COM2604

Quick feedback on Assignment 01

 Assignment 01
• The marking of assignment 01 is progressing – results will be available
soon.
• Additional feedback on Assignment 01 for COM2604
• When writing an assignment, you must follow the guidelines as set out in
Tutorial Letter 101, as well as the technical presentation requirements as
set out in Tutorial Letter CMNALL-E.
• Your assignment must include the following components:
 Assignment 01

• DECLARATION
• In the declaration you state that the work is yours and yours alone. The
correct format is supplied in Tutorial Letter CMNALL-E.
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• The table of contents supplies the headings, subheadings and page
numbers to the sections of the assignment.
 Assignment 01 - Introduction
Provide a concise introduction to the themes that you are examining. The purpose
of the introduction is to introduce the reader to the theme of your assignment and
to make him or her curious about the themes that you will be dealing with.
Imagine that the reader does not know a great deal about mass media theory.
Introduce your reader to the themes or issues that you will be discussing. You
should also explain the importance of the issue, that is, why you are spending
time and energy on the specific issue and why it is important for the reader to take
note of what you have to say. You can also give background information on the
nature of the problem or issue you intend to discuss, in order to give your reader
an understanding of the context of such an issue. You should also explain the
purpose of your research or argument, or indicate your standpoint on the issue.
 Assignment 01 - Discussion

• After your introduction, the rest of the assignment (the body) continues
under its relevant sections and subsections. After you have discussed the
theory and explained it (using your own examples), the conclusion
follows. The discussion is not a mere listing or copying from the study
material. You must be able to discuss the theory in your own words,
making use of your own examples to explain or relate your discussion to
the world in which you live.
 Assignment 01 - Examples

• The examples you use to explain the theory must be your own. If you
repeat the examples from the study material (prescribed book, study
guide, tutorial letters), you do not prove your understanding of the theory
or your ability to apply the theory to practice.
• In the examination no marks will be awarded for examples from the
study material.
 Assignment 01 - Conclusion

• No academic paper or report should come to an abrupt end without any form of
conclusion. You should end your assignment with a conclusion, whatever themes you
chose. Remember, however, that the conclusion entails more than a mere summing up
of your discussion. The conclusion is a brief summary of the essence of your discussion
and/or the most conspicuous or important issues you have identified. You should also
make clear to your reader that you have done and said something of importance. In the
conclusion you can also make various recommendations arising from your study and/or
discussion.
• However, please note that it is not acceptable to introduce completely new information
in this last section of your assignment. Everything that you write in the conclusion
should refer back to what has been discussed in the previous sections.
 Assignment 01 – In-text references and list of
sources consulted

• An important principle in academic writing is that you should at all times

acknowledge the sources from which you obtained your information. This
principle applies to all information, theories, facts, statistics and direct
quotations taken from other sources. Even if you only make use of the
COM2604 prescribed book, you should acknowledge the author(s) from
which you obtained your information.
 Assignment 01 – In-text references and list of
sources consulted

• Source references occur in two places in an academic document:

• • In the text, where you discuss the information obtained from a particular
source, the reference can form part of your sentence, for example:

• “Fourie (2018:254) hold that ...”.

• Or it can appear in brackets at the end of the sentence, for example:
• … (Fourie 2018:254).
 Assignment 01 – In-text references and list of
sources consulted

• It is important that all the sources referred to in the text must be

listed under the sources consulted, while there must be references in
the text for all the sources listed under sources consulted.

• A complete list of sources consulted is given at the end of the document,

on the last, separate page.
 Assignment 01 – In-text references and list of
sources consulted

• In order to promote uniformity and consistency, sources are acknowledged

according to a standardised method of referencing. The main principles of
this system of referencing are set out in Tutorial Letter CMNALLE/301. It
is very important that you study these principles and learn to apply them.
 Assignment 01 – Tutorial Letter 201

• Further feedback on Assignment 01 in Tutorial Letter 201

• Available on myUnisa from 24 April 2024
 QUESTION 1
Study Unit 3
Approaches to the study of mass communication
• 1.1 Short paragraph (5 marks),
• well-formulated definition of mass communication,
• own examples to substantiate your answer.
Most important aspects of mass communication can be defined as many
different types of messages, produced by an anonymous collective or group,
disseminated via some form of technology etc. (Fourie 2018: 95).
Own example to show that you understand the definition.
 QUESTION 1
Study Unit 3
Approaches to the study of mass communication
• 1.2 Various perspectives on mass communication. (5 marks)
• Mention each of these and their specific emphasis.
Fourie (2018:95-96) discusses these perspectives which were originally
distinguished by McQuail (2000), namely the media-culturalist, media-
materialist, social-culturalist and social-materialist. Important to remember
is that whatever the perspective from which mass communication is being
investigated, a few constants are always present: the communicator, the
medium, the message, the audience, and the public nature and diverse
content of mass communication.
 QUESTION 1
Study Unit 3
Approaches to the study of mass communication
• 1.3 Theoretical approaches. (5 marks each)
• The main characteristics of the two approaches listed below:
• The technological determinism approach.
• In this approach the focus on the technology of mass communication and on how
such technology determines the nature of mass communication and its role in
society and the lives of people (Fourie 2018:151).
• The poststructuralist/ postmodern approach. (5)
• In the present so-called era of postmodernism (postmodernity) characterised by
new social, political, economic, technological, global and cultural dynamics, the
validity of many of the old paradigms in almost every discipline of the
humanities, including media studies, is being questioned (Fourie 2018:157).
 QUESTION 2
Study Unit 4
The role and functions of the media

• 2.1 Entertainment is a major function of the media? (10 marks)

• Entertainment has become a major if nor dominant function and activity
of mass media. On a daily basis we are confronted with numerous
entertainment genres such as popular and serious dramas of different
kinds, sports, game shows, quiz programmes, stories about celebrities,
programmes and articles about people and their hobbies, their animals,
their live, their products, advertisements (which usually seek to amuse us),
etc.
• What is entertainment? (Fourie 2018: 216).
 QUESTION 2
Study Unit 4
The role and functions of the media
• 2.2 Five rhetoric motifs (10 marks)
• Identity – media content entertains when it offers the user latent or overt
answers to the question who am I? (Fourie 2018: 217).
• Ability – demonstrating possibilities(Fourie 2018: 217).
• Survival – making the viewer/listener/reader aware of eternal values
(Fourie 2018: 217).
• Reality – shedding new light on reality (Fourie 2018: 217).
• Knowledge – the knowledge gleaned (Fourie 2018: 217).
 QUESTION 3
Study Unit 5
The effects of mass communication (effects studies)
• 3.1 Define stereotyping. (5 marks)
• Stereotyping is considered to be the prejudicial way in which people view
individuals and groups and form particular (usually negative) ideas about
others.
• In media studies, stereotyping relates to how the media represents people
and groups. “the social classification of particular groups and people as
often highly simplified and generalised signs, which implicitly or
explicitly represents a set of values, judgements and assumptions
concerning their behaviour, characteristics or history”.(Fourie 2018: 245).
 QUESTION 3
Study Unit 5
The effects of mass communication (effects studies)

• 3.2 Characteristics of stereotypes (Fourie (2018: 256-257). (5

marks)
• Stereotypes depend on generalisation .
• Positive and negative stereotypes exist.
• Stereotypes have real and mainly negative consequences for those who are
being stereotyped.
• Criticism of stereotypes is seen as an assault on security.
• Those who employ stereotypes consider them to be true.
 QUESTION 3
Study Unit 5
The effects of mass communication (effects studies)

• 3.3 Your understanding with your own media examples. (5

marks)
• In your answer you had to provide examples to illustrate the five
characteristics of stereotypes as explained in Question 3.2. You should
have used examples from the media to show that you understand the
concept of stereotyping and that you are able to identify the different
forms it takes in the media today. You could have referred to examples
from local soapies.
 QUESTION 3
Study Unit 5
The effects of mass communication (effects studies)

• 3.4 How can stereotypes in the media can be changed? (5

marks)
• Constantly reflecting on how one thinks about another group or individual
will enable one to be critical of one’s own biased views (Fourie 2018:
263).
• Media organisations can diversify their staff members to avoid
misrepresentation and one-sided views and the right to reply.
• Codes of conduct should be set in place to guide media workers in their
representations (Fourie 2018: 264).
 QUESTION 4
Study Unit 6
Media, culture and the ideological power of the media

• 4.1 Definition of culture. (10 marks)

• Culture is traditionally understood as a system of shared beliefs, values
and customs that are held by a large group of people.
• Culture may also include all norms, rituals, ideas, practices or material
objects like clothing or art.
• Culture is transmitted from one generation to another by learning.
• Culture assists largely with communicative practices, as individuals learn
the communicative norms associated with a certain culture and are then
able to communicate with one another (Fourie 2018: 274-277).
 QUESTION 4
Study Unit 6
Media, culture and the ideological power of the media

• 4.2 Definition of high culture. (5 marks)

• High culture is understood to include those cultural practices that are
traditionally thought as the most advanced examples of what human
beings can create.
• The idea of high culture is often thought of as elitist: those who are
wealthy enough to partake in it and educated enough to understand it.
• Therefore, high culture excludes anything that is considered popular
amongst common people (Fourie 2018: 272-274).
 QUESTION 4
Study Unit 6
Media, culture and the ideological power of the media

• 4.3 Definition of mass culture. (5 marks)

• Mass culture theory is slightly different from high culture because it
acknowledges the need to study the everyday lived cultural experience of
the ordinary person, but it does so through a high culture lens. Simply put,
mass culture studies the cultural experiences of everyday life in a
patronising way because these cultural experiences are regarded as less
important or less valuable than those of high culture. (Fourie 2018: 272-
274).
 QUESTION 5
Study unit 7
Globalisation

• Economic trends of globalisation and their impact on the media. (20)

• For the purpose of answering this section, you had to read through Study
Unit 7 in the study guide and relevant sections in your prescribed book. It
is important to illustrate in which way the development of information and
communication technology is an important catalyst for globalisation when
you answer this question. The impact of globalisation on the media goes
hand in hand with the development of ICT.
• Your discussion should be based on the economic trends in the media that
have intensified with globalisation and the development of ICT, namely:
 QUESTION 5
Study unit 7
Globalisation

• Economic trends of globalisation and their impact on the media. (20)

• Fourie (2018:363)
• Concentration
• Convergence
• Liberalisation
• Privatisation
• Internationalisation
• Commercialisation
 Assignment 01:
Mark conversion
20 marks for each question 20 x 2 = 40 marks
Technical presentation 5 marks
Total 45 marks
To be converted to a mark out of 100
 COM2604 – Examination preparation
• Examination preparation will be discussed 0n 3 May 2024

For COM2604 enquiries, please contact us:

• Ms Leith Huckle - [email protected]
• Dr Jabulani Nkuna - [email protected]
• Mr Gysbert Kirsten – [email protected]