Assignment Overview: This midterm exam simply involves you producing organized essay responses to the following
two topic questions. These questions are intended to get you to think about, and reflect on,
materials from the first half of the courses Module set, while demonstrating your knowledge and
understanding of key ideas and readings. Both questions are to be answered. Each essay will be marked out of 15 and combined for a total
mark out of 30 (which is then converted back to a total mark out of 15%). Questions:
(i) What does it mean to study race as a discourse? How do discourses of race change over
time? With reference to course materials, discuss some of the different ways that the idea of race
has been understood across its history from the 16th century to the present day. How might
understanding the past and present discourses of race and racism help in the study of popular
culture? (ii) How and why do anthropologists and other scholars engage in the study of popular culture?
With references to course lectures, readings, and other materials, discuss some of the main
ideas/concepts that scholars engage in the study of popular culture, and how issues of race and
racism might come up therein. How in particular can media technologies (past or present) be
shaped by ideas of race? Formatting & Assignment Submission:
Essays should be typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, and at a maximum 12-point font size,
with a bibliography/references page. Essays should make reference to specified/relevant
assigned readings and these must be properly and accurately cited. Citation style (e.g., APA,
MLA, Chicago) is your choice, but do keep your reference format consistent (i.e., pick one format
and stick to it).
Each essay should be around 1000 words or 3 pages typed double spaced (i.e., 6-7 pages in
total, including a references/bibliography page).
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