Compare and contrast the functional and the critical/cultural approaches. How does each view the audience? How does each view the media?
Compare your own reasons for watching TV and going to the movies with those that appear at the beginning of the chapter. Are there any similarities?
Can you find any more current examples of status-conferral? Linkage? Media dysfunctions?
As mentioned in the text, one of the assumptions of the uses-and-gratifications approach is that people can verbalize their needs. Suppose this assumption is false. Is the uses-and-gratifications approach still useful?
Review the boxed insert "PE Teachers in the Movies," an example of the critical/cultural approach. Are movie portrayals of teachers in general more positive than the portrayal of PE teachers? Why does Hollywood continue to perpetuate these stereotypes? Is it related to profits?
