Final Reflection and Observation

The theme of culture, identity, and society were exemplified in several ways throughout the reading, writing assignments, and class discussions. How our society is viewed through the porthole of the media, primarily visuals was a major topic brought up several times through the semester. With our first major paper, the visual rhetoric assignment, I was able to look at able to observe a particularly brutal photograph intended to bludgeon the viewer into accepting a radically view than what other branches of the media would want viewers to see. Most members of the class focused on one or a few interconnected advertisements and analyzed the strategies used by the marketeer to get the consumers attention. These observations help one to see what people in our society desire to see and what gets peoples' attention. These visual images in a way show us the good and bad of our culture, because they reflect the societal norm, our expectations and our desires.

Our second major assignment was the research paper. In this paper we were able to find any topic that appealed to us and research it. My topic was the Dave Matthews Band, who in my opinion is a social phenomenon. They have been one of the most popular bands in America for the past 15 years, but they fit hardly any of the criteria of the "hip" music performers. A large part of this argument had to do with the societal implications of their music and tours. The identity of the band is an enigma that is difficult to grasp. By identity I mean the style of the music, their very diverse fan base, and the way they advertise their music by touring rather than relying on other forms of media to sell albums. The "cult" that has developed around the Dave Matthews Band is not really a cult at all, it is a mixing pot made up of different strata of our society.

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What format will your presentation take?
The presentation will be a powerpoint/movie

What materials do you plan to use in your presentation?
Interviews, video camera, projector, magazine covers, popular movie clips, tv shows

What might be a potential outline for you presentation?
I. Introduction to the topic, main ideas
II. Sex in the media today
III. A history of sex in the media and across cultures
IV. Sex in the home (talking about it with kids, family structure)
V. History of sexual topics in the home and how they have changed over time)

Group Project

1. Perceptions of Sex in America-Since the mid-twentieth century the average American citizen's perception of sex has changed drastically as is apparent in the amount of sexual material in the media. Even though this is the case many Americans are still very uncomfortable with themselves and their own sexuality. Why is this? Parents are scared to death of talking to their children about sex, if someone is in public sex hardly ever comes up with a serious tone. It is only used to be joked about, not to be seriously discussed.

At a Glance-Revising Your Draft

In my final draft more sources are needed to back up my thesis. To back up my thesis I will integrate more direct quotations and paraphrased source material into my essay. The analogies used were a little unclear to some of those who reviewed my paper. In order to give them more legitimacy the analogies will be developed a little more to make a more direct connection to my thesis. The conclusion needs to be more concise and clear as well. I did not exactly give a conclusion, instead I made another point. In my new conclusion a more in depth summary will be included and a more direct answer to the question posed by my thesis will be given. The main problem with my paper are formatting issues and sources. I will replenish my sources and entirely revise my format to make it MLA style. Part of this process will be making sure I have parenthetical citations for all outside information that is not already apparent to the reader.

The Dave Matthews Band Success Through the Years

I. The band's inconsistencies in the musical world
a. They are hardly ever heard on the radio, but still pack out concerts everywhere
b. They are paid hardly any media attention despite their success
c. The band has a fan base that has a wide age range (30 years)
d. The band has been around for almost 20 years, but remains just as popular

II. The band’s ability to avoid corporatism, but stay in the mainstream
a. They rely mostly on concerts, not radio hits.
b. At these concerts they have a tradition of allowing fans to plug recording devices in their speakers
c. They play eclectic, “non-pop” music that has roots in jazz, rock, folk, etc.
d. They go out and sell their music with their music

III. The band’s longevity
a. Classic rock honors old age, experience
b. Young pop singers make their money through the marketing of their youth, and attractiveness, which only lasts so long.
c. Their music has not gone out of style, because it is truly original in its nature, nobody.
d. They are always attracting older high school students and college students looking for a more mature sound than the melody driven pop of their youth. It will be much longer before most fans grow out of DMB’s music.
e. Dave Matthews Band does not have to worry about their “look” because that is not something they rely on to market their music. For this reason they don’t have to worry about fashion of any kind.

IV. The reasons behind band’s diverse audience
a. Dave’s unique and inspired vocals
b. The band’s mixture of many different music styles.
c. Their outstanding outdoor performances
d. An older generation might be attracted by the bands rendition of many older classics from a variety of artists

Template for Research Log

1. Identifying Information: Author's name, where it was published, when it was published, Title, type of publication, URL (if it's a website)

2. A memorable quote that helps to summarize the author's position on a topic and how it supports or detracts from my argument.

3. A few sentences giving the significance of this piece and how it has helped me in my research and/or how it helped me to make a more specific or slightly different argument.

research paper free write

Dave Matthews band made its debut around 1990, since then they have been packing out stadiums and selling many different albums without slowing down. Other bands who popped up around this time even the ones who were initially successful are now long gone. This has been a direct result of the band's uniqueness and originality that have drawn fans from many different backgrounds. Dave Matthews is in hardly any commercials or other endorsements for the sake of staying away from corporatism and for this reason he is on very few major radio stations. Even so Dave Matthews band continues to travel across the nation each summer packing out stadiums wherever he goes.
I'm going to have to dig for material because this is a topic that has not been explored very thoroughly if at all. I will probably have to rely on band and fan interviews available to me. I will also try to obtain criticisms of the band by music critics. These will help me break down their material and what it is that has kept it "fresh" for almost 20 years.
I will have to define some very loose terms, like what a diverse audience means, in order to avoid using typical stereotypes. I will also have to research the bands origins more thoroughly as well as the music scene when they were getting their start. This will allow me to compare them to other bands of their time to see what it is exactly that makes them different. Much of this material will be subjective, because everyone has their own opinion when it comes to music, especially those who are not musically inclined.