There is no “word count” just your honest and critical thought after viewing the videos.

Mardi Gras: Made in China (5:17)

http://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/5.10/?p=/college/sociologydvd/&f=mardi_gras_-_made_in_china.mp4&i=mardi_gras_-_made_in_china.jpg

1. How does this clip illustrate the principle of “interdependence” that is a key feature of globalization?
2. How does this clip reflect any or all of the three positions in the “globalization debate” presented in this chapter: the skeptics, the hyperglobalists, the transformationalists?
3. What are some of the differences in the definition of a “holiday” or a “good time” expressed by the factory workers in China and the Mardi Gras revelers in New Orleans?
4. Now that you know where Mardi Gras beads come from, what impact—if any—will that knowledge have for you if you were to go to Mardi Gras or some similar festivities?

Class Dismissed

http://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/5.10/?p=/college/soc/&f=class_dismissed.mp4&i=class_dismissed.jpg

Television has played a central role in communicating the meaning of the American Dream since its earliest days. Its programs shape cultural notions of class and what it means to have “made it” in America.

1. How does culture shape what it means to “make it” in America?
2. What impact did the growth of television have on culture in the mid-twentieth century?
3. What role does consumption play in the meaning of attaining the “American Dream”?
4. Discuss why working-class and immigrant families were more central in popular culture in the mid-twentieth century than they are today.
5. How does television help produce what we might think of as “suburban” culture?

Behind the Screens: Hollywood Goes Hypercommercial

http://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/5.10/?p=/college/soc/&f=behind_the_screens.mp4&i=behind_the_screens.jpg

How do movies get made? This segment explores how corporate ownership impacts which movies get produced and which do not. As a major part of popular culture, movies play a vital part in shaping our sense of our society.

1. What factors are most important in deciding what movies get produced?
2. Think of a recently released movie. How has it been promoted? Who has the marketing been aimed at? Who seemed to be left out of the intended audience?
3. What challenges must independent producers face in order to compete in the film industry today?
4. Do you think that Internet sites like YouTube will change how movies are made?
5. How do you think the structure of filmmaking impacts our culture?

Toxic Sludge is Good for You

http://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/5.10/?p=/college/soc/&f=toxic_sludge_is_good_for_you.mp4&i=toxic_sludge.jpg

Shaping public opinion is big business. Several factors influence how we think about major political events. In this clip, we see how public relations firms shape and manipulate public opinion and ultimately public policy.

1. What are the implications of public relations firms helping to shape the news?
2. We live in the “information age,” but how much information do we really get from the news and other media sources?
3. How do you think public relations practices shape and influence our culture?
4. Aside from the example in this clip, in what other situations do you suspect public relations firms might have influenced public opinion about a policy?
5. Are corporations the most important arbiters of public opinion? Why or why not?

Advertising and the End of the World

http://wwnorton.com/common/mplay/5.10/?p=/college/soc/&f=advertising_end_of_the_world.mp4&i=advertising_end_of_the_world.jpg

Advertising is one of the main storytellers in our culture. One central story it tells is that happiness is the result of consumption. In this clip, communications scholar Sut Jhally explains how we often ask the wrong questions about advertising when we focus on individual effects. Instead, he argues that we need to understand advertising’s collective impact on our culture.

1. Think of an ad you have seen recently. How does it reflect a cultural value?
2. What cultural values do think advertisements do not typically reflect?
3. What do you think our culture might be like without advertising?
4. What impact do you think that advertising has on our culture as a whole?