Howard University Family in Tv Land Discussion
Question Description
Section 1
Assignment – Family in TV
Purpose
This assignment provides you with the opportunity to explore some of the changes in U.S. families and reflect on the evolution of the American family as portrayed in television.
Directions
Families have been with us for a very long time. It is probably true that the family is changing faster than any other social institution (Bianchi and Spain, 1996). U.S. families are changing in response to a higher divorce rate, a fast growing blended family structure, and the desire for women to have more career options and to provide better lives for their children.
Television is a powerful medium that has continually reinvented images of the American family over the past sixty years. Arguably, television has created an idealized image of the American family and not always a realistic depiction of what the typical family structure looks like. Obviously, media is a powerful agent of socialization that often dictates what we ‘think we should be doing.’ However, as times have changed, so have the images of family on television. This assignment will explore some of those changes and ask you to reflect on the evolution of the American family as portrayed in television.
- The assignment begins with “Father Knows Best” (1954-1963). Here is the website for the show “Father Knows Best” (Links to an external site.) that gives a lot of information about the show, its characters, and content. I want you to read one of the magazine articles on this website from TV Guide that was published during the time the show was syndicated. You will want to make some notes about what you learned about the show including audience reception, characters, and the content of the show.
- Next, you will watch a full-length episode of the show (these can be found on the “Father Knows Best” website (Links to an external site.) or on YouTube (Links to an external site.)). You will then begin a content analysis of the show and you will do this for two other shows as well.Here is what you will be looking for in the episode(s):
- Gender roles and family structure (mother, father, children)
- Parents as figures of authority
- Children (manners, obedience to authority)
- Content of the show (what message was the show trying to send to the audience?) How is the content reflective of the average American family at the time? (or not)
- Choose one sit-com episode from the following list of sit-coms from 70s and 80s, watch in its entirety, and follow the same episode guideline questions above:
- One Day at a Time (1975)
- All in the Family
- Good Times
- Cosby Show
- Family Ties
- Growing Pains
- Married with Children
- Finally, choose one of the following contemporary shows from the 2000s to view, following episode guideline questions:
- Modern Family,
- Parenthood
- Gilmore Girls
- Family Guy
- Blackish
- One Day at a Time (2017)
- This is Us
- The Haves and the Have Nots
- Now, you will synthesize all of the analysis you have done from the TV Guide article and three episodes of tv from different decades into a 2-3 page paper.
Submission
Save your paper as “Family-in-TV-Land_Your Last Name.docx or .doc” and submit it as an attachment by clicking the Submit Assignment button above.
Grading
This assignment is worth a total of 40 points. Please refer to the grading rubric below to understand how this assignment will be graded.
Page 4 of 8 in Module 5
Proceed to the next page by clicking the Next button below.
Rubric
SOC 200 Family in TV Land Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIncludes a summary of the “Father Knows Best” TV Guide article and why this show was considered such a hit during its time. |
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5.0 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeDiscusses each of the three episodes, including the episode guide questions. |
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10.0 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeIdentifies patterns of family structure or messages within the episodes that you see emerging. |
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10.0 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeContrasts the gender roles, content, and family structures that reflect the evolution of the TV family. |
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10.0 pts |
||
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeProper spelling, grammar, and sentence structure |
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5.0 pts |
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Total Points: 40.0 |
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Section 2
Journal – Suburban Lifestyle
Purpose
This assignment provides you with an opportunity to explore the components of re-developing suburban life known as ‘retrofitting’ and evaluate how social environments frame human interaction.
Directions
Please follow the journal guideline found in Module 1.2 Journal to complete the assignment.
- Watch the video, Retrofitting the Suburbs [Duration 19:23] (Links to an external site.).
- As you watch the video, make note of concepts such as:
- ‘retrofitting’
- suburbanites lifestyles
- rising gas prices
- cost of housing and transportation
- ‘commercial strips’
- how demographics have changed in the last 30 years for the suburbs
- underused parking lots
- third places
- redevelopment
You will now have knowledge of what it means to retrofit the suburbs.
- Now that you have viewed the video lecture, “Retrofitting the Suburbs,” write a journal entry in which you discuss at least four of the terms listed in the video assignment. I would like for you to include in your journal your own observations and experiences of either living in or going to the suburbs. How is life different in the suburbs than inside a major city like Washington, D.C.?
Submission:
Submit the journal entry by clicking the Submit Assignment button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Grading
The journal is worth 10 points. Follow the grading rubric for journals below. I will be grading on how well you address each of the provided questions in your essay response.
Page 7 of 8 in Module 5
Proceed to the next page by clicking the Next button below.
Rubric
SOC 200 Journal Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCritical analysis of the material in the assignment. Analysis may include personal feelings on the subject matter supported with examples or evidence of why you feel this way. Although personal experience is fine to cite, it should not form the basis of your arguments for supported material. Adding additional evidence or statistics from literary sources, newspapers, media, or the textbook can enhance the analysis and make it more polished and valid. (2-3 paragraphs) |
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5.0 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSummary of main points and concepts extracted from the assignment (may include videos, articles, or textbook material including exercises). (1-2 paragraphs) |
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2.5 pts |
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This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeProper sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. |
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2.5 pts |
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Total Points: 10.0 |
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Section 3
Journal – Higher Teacher Salaries
Purpose
This assignment provides you with an opportunity to evaluate current problems with teacher performance in the U.S. education system and critique proposed solutions to close achievement gap among low income students.
Directions
Please follow the journal guideline found in Module 1.2 Journal to complete the assignment.
- Watch this 13 minute video segment from 60 Minutes on an innovative charter school in New York that is offering higher teacher salaries as a model for increased quality of education and student performance. NYC Charter School’s $125,000 experiment [Length 13:38] (Links to an external site.)
- Read the following article describing what tenure is.
- Consider the following concepts when viewing the video:
- Classroom management
- Structure of the environment
- Tenure for teachers (good or bad?)
- Criteria for retaining ‘good’ teachers at this charter school.
- After viewing the video segment, you are ready to write a journal entry. Using the four points I provided for you above, discuss how they are relevant in the video. Discuss whether or not a program like this one could work if implemented nationwide? Be sure to consider what works about this program and what does not work.
Submission:
Submit the journal entry by clicking the Submit Assignment button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Grading
The journal is worth 10 points. Follow the grading rubric for journals below. I will be grading on how well you address each of the provided questions in your essay response.
Page 4 of 9 in Module 6
Proceed to the next page by clicking the Next button below.
Rubric
SOC 200 Journal Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Ratings | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeCritical analysis of the material in the assignment. Analysis may include personal feelings on the subject matter supported with examples or evidence of why you feel this way. Although personal experience is fine to cite, it should not form the basis of your arguments for supported material. Adding additional evidence or statistics from literary sources, newspapers, media, or the textbook can enhance the analysis and make it more polished and valid. (2-3 paragraphs) |
|
5.0 pts |
||
|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeSummary of main points and concepts extracted from the assignment (may include videos, articles, or textbook material including exercises). (1-2 paragraphs) |
|
2.5 pts |
||
|
This criterion is linked to a Learning OutcomeProper sentence structure, grammar, and spelling. |
|
2.5 pts |
||
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Total Points: 10.0 |
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Section 4
Church and State
Purpose
This assignment provides you with an opportunity to assess the controversy over church versus state in American society.
Directions
Please make sure to follow the discussion guidelines found in Module 1.1 Discussion.
Part 1: Initial Post
- High Court Favors Prayer at Council Meeting, Mark Sherman (2014).Read this article from Spring of 2014 that correlates with our OpenStax reading on separation of church and state. Use this as a starting point for a discussion of the separation of church and state. Please use your VCCS email username and password if you are prompted for login credentials.
- After reading the article on the Supreme Court ruling to allow prayer at town council meetings, reflect on how you feel about the allowance for prayer in public forums such as school, sports events, and local and national government meetings. Do you agree with this Supreme Court ruling? Why or why not? Do you think our society is more tolerant of some religions over others?
- I would also like for you to find another article or news clip online that is relevant to the topic of separation of church and state and share it with the class on the discussion board. There have been so many of these cases, that it should not be hard to find an example. For instance, some towns have sued churches for having religious symbols (like nativity scenes) on public property.
Part 2: Comments
Remember to respond to at least one classmate thoughtfully.
Continue monitoring the discussion by answering questions and providing clarifications until the end of the discussion.
Make sure to follow the online communication netiquette to create a friendly and helpful online learning environment.
Submission
Post your initial response by clicking the Reply button below, and then participate in the discussion. You can find the discussion forum by clicking the Discussions link in Course Navigation as well.
Grading
This assignment is worth a total of 10 points. Refer to the discussion grading rubric to understand how this assignment will be graded.
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