetorical Criticism Essay (based on S.K. Foss)

• Introduction
• Identify artifact (or text to be studied), RQ, Contribution to Theory, Hint of Justification (why is it important to study?)
• Description of the Artifact
• Text, Context & Justification
• Description of the Unit of Analysis
• What specifically about the text is being studied?
• Determined by method
• Report of the Findings of the Analysis
• Bulk of the essay
• Organization determined by method
• Contributing to Answering the Research Question
• Answer RQ, implications of research results, significance of research results
• References

In the introduction the author identifies the artifact or text being studied (e.g., a TV commercial) and indicates research questions (RQs) they want to answer (e.g., what words or phrases are used and what role do they play in persuading?).  The author would also indicate how their study adds to previously developed theory and also give some indication of why their study is important.

In the description of the artifact (or text), the author would describe the details about the text (who, what, where, when, etc.).  There is no analysis yet, just the facts about the text. The author would also provide some context for the text.  For example, if an author were analyzing a protest song of the 1960s, the author would want to provide description of what was happening in U.S. society at the time (Vietnam War, assassinations, civil rights, etc.).  The author would elaborate more on why their research, their paper is important.  That is, give justification for why their work should be read.


Lyrics for "Ohio".  If you are interested in some context, see Kent State shootings article.

In the description of the unit of analysis, the author indicates what specific aspect of the text will be studied.  For example, a researcher studying a presidential debate may just focus on the nonverbal aspects of the debate.

The author then spends most of the essay going through their analysis detail by detail from the beginning of the text to the end.

After a detailed analysis, the author closes by offering an answer to the initial research question(s), talks about  what their findings mean for future research and stresses the importance of their research.



If you did some rhetorical criticism on a song or a set of songs that you especially like, what would they be and what do you think you'd find?

Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Audio Media: Textual Analysis of Songs and Commercials (W8-P2) [VID] Fa16

To answer research questions (RQs) researchers use research methods.

The four main research methods, at least in the social sciences, are experiments, surveys, ethnographies and textual analyses.

A researcher who does textual analysis is a researcher who studies a particular text or set of texts.  A text is a communication artifact. A text could be written, visual, electronic, etc.  Examples of a text are an email, a news broadcast, a film, a recorded conversation, an advertisement, a speech, an editorial cartoon or a song.

There are two main types of textual analysis.  One is more quantitative and the other is more qualitative research.

Content analysis is "a form of textual analysis used to identify, enumerate, and analyze occurrences of specific messages and message characteristics embedded in relevant texts" (Frey, et al.)

An example of content analysis would be a researcher who studies post 9/11 editorial cartoons to determine how the enemy is portrayed in the cartoons by categorizing and counting up the occurrences of certain types of portrayals.

Rhetorical criticism, on the other hand, is more qualitative.

Rhetorical criticism: "research involving the description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of persuasive uses of communication" (Frey, et al)

Notice how rhetorical criticism focuses on persuasive texts, texts that potentially influence an audience.

There is a long history to rhetorical criticism from ancient times to modern times.

A person doing rhetorical criticism may study, for example, campaign speeches or advertisements to analyze how the text attempted to persuade and how effective it was in persuading.

Check out below the older Pepsi radio ad.  What are the ways in which the commercial attempts to persuade?  What about their choice of words. Also, how effective are they?




So, campaign speeches and commercials are persuasive texts and thus they are texts that could be analyzed using rhetorical criticism.  However, what about songs?  Are songs texts that could be rhetorically critiqued? Some songs?  All songs?

Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Visual Media: Ideological Criticism: How to Do Ideological Criticism (W9-P3) Fa15

How to Do Ideological Criticism (according to Foss)

“The primary goal of the ideological critic is to discover and make visible the dominant ideology or ideologies embedded in an artifact and ideologies that are being muted in it” (Foss, p. 295-296).

• Step 1: Formulate RQs
• What is the ideology embodied in this artifact?
• What are the implication of this ideology?
• What are the alternative ideologies not expressed?
• Are there aspects of the artifact that support emancipation? Etc.
• Step 2: Select Unit of Analysis
• What specific aspect(s) of the artifact/text will you focus on?
• Step 3: Analyzing the Artifact
• Identification of Nature of Ideology
• What does the artifact ask the audience to believe, understand, feel or think about?
• What are the arguments made in the artifact?
• What is seen as good or valued?
• What ideologies are hidden?
• Identification of Interests Included
• What is the power structure and what groups are supported?
• Identification of Strategies in Support of Ideology
• How does the rhetoric legitimize the ideology and interests of some groups over others?
• How exactly is the dominant ideology supported?
• How exactly are alternative ideologies hidden?

Source: Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice



Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Visual Media: Ideological Criticism: Basic Concepts (W9-P2) Fa15

We all, more than likely, watch a lot of film and TV.  How much do we carefully think about what we watch?  What are ways of analyzing, critiquing and better understanding these texts? One means of analyzing a film or TV program is to do an ideological critique of it.

What is ideological criticism? How do you do an ideological critique of a film or television series?


Ideological Criticism:

For our purposes here, ideological criticism is a particular type of rhetorical criticism.

Previously, we've gotten an idea of what rhetorical criticism is.  So, what is ideological criticism?  What is an ideology?

Ideology:

• “A system of shared meaning that represents the world for us; it gives us a common picture of of reality” (p. 296).
• “A pattern or set of ideas, assumptions, beliefs, values, or interpretations of the world by which a culture or group operates” (Foss, p. 291).

An ideology is a characteristic of a group.  Groups have ideologies that individuals in those groups follow.  In a diverse society with many different groups, it is typically the ideology of the dominant group that is promoted in that society.

So, an ideology shapes the way we see the world, what we pay attention to and what we do not.

What purpose does an ideology serve?  Where does an ideology come from?

And now to some related terms.

1. Hegemony:

• “the process by which a social order remains stable by generating consent to its parameters through the production and distribution of ideological texts that define social reality for the majority of the people.” (from Rybacki & Rybacki, Oprah article)

What are these ideological texts?  Books, newspapers, web sites, political speeches, movies, etc.

So, these media texts develop in us an ideological perspective?  They tell us how we should think?  How we should view the world?

2. False consciousness:

• “a failure to recognize the instruments of one's oppression or exploitation as one's own creation, as when members of an oppressed class unwittingly adopt views of the oppressor class” (American Heritage Dictionary).

So, there are somethings that we may not be aware of, we don't see?
So, we can live in a dominant ideology and be blind to other ways of seeing?


With these above concepts in mind, let's look at ideological criticism. Ideological criticism is a means of bringing often overlooked ideologies out into the light for all to see.

The Basic Argument of Ideological Criticism

1. “When an ideology becomes hegemonic in a culture, certain interests or groups are served by it more than others – it represents the perspective of some groups more than others” (Foss, p. 294).
2. “When an ideology becomes hegemonic through a process of accord and consent, it accumulates ‘the symbolic power to map or classify the world for others…’ It invites ‘us to understand the world in certain ways, but not in others’” (Foss, p. 295).
3. “To maintain a position of dominance, a hegemonic ideology must be constructed, renewed, reinforced, and defended continually through the use of rhetorical strategies and practices” (Foss, p. 295).

How is the hegemonic ideology maintained? Who? With what?  Those of us in the media, are we responsible?

What film or television series would you do an ideological critique of and why?

Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Audio Media: 4 Songs for Rhetorical Analysis (W8-P4) [VID] Fa15

What would a rhetorical analysis look like for the following songs?
Notice how they are paired together.


Nina Simone - Mississippi Goddamn. Live Version (lyrics)



Steve Earle -- "Mississippi, It's Time"



Bruce Springsteen - Born in the U.S.A. (lyrics)



Rihanna - American Oxygen (lyrics)





Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Audio Media: Rhetorical Criticism, "Ohio" & Kent State (W8-P3) [VID] Fa15

Quantitative research papers which use methods like experiments, surveys, and content analysis typically follow a certain format.

Quantitative research paper outline:

1. Introduction 
2. Review of literature
3. Research question(s)/hypothesis
4. Methods 
5. Results
6. Discussion 
7. References

Rhetorical criticism papers usually take a different approach.

Writing the Rhetorical Criticism Essay (based on S.K. Foss)

• Introduction
• Identify artifact (or text to be studied), RQ, Contribution to Theory, Hint of Justification (why is it important to study?)
• Description of the Artifact
• Text, Context & Justification
• Description of the Unit of Analysis
• What specifically about the text is being studied?
• Determined by method
• Report of the Findings of the Analysis
• Bulk of the essay
• Organization determined by method
• Contributing to Answering the Research Question
• Answer RQ, implications of research results, significance of research results
• References

In the introduction the author identifies the artifact or text being studied (e.g., a TV commercial) and indicates research questions (RQs) they want to answer (e.g., what words or phrases are used and what role do they play in persuading?).  The author would also indicate how their study adds to previously developed theory and also give some indication of why their study is important.

In the description of the artifact (or text), the author would describe the details about the text (who, what, where, when, etc.).  There is no analysis yet, just the facts about the text. The author would also provide some context for the text.  For example, if an author were analyzing a protest song of the 1960s, the author would want to provide description of what was happening in U.S. society at the time (Vietnam War, assassinations, civil rights, etc.).  The author would elaborate more on why their research, their paper is important.  That is, give justification for why their work should be read.


Lyrics for "Ohio".  If you are interested in some context, see Kent State shootings article.

In the description of the unit of analysis, the author indicates what specific aspect of the text will be studied.  For example, a researcher studying a presidential debate may just focus on the nonverbal aspects of the debate.

The author then spends most of the essay going through their analysis detail by detail from the beginning of the text to the end.

After a detailed analysis, the author closes by offering an answer to the initial research question(s), talks about  what their findings mean for future research and stresses the importance of their research.



If you did some rhetorical criticism on a song or a set of songs that you especially like, what would they be and what do you think you'd find?


Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Audio Media: Textual Analysis of Songs and Commercials (W8-P2) [VID] Fa15

To answer research questions (RQs) researchers use research methods.

The four main research methods, at least in the social sciences, are experiments, surveys, ethnographies and textual analyses.

A researcher who does textual analysis is a researcher who studies a particular text or set of texts.  A text is a communication artifact. A text could be written, visual, electronic, etc.  Examples of a text are an email, a news broadcast, a film, a recorded conversation, an advertisement, a speech, an editorial cartoon or a song.

There are two main types of textual analysis.  One is more quantitative and the other is more qualitative research.

Content analysis is "a form of textual analysis used to identify, enumerate, and analyze occurrences of specific messages and message characteristics embedded in relevant texts" (Frey, et al.)

An example of content analysis would be a researcher who studies post 9/11 editorial cartoons to determine how the enemy is portrayed in the cartoons by categorizing and counting up the occurrences of certain types of portrayals.

Rhetorical criticism, on the other hand, is more qualitative.

Rhetorical criticism: "research involving the description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of persuasive uses of communication" (Frey, et al)

Notice how rhetorical criticism focuses on persuasive texts, texts that potentially influence an audience.

There is a long history to rhetorical criticism from ancient times to modern times.

A person doing rhetorical criticism may study, for example, campaign speeches or advertisements to analyze how the text attempted to persuade and how effective it was in persuading.

Check out below the older Pepsi radio ad.  What are the ways in which the commercial attempts to persuade?  What about their choice of words. Also, how effective are they?




So, campaign speeches and commercials are persuasive texts and thus they are texts that could be analyzed using rhetorical criticism.  However, what about songs?  Are songs texts that could be rhetorically critiqued? Some songs?  All songs?

Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Visual Media: Ideological Criticism: How to Do Ideological Criticism (U6-P3) Fa14

How to Do Ideological Criticism (according to Foss)

“The primary goal of the ideological critic is to discover and make visible the dominant ideology or ideologies embedded in an artifact and ideologies that are being muted in it” (Foss, p. 295-296).

• Step 1: Formulate RQs
• What is the ideology embodied in this artifact?
• What are the implication of this ideology?
• What are the alternative ideologies not expressed?
• Are there aspects of the artifact that support emancipation? Etc.
• Step 2: Select Unit of Analysis
• What specific aspect(s) of the artifact/text will you focus on?
• Step 3: Analyzing the Artifact
• Identification of Nature of Ideology
• What does the artifact ask the audience to believe, understand, feel or think about?
• What are the arguments made in the artifact?
• What is seen as good or valued?
• What ideologies are hidden?
• Identification of Interests Included
• What is the power structure and what groups are supported?
• Identification of Strategies in Support of Ideology
• How does the rhetoric legitimize the ideology and interests of some groups over others?
• How exactly is the dominant ideology supported?
• How exactly are alternative ideologies hidden?

Source: Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice

If you did an ideological critic of the following cartoon, how would you do that?

The Brotherhood of Man - Post-WWII Animated Cartoon Against Prejudice and Racism (1946)


Have any rhetorical texts you might analyze using ideological criticism?  What ideologies do they promote? What ideologies do they mute?  What do you think you'd find?


Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Visual Media: Ideological Criticism: Basic Concepts (U6-P2) Fa14

Films can be written, using perhaps Field's method.  Films can also be written about.  Films can be analyzed and critiqued.  One means of analyzing a film is to do an ideological critique of it.

What is ideological criticism? How do you do an ideological critique of a film or television series?

Ideological Criticism:

For our purposes here, ideological criticism is a particular type of rhetorical criticism.

Previously, we've gotten an idea of what rhetorical criticism is.  So, what is ideological criticism?  What is an ideology?

Ideology:

• “A system of shared meaning that represents the world for us; it gives us a common picture of of reality” (p. 296).
• “A pattern or set of ideas, assumptions, beliefs, values, or interpretations of the world by which a culture or group operates” (Foss, p. 291).

An ideology is a characteristic of a group.  Groups have ideologies that individuals in those groups follow.  In a diverse society with many different groups, it is typically the ideology of the dominant group that is promoted in that society.

So, an ideology shapes the way we see the world, what we pay attention to and what we do not.

What purpose does an ideology serve?  Where does an ideology come from?

And now to some related terms.

1. Hegemony:

• “the process by which a social order remains stable by generating consent to its parameters through the production and distribution of ideological texts that define social reality for the majority of the people.” (from Rybacki & Rybacki, Oprah article)

What are these ideological texts?  Books, newspapers, web sites, political speeches, movies, etc.

So, these media texts develop in us an ideological perspective?  They tell us how we should think?  How we should view the world?

2. False consciousness:

• “a failure to recognize the instruments of one's oppression or exploitation as one's own creation, as when members of an oppressed class unwittingly adopt views of the oppressor class” (American Heritage Dictionary).

So, there are somethings that we may not be aware of, we don't see?
So, we can live in a dominant ideology and be blind to other ways of seeing?


With these above concepts in mind, let's look at ideological criticism. Ideological criticism is a means of bringing often overlooked ideologies out into the light for all to see.

The Basic Argument of Ideological Criticism

1. “When an ideology becomes hegemonic in a culture, certain interests or groups are served by it more than others – it represents the perspective of some groups more than others” (Foss, p. 294).
2. “When an ideology becomes hegemonic through a process of accord and consent, it accumulates ‘the symbolic power to map or classify the world for others…’ It invites ‘us to understand the world in certain ways, but not in others’” (Foss, p. 295).
3. “To maintain a position of dominance, a hegemonic ideology must be constructed, renewed, reinforced, and defended continually through the use of rhetorical strategies and practices” (Foss, p. 295).

How is the hegemonic ideology maintained? Who? With what?  Those of us in the media, are we responsible?

What film or television series would you do an ideological critique of and why?

Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Audio Media: Rhetorical Criticism, "Ohio" & Kent State (U5-P3) [VID] Fa14

Quantitative research papers which use methods like experiments, surveys, and content analysis typically follow a certain format.

Quantitative research paper outline:

1. Introduction 
2. Review of literature
3. Research question(s)/hypothesis
4. Methods 
5. Results
6. Discussion 
7. References

Rhetorical criticism papers usually take a different approach.

Writing the Rhetorical Criticism Essay (based on S.K. Foss)

• Introduction
• Identify artifact (or text to be studied), RQ, Contribution to Theory, Hint of Justification (why is it important to study?)
• Description of the Artifact
• Text, Context & Justification
• Description of the Unit of Analysis
• What specifically about the text is being studied?
• Determined by method
• Report of the Findings of the Analysis
• Bulk of the essay
• Organization determined by method
• Contributing to Answering the Research Question
• Answer RQ, implications of research results, significance of research results
• References

In the introduction the author identifies the artifact or text being studied (e.g., a TV commercial) and indicates research questions (RQs) they want to answer (e.g., what words or phrases are used and what role do they play in persuading?).  The author would also indicate how their study adds to previously developed theory and also give some indication of why their study is important.

In the description of the artifact (or text), the author would describe the details about the text (who, what, where, when, etc.).  There is no analysis yet, just the facts about the text. The author would also provide some context for the text.  For example, if an author were analyzing a protest song of the 1960s, the author would want to provide description of what was happening in U.S. society at the time (Vietnam War, assassinations, civil rights, etc.).  The author would elaborate more on why their research, their paper is important.  That is, give justification for why their work should be read.


Lyrics for "Ohio".  If you are interested in some context, see Kent State shootings article.



In the description of the unit of analysis, the author indicates what specific aspect of the text will be studied.  For example, a researcher studying a presidential debate may just focus on the nonverbal aspects of the debate.

The author then spends most of the essay going through their analysis detail by detail from the beginning of the text to the end.

After a detailed analysis, the author closes by offering an answer to the initial research question(s), talks about  what their findings mean for future research and stresses the importance of their research.



If you did some rhetorical criticism on a song or a set of songs that you especially like, what would they be and what do you think you'd find?



Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Audio Media: Textual Analysis of Songs and Commercials (U5-P2) [VID] Fa14

To answer research questions (RQs) researchers use research methods.

The four main research methods, at least in the social sciences, are experiments, surveys, ethnographies and textual analyses.

A researcher who does textual analysis is a researcher who studies a particular text or set of texts.  A text is a communication artifact. A text could be written, visual, electronic, etc.  Examples of a text are an email, a news broadcast, a film, a recorded conversation, an advertisement, a speech, an editorial cartoon or a song.

There are two main types of textual analysis.  One is more quantitative and the other is more qualitative research.

Content analysis is "a form of textual analysis used to identify, enumerate, and analyze occurrences of specific messages and message characteristics embedded in relevant texts" (Frey, et al.)

An example of content analysis would be a researcher who studies post 9/11 editorial cartoons to determine how the enemy is portrayed in the cartoons by categorizing and counting up the occurrences of certain types of portrayals.

Rhetorical criticism, on the other hand, is more qualitative.

Rhetorical criticism: "research involving the description, analysis, interpretation, and evaluation of persuasive uses of communication" (Frey, et al)

Notice how rhetorical criticism focuses on persuasive texts, texts that potentially influence an audience.

There is a long history to rhetorical criticism from ancient times to modern times.

A person doing rhetorical criticism may study, for example, campaign speeches or advertisements to analyze how the text attempted to persuade and how effective it was in persuading.

Check out below the older Pepsi radio ad and then the more recent Coke TV ad.  What are the ways in which the commercials attempt to persuade?  What about their choice of words. Also, how effective are they?





Notice any difference in the way that audio and video ads attempt to persuade?


So, campaign speeches and commercials are persuasive texts and thus they are texts that could be analyzed using rhetorical criticism.  However, what about songs?  Are songs texts that could be rhetorically critiqued? Some songs?  All songs?


Share this post with others. See the Twitter, Facebook and other buttons below.
Please follow, add, friend or subscribe to help support this blog.
See more about me at my web site WilliamHartPhD.com.

MassMedia: Ideological Criticism: How to Do Ideological Criticism (U8-P5) Fa13

How to Do Ideological Criticism (Foss)

“The primary goal of the ideological critic is to discover and make visible the dominant ideology or ideologies embedded in an artifact and ideologies that are being muted in it” (Foss, p. 295-296).

• Step 1: Formulate RQ
• What is the ideology embodied in this artifact?
• What are the implication of this ideology?
• What are the alternative ideologies not expressed?
• Are there aspects of the artifact that support emancipation? Etc.
• Step 2: Select Unit of Analysis
• What specific aspect(s) of the artifact will you focus on?
• Step 3: Analyzing the Artifact
• Identification of Nature of Ideology
• What does the artifact ask the audience to believe, understand, feel or think about?
• What are the arguments made in the artifact?
• What is seen as good or valued?
• What ideologies are hidden?
• Identification of Interests Included
• What is the power structure and what groups are supported?
• Identification of Strategies in Support of Ideology
• How does the rhetoric legitimize the ideology and interests of some groups over others?
• How exactly is the dominant ideology supported?
• How exactly are alternative ideologies hidden?

Source: Rhetorical Criticism: Exploration and Practice


Have any rhetorical texts you might analyze using ideological criticism?  What do you think you'd find?


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MassMedia: Ideological Criticism: Chomsky and the "Meaning of the 5%" (U8-P4) [MUSC] [VID] Fa13

Draw any connection between the Brand Nubian song "Meaning of the 5%" and Chomsky's ideas?



Or try this YouTube video:


See the lyrics.
If you are interested, for more see Five Percenter Rap: God Hop's Music, Message, and Black Muslim Mission (Profiles in Popular Music)

Did Chomsky say something about percentages too?

Manufacturing Consent and Chomsky
See clip from 4:35 to 7:50





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MassMedia: Ideological Criticism & Noam Chomsky (Part 2 of 2) (U8-P3) [VID] Fa13

Clips from Manufacturing Consent continued.

Clip 4:
See clip from 3:15 to 8:44.


Clip 5:
See clip from 4:44 to 7:40.



How does this film relate to ideological criticism?
What is the main argument?
What is the ideology discussed?
Is there hegemony?
What does “manufacturing consent” mean?
What was the 20-80 thing?

These ideas from the 1990s, do they apply to today's media environment?

If you are interested, you can watch the full Manufacturing Consent documentary on Hulu.com.

Also, if interested, there is a book -- Manufacturing Consent: The Political Economy of the Mass Media








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MassMedia: Ideological Criticism & Noam Chomsky (Part 1 of 2) (U8-P2) [VID] Fa13

While he may not use the phrase, Noam Chomsky, as shown in Manufacturing Consent, does practice ideological criticism.

The documentary, Manufacturing Consent (1992), is 2 hours and 46 minutes long, but I've boiled it down to about 20 minutes of key ideas relevant to a discussion of ideological criticism.

What is Chomsky's key argument (as shown here)?  What points do you notice that are relevant to ideological criticism?

What is meant by "manufacturing consent"?

Clip 1:
See clip from 1:50 to 7:14.



See clip from 0:00 to 6:35.

What is meant by "manufacturing consent"?

See clip from 4:35 to 7:50


See the next post with the next set of Manufacturing Consent clips.



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MassMedia: Ideological Criticism: Basic Concepts (U8-P1) Fa13

Key questions that you should keep in mind when covering this unit: (1) What is ideological criticism? (2) How do you do an ideological critique of a film?  (3) What film would you do an ideological critique of and why?

An now, for our main feature...
-----------------------------------

Ideological Criticism:

For our purposes here, ideological criticism is a particular type of rhetorical criticism.

Previously, we've gotten an idea of what criticism is.  So, what is an ideology?

Ideology:

• “A system of shared meaning that represents the world for us; it gives us a common picture of of reality” (p. 296).
• “A pattern or set of ideas, assumptions, beliefs, values, or interpretations of the world by which a culture or group operates” (Foss, p. 291).

So, an ideology shapes the way we see the world, what we pay attention to and what we do not.

What purpose does an ideology serve?  Where does an ideology come from?

And now to some related terms.

1. Hegemony:

• “the process by which a social order remains stable by generating consent to its parameters through the production and distribution of ideological texts that define social reality for the majority of the people.” (from Rybacki & Rybacki, Oprah article)

What are these ideological texts?  Books, newspapers, web sites, political speeches, movies, etc.

So, these media texts develop in us an ideological perspective?

So, there are somethings we are not aware of, we don't see?



2. False consciousness:

• “a failure to recognize the instruments of one's oppression or exploitation as one's own creation, as when members of an oppressed class unwittingly adopt views of the oppressor class” (American Heritage Dictionary).

So, we can live in a dominant ideology and be blind to other ways of seeing?




The Basic Argument of Ideological Criticism

1. At the individual level, we recognize that the language that we use to describe people or things shapes the way we think/feel about those people or things and how we act toward them.
2. “The notion of ideology takes the same idea to the level of large groups of people working together with the power of language to define and guide entire cultures” (p. 293).
3. “When an ideology becomes hegemonic in a culture, certain interests or groups are served by it more than others – it represents the perspective of some groups more than others” (Foss, p. 294).
4. “When an ideology becomes hegemonic through a process of accord and consent, it accumulates ‘the symbolic power to map or classify the world for others…’ It invites ‘us to understand the world in certain ways, but not in others’” (Foss, p. 295).
5. “To maintain a position of dominance, a hegemonic ideology must be constructed, renewed, reinforced, and defended continually through the use of rhetorical strategies and practices” (Foss, p. 295).

How is the hegemonic ideology maintained? Who? With what?

Keep these basic concepts and questions in mind when watching clips from Manufacturing Consent.



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MassMedia: Rhetorical Criticism, "Ohio" & Kent State (U6-P2) [VID]

Quantitative research papers which use methods like experiments, surveys, and content analysis typically follow a certain format.

Quantitative research paper outline:

1. Introduction 
2. Review of literature
3. Research question(s)/hypothesis
4. Methods 
5. Results
6. Discussion 
7. References

Rhetorical criticism papers usually take a different approach.

Writing the Rhetorical Criticism Essay (based on S.K. Foss)

• Introduction
• Identify artifact, RQ, Contribution to Theory, Hint of Justification
• Description of the Artifact
• Text, Context & Justification
• Description of the Unit of Analysis
• What specifically about the text is being studied?
• Determined by method
• Report of the Findings of the Analysis
• Bulk of the essay
• Organization determined by method
• Contributing to Answering the Research Question
• Answer RQ, implications, significance
• References

In the introduction the author identifies the artifact or text being studied (e.g., a TV commercial) and indicates research questions (RQs) they want to answer (e.g., what words or phrases are used and what role do they play in persuading?).  The author would also indicate how their study adds to previously developed theory and also give some indication of why their study is important.

In the description of the artifact (or text), the author would describe the details about the text (who, what, where, when, etc.).  There is no analysis yet, just the facts about the text. The author would also provide some context for the text.  For example, if an author were analyzing a protest song of the 1960s, the author would want to provide description of what was happening in U.S. society at the time (Vietnam War, assassinations, civil rights, etc.).  The author would elaborate more on why their research, their paper is important.  That is, give justification for why their work should be read.


Lyrics for "Ohio"

If you are interested in some context, see Kent State shootings article.

In the description of the unit of analysis, the author indicates what specific aspect of the text will be studied.  For example, a researcher studying a presidential debate may just focus on the nonverbal aspects of the debate.

The author then spends most of the essay going through their analysis detail by detail from the beginning of the text to the end.

After a detailed analysis, the author closes by offering an answer to the initial research question(s), talks about  what their findings mean for future research and stresses the importance of their research.



If you did some rhetorical criticism on a song or a set of songs, what would they be and what do you think you'd find?



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