Question 1

According to the media theorist Stuart Hall, which of the following is NOT one of the basic ways in which we interpret mediated messages?

Accepted Answer

A)   through dominant meanings
B)   through oppositional meanings
C)   through negotiated meanings
D)   through passive acquiescence D

Question 2

While describing her new neighbor Morgan says the following, "Clarice is a female astronaut". By filling in "female", Morgan is engaging in what kind of language convention?

Accepted Answer

A)   spotlighting
B)   highlighting
C)   semantic derogation
D)   belittling A

Question 3

Research exploring the gendered nature of video games has found that women are ____________________ in popular video games.

Accepted Answer

A)   largely absent
B)   very present but highly subordinated
C)   diversely represented
D)   now more typically represented in "combat" roles A

Question 4

Write an essay in which you critically examine any recent attempt to subvert the dominant messages in media with respect to gender and/or sexuality, using Stuart Hall's distinctions in your analysis. Examples could include, but are not limited to: the new "Dove" ad campaign, Adbusters, Bitch Magazine, etc.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Write an essay in which you critically...

Question 5

The term "policeman" is a masculine form. The term "police officer" is, by contrast, a ___________ form.

Accepted Answer

A)   feminist
B)   politically correct
C)   generic
D)   legal

Question 6

What term is used to refer to language and the frameworks within which meaning can be constructed, as emphasized in the works of Michel Foucault and Dorothy Smith?

Accepted Answer

A)   linguistic determinism
B)   discourse
C)   linguistics
D)   parole

Question 7

Discuss the difference between what Stuart Hall calls "encoding" and "decoding". Provide an example, based upon popular cultural representations of gender

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the difference between what Stuart Hall...

Question 8

Describe the methodology used by Melanie Muise to investigate local sporting practices at Laurentian University .

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the methodology used by Melanie Muise...

Question 9

Whorf and Sapir explore the multiple ways in which language shapes:

Accepted Answer

A)   our understandings
B)   individuals' body image
C)   selfhood
D)   scientific inquiry

Question 10

Kerry is undertaking an analysis her favorite television show by attending to the roles undertaken by various characters, the positions of dominance/submission in gendered interaction and the physical appearance of the characters. She is conducting the following type of analysis:

Accepted Answer

A)   ethnomethodological analysis
B)   conversational analysis
C)   content analysis
D)   a cultural study

Question 11

Discuss the relationship between naming conventions, patriarchy and "tradition"?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss the relationship between naming conventions, patriarchy...

Question 12

Mohammed applies for a server job at a local restaurant and is asked to wait for the manager at the "waitress station". This exemplifies the use of _____________ as one element of linguistic sexism.

Accepted Answer

A)   slang
B)   diminutives
C)   sexist bias
D)   misogyny

Question 13

The degree to which we accept cultural ideals is referred to as ____________________.

Accepted Answer

A)   internalization
B)   subordination
C)   acquiescence
D)   encoding

Question 14

In what Canadian province do women retain their birth surname throughout their lives, whether or not they formally marry?

Accepted Answer

A)   Alberta
B)   Ontario
C)   Saskatchewan
D)   Quebec

Question 15

Why might it matter whether or not we use "old patterns" of masculine words (such as "mankind") vs. gender neutral words (such as "humankind")? What is at stake?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Why might it matter whether or not...

Question 16

___________________ refers to the ways in which language conventions highlight one group of people (such as males) while diminishing or concealing another group (such as females).

Accepted Answer

A)   Spotlighting
B)   Highlighting
C)   Semantic derogation
D)   Invisibility

Question 17

Deprecating language in which non-standard (or informal) words are used, in ways that may be belittling to certain categories of people (as in the case of honey, chick, stud, and hunk), are examples of __________________.

Accepted Answer

A)   semantic derogation
B)   slang
C)   diminution
D)   sexism

Question 18

Dr. Zeera, who argues that the media mirrors the values of the mainstream culture, as opposed to shaping them, is arguing on behalf of the following approach:

Accepted Answer

A)   cultivation theory
B)   mass media theory
C)   the reflection hypothesis
D)   the internalization hypothesis

Question 19

How does cultivation theory account for the impact of mass media on our beliefs and behaviors?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How does cultivation theory account for the...

Question 20

Most research reveals that gender-polarizing messages are ____________in the mass media today.

Accepted Answer

A)   less present
B)   decreasing, with the advent of third-wave feminism
C)   prevalent
D)   very difficult to detect, but powerful in subtlety

Exam 4: Shaping the Socio-Cultural Landscape: Language and Media