Reference no: EM133429971
1. Ethnic Groups and American Institutions
How has a specific ethnic group imprinted on some area of American life? Here are some suggestions:
African Americans: southern cuisine, popular music, popular dance, marching bands, basketball and football, youth culture "cool", organized crime
Italian Americans: food culture, sanitation, popular music, (Dago) "cool", youth style ("Guido"), organized crime
Irish Americans: police and fire (NYC), Catholic religious vocations and liturgy, organized crime
Greek Americans: restaurants (diners), organized crime
Albanian Americans: Italian restaurants, organized crime
Jamaican Americans: popular music, nursing, track (sprints), organized crime
Jewish Americans: Hollywood, the law, accounting, organized crime
What historical circumstances shaped entry into this area? Consider the types of "capital" brought into the situation (e.g., cultural heritage) and the structure of opportunity in the larger society.
Is the group over-represented in membership numbers?
Does the group or group members exert disproportionate power or enjoy privilege?
Has the group's culture been imparted to the institution?
2. Framing Ethnic Identity in the Mass Media
For this project, you will investigate the framing of ethnic group identity in the mass media. You will focus on a single case reported in media outlets like the press (print media) or a TV show.
Identify the media text (e.g., The BET Hip Hop Awards Show, Jersey Shore, Ebony).
What themes construct ethnicity? Use the perspective developed in class which relies on the work of Cornell and Hartmann. In particular, what identities were invoked? For example, were the principals defined by race or nationality or some new ethnicity (e.g., Latino, Desi)? Also, what did these identities mean? Here, pay attention to prominent themes or motifs like "criminality" assigned to Italian Americans by Hollywood.
To what extent are these media representations ethnic stereotypes?
Is there a pattern of mass media stereotypes for this ethnic group (i.e., found in other texts and perhaps widely accepted)?
Why do you think these perspectives are used to tell the story? In particular, is there a media agenda or ideology?