MDSB25H3 – Political Economy of Media
Political Economy of Media
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MDSB25H3 – Political Economy of Media
DUE DATES
Proposal and Annotated Bibliography
5% of final grade Week 5 – February 8
Length: 1 to 1.5 pages, double-spaced (NOT INCLUDING title page and bibliography)
Final Paper
30% of final grade Week 12 – April 4
Length: 7 to 8 pages, double-spaced (NOT INCLUDING title page and bibliography)
Instructions for Research Proposal and Annotated Bibliography
** please see next page for Suggested Topics and Titles **
The proposal component of this assignment is intended to get you thinking about your final
paper early in the term and to provide an early opportunity for you to get some feedback
on your ideas. Its job is to provide a basic outline of what you intend to do in your final
paper, and should contain three basic elements of information:
1) provide a description of your paper’s topic, including the clearly stated research
question that will guide your investigation (i.e., a section about WHAT your paper
will be on),
2) indicate why it is a significant and worthy topic of investigation (i.e., explain WHY
this topic is appropriate and important with respect to this course), and
3) provide a preliminary outline of the paper’s organizational structure of by
describing its specific sections, their order, and the examples or case studies the
paper will use to illustrate your argument (i.e., explain HOW you will organize
your paper).
Each of these sections should be between 1/3 to 1/2 page long (again, double-spaced).
Added together, that’s 1 to 1.5 pages for the Proposal.
Your annotated bibliography should have 2 scholarly sources, none of which are assigned
as course readings (you can use course readings as sources for your final paper, but NOT
for the proposal). Each bibliographic entry should provide (1) a properly formatted
bibliographic entry (APA style, preferably), (2) a brief summary of the source, and (3) a
brief description of how it is relevant to your chosen research topic. Each annotation (NOT
incl. bibliographic reference) should be between 1/3 to 1/2 a page, double-spaced.
** Please note that the 2 scholarly sources requirement is for the proposal ONLY. Your
final paper will require AT LEAST 5 more sources. **
MDSB25H3 – Political Economy of Media
Winter, 2024
Major Research Paper Assignment
Page 2 of 3
Suggested Research Paper Topics & Titles
This assignment is structured in such a way as to provide you with the opportunity to focus
on the medium, region, and historical epoch of your own choosing. A good way of
thinking about how to approach writing a paper for this course is to start with a working
title. This will help focus your thinking and guide the organization of your research and
writing. The more specific the title, the more focused your approach will be. The more
focused your approach, the easier it will be to research and write a consistent, compelling
paper. The Suggested Topics provided below take this approach: each is presented as a
potential paper title where you "fill in the blanks" to come up with your own individual
topic. ** NOTE: the title of your proposal & paper MUST indicate the specific processes,
regions or industries your paper will investigate.
You may also develop and propose your own topic. If you wish to do this, I strongly
encourage you to consult with me before either part of the assignment is due.
1) "(Commodification OR Spatialization OR Structuration) in the History of (REGION)
(MEDIUM)" (e.g., "Spatialization in the History of American Television Production" or
"Commodification in the History of Canadian Broadcasting"
This topic asks you to provide a historical analysis of an aspect of a communication
medium using one of Mosco's three processes of political economy. Use the process to
assess how the medium/industry has changed over time. What are the important features of
these changes? What sort of actions have facilitated these changes? Your paper should
identify at least TWO key issues in the history of your chosen medium that relate to the
specific process your paper will be drawing upon, and explain how these processes have
influenced the development and activities of corporate or public sector actors in this
industry.
2) "(Commodification OR Spatialization OR Structuration) and the Future of (MEDIUM)"
(e.g., "Commodification and the Future of Social Media")
The historical focus of political economic analysis makes it useful as a means of
speculating about future developments in a given industry. This paper will provide a
PEC/M-informed analysis of a given industry to develop an argument about possible, or
even probable, developments it might undergo in the near future. Your paper should
identify at least TWO key possible developments in your chosen medium, explaining how
historical patterns in your chosen process anticipate these changes.
3) "The Political Economy of Labour in (REGION) (MEDIUM)" (e.g. "The Political
Economy of Labour in the American Film Industry"
Mosco identifies labour, and the specific conditions of creative labour, as a key issue for
those doing political economy of media research. This topic asks you to analyze the
conditions of labour for a given media industry. How is creative labour organized in your
chosen industry? What are the key issues or challenges faced by creative and technical
labour? How have working conditions changed over time? What have been the driving
forces behind such changes? Your paper should identify and address at least TWO specific
labour issues in the industry of your choice.
MDSB25H3 – Political Economy of Media
Winter, 2024
Major Research Paper Assignment
Page 3 of 3
4) "Political Economy, Government Policy and the Transformation of
(REGION/COUNTRY) (MEDIUM)" (for e.g., "Political Economy, Government Policy,
and the Transformation of the Chinese Video Game Industry")
Government activity is one of the prime movers behind shifts in the political economy of
media and communication industries. Your paper will analyze a specific government
policy (or policies) that has (or have) inaugurated a major shift in the regional or national
industry of your choice. Over what period did this shift occur? How did this policy come
about? Why then? What were the driving forces behind it? What were the results of such a
shift in policy? Who benefitted? Who lost?
5) “Political Economy, (SOCIAL RELATION), and (MEDIUM)” (for e.g., “Political
Economy, Gender, and Social Media”
This topic asks you to consider the intersection of political economy, social relations such
as gender, race, youth, sexualities, or others and how this intersection factors into the
structure, organization, and operation of a specific media industry. How do overlapping
and reinforcing systems of oppression affect this industry? Does such an intersection
influence labour organization in the industry? Consumption patterns? Management? What
might be some ways that people work against or challenge such overlapping opressions?