For Students
Every chapter in The Mediated World contains application exercises for you, the reader, to delve deeper into the topics. Below are the applications from the textbook that require you to go online, gathered together on one convenient page. Watch and listen using the links below, and go beyond the theory.
Chapter 2. The Third Frontier. P. 21.
Listen to Richard Louv talk about nature deficit disorder in this interview.
Chapter 2. Multitasking. P. 29.
Listen to a report on National Public Radio about multitasking.
Why does Miller say “The brain is very good at deluding itself”?
Chapter 3. Language Acquisition and Literacy. P. 46
Watch the author discussing language acquisition and literacy while reading to his son and having a conversation with his daughter in the late 1990s.
In what ways do the interactions between the author and his son illustrate how we learn through repetition, rhythm, and conventional language? In what ways is the author’s daughter operating in the pre-literate and literate mindset?
Chapter 5. Objectivity. P. 89
Read the top political stories from The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal.
Can you discern a political bias? Explain your answer.
Chapter 9. Emile Berliner. P. 154
Listen to some of Berliner’s recordings online, such as “The mocking bird” or “Sweet, sweet love”.
How does the quality compare to today’s recordings?
Chapter 9. Scat. P. 167
Compare what you hear with a contemporary song.
Chapter 9. World Music. P. 178
Go to National Public Radio’s web page for a good introduction to world music.
What do you think of this genre?
Chapter 10. How to Create a Camera Obscura. P. 184
Chapter 11. Early Movies from Black Maria. P. 198.
View one or more early movies from Edison’s studio at the Library of Congress website.
How does the quality compare to a film you can create yourself, say, on a smartphone?
Chapter 11. Early Lumiere Films. P. 199.
Watch the earliest films of the Lumiere brothers.
Try to write a reaction to one of the films as if you were seeing a motion picture for the first time.
Chapter 11. Le Voyage dans la Lune. P. 200.
Watch “Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip to the Moon)”.
How does this film differ from the ones you viewed by Edison and the Lumieres?
Chapter 11. The Great Train Robbery. P. 200.
Watch that famous ending scene.
A century ago, that scene made moviegoers jump for cover. Why are we no longer surprised and astonished by it? And what astonishes us today?
Chapter 11. "You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet". P. 202.
Try to imagine hearing words and images together on the big screen for the very first time. How do you think the experience might affect you?
Chapter 11. "Who's on First?" P. 204.
Watch Abbott and Costello’s classic skit.
Do you think it has stood the test of time? Explain your answer.
Chapter 12. The 1992 Town Hall Debate. P. 232.
Watch Bush and Clinton answer questions during the 1992 debate.
What do you think of their answers?
Chapter 12. Linear Television. P. 234.
Watch the “Administrative Vice” episode of Dragnet.
How does the style differ from today’s style of video?
Chapter 14. Production Notes. P. 258
Watch Production Notes on YouTube.
Were you surprised by what you saw? Why or why not?
Chapter 14. Imported from Detroit. P. 271
Watch the “Imported from Detroit” ad
Did the ad change your impression of the “Motor City”? Explain your answer.
Chapter 16. Hustler v. Falwell. P. 304
Listen to the oral arguments in Hustler v. Falwell.
As a judge, how would you have ruled in this case, and why?
Chapter 16. The People vs. Larry Flynt. P. 304
Do you agree with the argument made by Hustler’s lawyer? Explain your answer.
Chapter 16. Smoke in the Eye. P. 312
What should journalists do to convince us that they are covering businesses in a fair way?
Chapter 17. Hersh on Abu Ghraib. P. 324
Read Hersh’s original Abu Ghraib article.
Were you surprised by what you read?
Chapter 17. Investigative Reporting on Walter Reed. P. 325
Read The Washington Post’s report by Dana Priest and Anne Hull on the difficult conditions that veterans faced at Walter Reed.
In what ways does journalism like this improve conditions? Explain your answer.
Chapter 17. Adversarial Persistence. P. 328
What do you think of Paxman’s tactics?
Chapter 17. Schwarz's Reporting about Concussions. P. 331
Read some of Schwarz’s articles about concussions by going to his website.
Since Schwarz’s reporting, schools and teams have developed many new rules for dealing with head injuries. What rules have you heard about at your schools or in the sports that you follow?
Chapter 17. Yes We Can. P. 335
Should celebrities use their dominance of nearly all forms of media to express their political views? Why or why not?
Chapter 18. The "Father of the Internet." P. 351
Listen to the 2008 NPR interview with Vinton Cerf.
Q17.5: What problem was Cerf solving?
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