Media ecology classroom assignment: Comparative media paper

Abstract

This essay discusses a foundational theory in media studies and uses an experiential approach to learning the concept. Based on the foundational writings of Sapir, Innes, McLuhan, Postman and others, the following is a two-part assignment that appears simple but can be quite complex. When looking at the cultural influence of media, we are often misled by the illusion of content. This assignment requires the student to examine how the form of a medium of communication influences the content. The student is asked to write a brief comparative analysis (two to four pages) of the same story in two different media, e.g., television news story and print journalism; a novel and a film; a blog and an audio story, etc. Again, students find this assignment quite difficult because now they are asked to show how the medium of communication being used actually changes the content.