1 Canadian content regulations in a global context
Canadian content (Can Con) regulations were put in place to protect domestic cultural production and resist the incursion of American culture. Drawing on Lisa Cartwright and Marita Sturken’s chapter on “The Global Flow of Visual Culture,” Emily West’s essay, “Selling Canada to Canadians,” as well as lecture material, explain whether you think Can Con regulations are an effective way to protect Canadian cultural identity. What implications do global streaming platforms like Netflix have for the future of Canadian Content? Draw on at least one in-class presentation in forming your response.
You can find above all information in syllabus, which are the content of Jan 25 to Feb 1. And the course materials and all lecture presentation slides I have already sent them to you.
2 The politics of emoji
Emoji communicate a vast amount of information in a short amount of space and time. In this sense they are representationally “rich.” However, as we have seen, emoji can also reproduce reductive regimes of representation around race. What is the “problem” with emoji skin tones that Zara Rahman describes? What would Stuart Hall and Richard Dyer say about the availability and use of skin tone modifiers for emoji?
Next, choose one emoji that you use frequently (this does not have to be a skin tone emoji). Conduct a semiotic analysis of that emoji, describing its denotative and connotative features. Does this emoji function as an index, icon, and/or symbol? Is the emoji part of a larger regime of representation (discourse)? Explain, drawing on course material throughout. (Include your emoji in your response.)
You can find all above information in syllabus, which are the content of Feb 8. And the course materials I have already sent them to you. For the emoji you grab, please show it as a small picture in this response.
3 Guilty pleasures
We have spent a considerable amount of time critiquing the idea of the “guilty pleasure” in this course. Drawing on Janice Radway’s analysis of romance readers, Laura Grindstaff’s work on TV talk shows, and lecture material, explain how the designation of a “guilty pleasure” serves to reinforce cultural hierarchies. Discuss a piece of popular culture that audiences might consider a “guilty pleasure” (other than Keeping up with the Kardashians) and explain whether it contains civic lessons that Laurie Ouellette describes as a feature of reality television programming. Does this suggest that all forms of popular culture have a civic function? Explain.
Sample Solution