Deck 25: Cultural Studies

Question 1

Cultural Studies is a theoretical perspective that

A) assumes that human behavior is deterministic
B) focuses on how culture is influenced by powerful, dominant groups
C) argues that media influence is very limited
D) all of the above

Answer 1

focuses on how culture is influenced by powerful, dominant groups

Question 2

Hall argues that ________ include(s) the languages, concepts, and categories different social groups use in order to make sense of their environments.

A) hegemony
B) modes of alienation
C) ideology
D) encoding

Answer 2

ideology

Question 3

The pro-life and pro-choice groups want to make their meanings concerning the product of conception (e.g., fetus or baby) the dominant meaning in the debate. Their struggle to promote their desired meaning takes place in the courtroom, the media, and the classroom. The pro-life/pro-choice debate is a good example of

A) the theatre of struggle
B) counter-hegemony
C) mainstreaming
D) a culture war

Answer 3

a culture war

Question 4

The notion that audiences are not always willing and compliant pawns of the dominant class relates to which of the following concepts?

A) counter-hegemony
B) dominant-hegemonic decoding
C) hierarchy
D) alienation

Question 5

Cultural Studies differs from classical Marxist Theory because it

A) has integrated a variety of perspectives including the arts, humanities, and social sciences
B) has expanded the notion of the subordinate beyond laborers to include additional marginalized groups such as ethnic minorities, women, and the mentally ill
C) elaborates on Marx's notion of what constitutes everyday life
D) all of these

Question 6

Hall refers to the notion that various ideologies in society compete and are in temporary states of conflict as a

A) hegemonic struggle
B) theatre of struggle
C) class struggle
D) none of the above

Question 7

Shortly after the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003, photos and news stories were published showing Iraqis cheering in the streets, pulling down statues of Saddam Hussein, and greeting U.S. soldiers as liberators. Some anti-war groups, however, rejected these images and accused the military and mainstream news organizations as "staging" these events and reactions, even to the point of paying actors to appear in these scenes. These groups could be described as engaging in decoding the mainstream war coverage from which position?

A) dominant
B) hegemonic
C) oppositional
D) negotiated

Question 8

Marx believed that being powerless can lead to _________, or the psychological condition whereby people begin to feel they have little control over their future.

A) domination
B) regulation
C) hegemony
D) alienation

Question 9

When Murdock notes that "all groups are constantly engaged in creating and remaking meaning systems and embodying these meanings in expressive forms, social practices, and institutions," he is referring to which concept of Cultural Studies?

A) culture
B) hegemony
C) theater of struggle
D) negotiated decoding

Question 10

Gramsci's work was based on Marx's idea of ___________, the notion that people are unaware of the domination in their lives.

A) false consciousness
B) dominant-hegemonic decoding
C) theater of struggle
D) culture wars

Question 11

Cultural Studies Theory argues that media are

A) powerful tools for those wishing to engage the oppositional-negotiated vantage point
B) subordinate to interpersonal communication experiences
C) powerful tools for the elite to use to maintain dominant ideologies
D) subordinate to the forces known as hegemony

Question 12

Which of the following statements highlights an oppositional reading of beauty as presented by the media?

A) I want to look and feel like one of the models I see in television commercials.
B) I know that my friends tell me that I can never be as thin as a model, but I am going to stay on this diet because I know that I can be.
C) I can look and feel my best without looking like a model.
D) I can be like a model if only I purchase the right makeup.

Question 13

Marxist thinkers who believed working-class oppression was due to corporate-owned media have been called the

A) Cultural-Critical School
B) Frankfurt School Theorists
C) Modern-Day Marxists
D) Berlin University Scholars

Question 14

All of the following critiques of Cultural Studies Theory are true EXCEPT

A) It is possible to translate some of the theory into daily life, making it somewhat useful.
B) Its Marxist influence has drawn scholars from philosophy, economics, and social psychology.
C) Its representation of the oppressed as able to engage in counter-hegemony has been cited as one of the great strengths of the theory.
D) Many of the principles and features of cultural studies have been investigated, such as ideology and hegemony.

Question 15

The Simpsons can be considered through the lens of Cultural Studies. From this perspective, all of the following statements are accurate descriptions EXCEPT

A) The Simpsons contains satiric counter-hegemonic messages showing that individuals who are dominated use the same symbolic resources to challenge that domination.
B) The Simpsons challenges dominant-hegemonic views through its reference to a wide variety of topics and the adventures of its characters.
C) The Simpsons provides examples of an individual "shutting down" the very dominant forces that try to shut down that individual, as is the case with Bart.
D) The Simpsons were created and put on the air by powerful groups who wanted to influence American culture and society and maintain their hegemonic position.

Question 16

With which approach(es) to knowing is Cultural Studies most closely associated?

A) positivist/empirical and critical
B) interpretive
C) critical and interpretive
D) positivist/empirical

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT one of the positions of decoding articulated by Hall?

A) create an individual code
B) operate within the dominant code
C) allow for cultural exceptions
D) substitute alternative messages

Question 18

Cultural Studies Theory is a theoretical perspective that focuses on how culture is influenced by powerful, dominant groups.

Question 19

Cultural Studies Theory argues that meaning in our culture is not influenced by the media.

Question 20

Cultural Studies would support the claim that the professional code of television broadcasters will always operate within the hegemony of the dominant code because professional codes reproduce hegemonic interpretations of reality.

Question 21

Cultural studies is a single doctrine of human behavior.

Question 22

An individual who is able to accept a dominant ideology and operate with some expectations of the cultural rule is said to be operating from a dominant-hegemonic vantage point.

Question 23

Individuals who are dominated frequently use the same resources to challenge that domination.

Question 24

Power operates at only a few levels in humanity.

Question 25

In December 2005, it was discovered that the U.S. military had been employing journalists to write pro-U.S. stories about the war and paying Iraqi newspaper editors to have them published in Iraqi newspapers. Analyze this phenomenon from the perspective of Cultural Studies, invoking as many concepts as you deem relevant.

Question 26

How would you use Cultural Studies to formulate a study of how a particular dominant group uses the media to influence culture and maintain their hegemonic status? Formulate a research question and describe your study. Be sure to specify what group and messages are the focus of your study.

Question 27

What are the three ways in which audience members decode media messages? Provide examples of each.

Question 28

How has the thinking of Karl Marx influenced Cultural Studies Theory?

Question 29

Identify counter-hegemonic figures or institutions in our society. Why did you identify them as counter-hegemonic? What characteristics or principles cut across each of your examples? How might Hall respond to your examples?

Question 30

Using the standard criteria for theory evaluation, critique Cultural Studies.