Discussion Questions for 2/4/10

Each of the following is from Media and Cultural Studies:
Marshall McLuhan says, "literate man is quite inclined to see others who cannot conform as somewhat pathetic...in a culture that assignes roles instead of jobs to people--the dwarf, the skew, the child create their own spaces." How does McLuhan's definition and assessment of "culture" coincide with that of Dirk Hedbige's?\
What roles does the bourgeoisie play in creating cultural and social myths, roles, and norms? (see Roland Barthes and Dirk Hebdige)
How do Stuart Hall and Ien Ang approach the issue of television's intended message (encoding) versus the viewer's interpreted message (decoding)?47
What effect does "the spectacle" have on society? (see Guy Debord)