2a-+Proposal

= **Media/Visual Literacy Project Proposal** =


 * Tony Giles
 * Alicia Lockhart
 * Brittany Puett
 * Christina Smith

**Topic of focus for our project-** The phenomenon that is Jersey Shore will be the focus of our groups Media / Visual Literacy Project. We want to uncover exactly why this show is so successful. Does it have to do with the cast? Does it have anything to do with the network it is broadcast-ed on? Is it the way it is marketed to specific demographics? Since its inception, this reality television show has taken over the news media, social networking sites, and many other media outlets. MTV has marketed this show to their audiences in such a way that it has even received scrutiny for its portrayal of Italian Americans, but it still thrives. We want to delve deeper into the television show to discover it’s message, the need it is fulfilling for its viewers, and how the structure of the show leads its audience to a specific rational of why they are watching it. As future educators of adolescent children, we have a responsibility to be familiar with the ideas/concepts that media outlets are broadcasting as these ideas/concepts are influencing the decisions made by the aforementioned adolescent children. We have decided to utilize a blog to record and report our findings. We will utilize audio, video, as well is static imagery within the blog which will help frame the conclusions for our reasoning behind the success of the reality television show, Jersey Shore.

I like that you have chosen a TV show/phenomenon to explore and analyze for your MVL Project. Interestingly, my family was just having a conversation about the mass appeal of this show this weekend. I agree with your idea about educators needing to familiarize themselves with the pop culture of their students, which makes this worthwhile -- besides, it's just darn fun! :-)

**Critical questions that we will work to answer-** (these should move beyond the five basic questions //from// [|Five Key Questions That Can Change the World: Classroom Activities for Media Literacy] on page 1 of the assignment description). You have identified some quality questions to guide your analysis, and I think that delegating who will be responsible for each one is a good way to organize your collaborative work. I urge you to begin identifying specific ads (print, video, etc.) that will be a part of your project and analysis. You are off to a great start, and I look forward to seeing your final product!
 * Why does this show seem to be targeted towards a group of people in their late-teens to early-thirties? - T
 * What makes viewers "addicted" to this show? - T
 * Is this television show suitable for all ages of the listening and viewing audiences? If so, why or why not? - T
 * Does this television show alter the viewers that watch Jersey Shore regularly? - C
 * For the characters on the television show, is this their permanent lifestyle, or are they different off camera? - C
 * Does this television show influence us emotionally, mentally, or physically? - B
 * Why do the character's feed off of each others drama? - B
 * How did this show grow in popularity, for example, starting as a television show and now on the front cover of magazines? - B
 * What prompted these characters to choose their nickname on Jersey Shore? - A
 * What do the characters do for a living when they are not filming the television show? - A

**Roles, Time line, and Responsibilities-**
 * Tony Giles (T): //Research, Wiki site coordinator//
 * Alicia Lockhart (A): //Research, Co-writer of paper//
 * Brittany Puett (B): //Research, Co-writer of paper//
 * Christina Smith (C): //Blog Manager//
 * Everyone (E): //Everyone contributes//

__September 2:__ __September 13:__ __September 20:__ __September 30:__ __October 5:__ __October 19:__ __October 21:__ __October 26:__
 * Complete creation of wiki (T).
 * Media/Visual Literacy Project Proposal Due
 * Have conducted research and submitted the most appropriate resources to the group (E) (at least 2 per person).
 * Have created a blog on wordpress.com to present the Media/Visual Literacy Project (C)
 * Have begun working on the rough draft of the paper (A & B).
 * Have continued updating wiki (T)
 * Have continued updating blog (C)
 * Working on paper (A & B)
 * Find and present more research as needed (E).
 * Progress Report posted to Wiki (T) Due
 * Blog nearing completion (C)
 * Paper nearing completion(A & B)
 * Begin citing all research appropriately in blog and paper if not done already (E)
 * View and edit finished project as a group (E).
 * Make changes as necessary (E)
 * Media/Visual Literacy Final Project Due via email link
 * Critique of another Group's Project (E)


 * Questions you have for the instructor-**
 * Do you think we are heading in the right direction with our project, based on our proposal?
 * Have we made everything clear as far as what we are investigating and analyzing?
 * Will the essay be separate from the blog?
 * Do you have any helpful remarks or suggestions for our proposal?