Reference no: EM132282145

REFLECTION PAPER : "THE MEAN WORLD SYNDROME"

Instructions: Please watch the film "The Mean World Syndrome: Media Violence and the Cultivation of Fear"(link and instructions provided below), then read the questions below and include your answers(in any order) in your reflection paper. Please do not simply/only answer each question one by one-- this paper should be in the format of a thoughtful essay.

Thus, the questions below should guide and be included within the paper, but additional reflective thought is important and should also be included. This is not intended to be a formal paper, so citations, a reference page, etc. are not necessary. Each paper should be ~2 double spaced pages in length, although longer is fine if you are so inclined.

Please submit your reflection paper as a .doc or .docx file(Canvas will only accept these file types) and submit it via our class's Canvas site under the relevant submission portal. This exercise is worth 3 points toward your final grade and is due no later than 11:59 pm on Sunday, April 14.

QUESTIONS TO ADDRESS IN YOUR REFLECTION:

1. What are your reactions to this film? Did you dis/like it? Why or why not?

2. According to the film, many Americans now live in a state of perpetual fear, even though many of these fears have little basis in fact. What accounts for the widening gap between perception and reality?

3. What is a "global conglomerate"? Why, specifically, does Gerbner think the owners and managers of theseconglomerates encourage violent programming? According to the film, how does this violence differ from the violence that has always existed in storytelling?

4. What is the "mean world syndrome"? According to the film, how does news programming contribute to the mean world syndrome? What effect does this have?