Books, Books and Books

1) Moore,Barbara , Bensman, Marvin R. ,Dyker,Jim Van: Prime-Time Television: A Concise History, 2006, praeger publishers

2) The Portrayal of women on televison, Ingham H, 1995

3) Freud and the Media : The Reception of Psychoanalysis in Viennese Medical Journals 1895-1938

Freud - Another Theorist

After researching for a number of different theorists, i came across Freud. Freud argued that the men unconsciously see women castrated and this causes them to feel anxiety which is why fertishization objects are used in order to reduce anxiety. Freud refers to scopophilia as the pleasure involved in looking at other peoples bodies as (particularly erotic) objects.

Evaluation

Self Evaluation:

Attainment (2):
I belive that my attainment is good, as i have attended most of my lessons. I have only missed one lesson, which was due to a religious event.

Effort (3):
I think that i can put more effort into class discussions, as i don't feel very confident to get involved. I feel that I put enough effort in class work, but could improve the standard and effort of my hokework.

Punctuality (1):
I have always been on time for all my lessons and have never been late.

Submission and quality of work (3):
All my work has been submitted to my teacher, i feel that the quality of the work can be of a better standard as the work that is given to the teacher does not show my passion towards this subject and doesn't show my clear knowledge and understanding.

Ability to work independently (2):
I feel that i have the ability to work independently and can complete the hand in task, but i sometimes tend to ask for help or guidance and prefer to work better as a group.

Quality of work (3):
As previously mentioned, i believe that the quality of my work can be of a much bettter standard and quality as all work that is submitted to the teacher doesn't clearly show my knowledge as somethimes the work can be too short and lack important details.

Organisation of media folder (1):
My media folder is kept completley organised as all work is dated and put in order of the time it was handed out. All sheets have been placed in plastic wallets, to assure that no sheets are lost or fallen out. Each teacher has been given their own section so that work from the two different classes are not mixed up.

Oral contribution in class (3)).
I tend to lack confidence, which means my contribution in class is kept to a minimum. I participate in class discussions only when i'm asked to do so by a teacher or if a question is thrown at me.

Standard of module 5 blog (3):
Even though my blog has quite alot of information posted on it, I feel that it lacks quality as some of the work done on the blog is either quite short or doesn't make sense. I have posted up all work set, but i feel that i still need to do more work and post it all on my blog.

Santard of module 6 blog (2):
I feel more confident with this blog as all work is up to date and off a good standard. All my work is posted on my blog and it is done before the deadline.

www:
- I have attend all my lessons time
- I have a great knowledge and understanding of all discussions in class
- I have made detailed notes in lesson

Ebi:
- I participated more in class discussions
- The standard/quality of my work is improved
- Do more research for my blog

Is Ugly Betty A Good Role Model (Review)

Ugly Betty now in South Africa is an Ugly Role Model, Ugly Betty is meant to make women feel like there is more to life than being a physically attractive woman. And most men would likely agree, to avoid being labelled a sexist, or a misogynist, that this is true. Now let’s look the reality of the situation. There have been many studies to show that more attractive people get more opportunities in the workplace, in social circles, etc. So this negative role model does not in my opinion help any woman understand what the reality is in the world. In America where obesity is now almost at epidemic proportions there is anecdotal evidence that this show is giving fat women an excuse not to try and loose weight. Most people are plain lazy when it comes to working on their physical appearance yet these same people are likely to judge others on their first impressions and therefore on the their physical appearance. So what I am saying here is that we should rather point women to role models like Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie. These women work exceptionally hard in their careers and still manage to look stunning whenever they make a public appearance or film.

http://ramonthomas.com/ugly-betty-now-in-south-africa-is-an-ugly-role-model/

This review that i found on a website shows that Ugly Betty IS not a role model. This review is more likely to pressure on women that they have to be pretty in order to suceed in life. This review blantly is against unattractive women being role models and emphasises the idea that people who are unattractive in society may aswell give up as there is no hope for them.

Change Of Title

Upon realising that my originally set question seemed too broad and confusing, I decided that i should set a question that is more direct and to the point. Therefore I have conceived the following question 'To what extent has the media manipulated women to look attractive and how has the representation of women changed in the media' paying particular reference to Ugly Betty. This question replaces my previous flummoxing question, that was ' To what extent does the media intimidate women to look glamerous and encourage a size zero to be rewarding? paying particular reference to Ugly Betty. By changing my question at this stage in time allows me to focus and pay more attention on the final question, instead of wasting time and not knowing what to write for my first question.

Keywords

Below are 10 keywords that will use throughout my independent study.

1. Archetype: This is an often repeated character type or representation which is instantly recognisable to an audience. I can use this in my independent study as Betty is portrayed as the stereotypical 'geek', so by her appearance and by the way she is dressed the audience can make a instant recognition that Betty will be the geek in the programme and assume that she will have geek like characteristics
2. Binary-opposition: Term which is associated with Levi-strauss, he argues that narratives are structured around oppositional elements in human culture e.g. good vs evil. In Ugly Betty there are a number of oppositions used, therefore using this theory will benefit me immensely.
3. Empathy: The ability to share the emotions or point of view of a group or individual. This term relates to my study as it allows the audience who watch programmes such as Ugly betty to be able to relate to her as if they are in her shoes. It also gives them a sense of escapism and reassurance.
4. Feminism: A political movement to advance the status of women by challenging values, social, constructions and socioeconomic practices which disadvantage women and favour men. I wiil be relating to a number of different feminists throughout my independent study. As well as breaking the stereotypical representation of women who are unattractive can't be successful, a number of media texts still objectify women.
5. Hyperdermic syringe theory: The theory argues that consumptions of media text is like the injection of a drug and that the audiences behaviour and opinions are therefore directly affected. At the start of Ugly Betty she is ignored and not taken seriously, this may inject idea's into the audience's mind who find themselve unattractive that being this way won't give you the oppurtunity to be successful. It may also benefit them because Betty breaks the stereotype and proves to be quite successful at the industry, so it may make them think that is she can do it so can we.
6. Kaplan (feminsit theorist): Representation of women are changing within the media. This finding is supported by a number of texts that i am using. In a number of programmes and films there is normally a stigma that is attached to an individual such as blondes are bimbo;s or if you havn't got the looks you can't be successful in life. But media texts such as Ugly Betty, Legally Blonde and Hollyoaks have broken the stereotype.
7. Male Gaze: This is a term that is normally associated with Laura mulvey (1975). She argued that the camera focusing on women's bodies is evidence that women are believed to be sex objects for the grattification of men. I can use this in my study as this is portarayed to be the case in the media texts that i am studying. For example even though Betty is portrayed to be unattractive, the producers of the programme have got an attractive substitute to appeal to the male audience.
8. Protogonist: The leading character or hero in a film/programme with whom the audience can identitfy with and from whose point of view the action is positioned. Often set in binary opposition against the antagonist. I will be using this term throught my independent study when i talk about the main character. Betty suarez- America Ferrera and Elle woods-
   Reese Witherspoon.
9. Status quo: Leaving things as they are. The media tend to leave representations as they are, however in media texts such as ugly betty, legally blonde and characters in Hollyoaks have broken status quo and hasn't followed it.
10. Watershed: Programmes that are aired after 9pm due to the contents of that programme. Programmes after this time tend to contain violence or sexual contents. Ugly Betty shows scenes that are inappropriate to children of a younger age. The programme makes reference to sex and even show scenes which are quite x-rated.

My Self Evaluation

WWW:

• Slides were short and simple
• Links between my study and theories/theorists i am going to use
• Good Presentation

EBI:

• Spoke more clearly
• Less nervous/not stuterred on my words
• More reseatch on wider concepts

10 point action plan

1. I will need to Conduct more research on my choosen text and related text as i haven't done much of this yet. I will need to research area's of MIGRAIN of my related texts as i have only done this for two of my texts. I will need more information on the institutions of my related texts as the research i have found now is not a lot. I am going to try and have this completely up to date by 4th November.
2. My second target will be to find out about more theorists that i can use that relate to my independent study. I will try to find theorists that have researched a number of different issues such as the representation of women in programmes rather than films, whether the representations have changed etc. I can research a number of different sociologists, particularly feminists as these individuals have a huge concern about women and their rights. I can also research Anne Oakley to see if her findings relate to my study. I will try and get this done by 30th October.
3. I will be aiming to make all the posts that haven't come up on my blog appear as this problem has occured for a long period of time. I will come up with a solution for this target by 26th October.
4. I will need to use other mediums to help me throughout my independent study. I have only used the interent and past blogs to help me on my way. As I was told that i needed different sources and not only the internet i have decided to look at other sources of information, such as books on representation of women in the media. I will try to broaden my sources of information and have this all completed by 3rd November.
5. My fifth target is use wider concept, i will need to broaden my understanding on SHEP/ i will make reference to social, historical, economical and political issues. I haven't touched upon this assessment objective yet, so i need to make progress and make my onto starting it. I can do this by looking through books from the library or different internet links and websites such as media guardian. I will have this completed by 3rd November.
6. I need to create a bibliography of all the different sources used. I need to make reference of all the internet sites i used, the books i used and any other source i used for information. This needs to be updated and completed by 4th November.
7. I need to broaden my use of media terminology. I am going to use the A-Z booklet of words that i was given by my media teacher. With this booklet i am going to scan through all my blogs posted and see whether any words can be replaced with media terms from the booklet. I will have this done by 4th November.
8. I need to start putting all the information together and create a plan on how my answer could be answered. I need to either bullet point or create a table on both sides of the arguement, so i can make it more easier for me when i have to start writing my essay. This will be done by 28th October.
9. I need to read more reviews and post my findings onto a blog. This will allow me to see other people's view on whether they agree or disagree with my proposed question. I will also be able to find extra infromation that i can use in my independent study. This will be completed and posted on my blog by 27th October.
10. Finally, I need to re-write/edit my question to see if it makes sense and if it is easily answerable. Right now my question seems to difficult to answer as it is quite broad and is asking a number of different questions, rather than asking one specific question. This target will be completed by 26th October.

Self Assessment Of Blog Work

A01:

• demonstrate knowledge and application of the Key Concepts employed within Media Studies and the evaluation of texts and ideas using the Key Concepts

I am quite confident with this assessment objective as i have studied it throughly during yr12. This objective requires you to use MIGRAIN and in detail analyse trailers and clips from texts that relate to my independent study. I feel that during my analysis i have analysed in detail representation, media language and audience. I have made relevant links back to my hypothesis for each MIGRAIN heading. By conducting an in depth analysis it has allowed me to plan ahead and begin thinking about my final draft. However i feel that i need to continue using my skills and do an in depth analyse of the remaining sections such as ideology, as i struggle to be able to analyse this section in detail, so this is my main priory. I also need to research a wider range of theories that i can use in my independent study.

A02:

• demonstrate knowledge and application of the wider contexts (historical, social, political, economic) relevant to Media Studies

This assessment assess your skills on applying social, historical, economical and political issues. I yet havn't covered this objective so my main target is to start this objective and to anaylse and research in immense detail. I have studied the media to look for changes and important issues that have arised. I have also checked media Guardian on a regular to check for updated stories that i can use for wider context.

A05:

• demonstrate the ability to use appropriate investigative and research techniques in carrying out an independent study of a media text, topic or issue

I havn't done a large quantity of research yet, so i need to continue with this objective. Looking at what i have done so far i feel that the research is relevant and in detail.

Synoptic ability:

• draw together understanding of Key Concepts, from different parts of the specification in order to make effective textual readings

• draw upon knowledge and application of a wide range of possible relevant contexts, in order to account for the characteristics of media texts