COM3703
Media Studies:
Media content and media audiences
ASSIGNMENT 01
SEMESTER 1 2024
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................... 1
2 COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA SEMIOTICS.................................................................................. 1
2.1 The Definition of sign ................................................................................................................... 1
2.3 Sign functions as conceptualised by Jakobson. .................................................................. 3
2.3.1 The referential function ............................................................................................................ 3
2.3.2 The conative function ............................................................................................................... 4
2.3.3 The poetic function .................................................................................................................... 4
2.3.4 The phatic function .................................................................................................................... 4
3 MEDIA AND VISUAL LITERACY ........................................................................................................ 5
3.1 The three levels of media and visual literacy......................................................................... 5
3.1.1 Media content literacy............................................................................................................... 5
3.1.2 Media grammar literacy ............................................................................................................ 6
3.1.3 Medium literacy .......................................................................................................................... 6
3.2 Application to visual example (cartoon) ................................................................................. 6
4 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS: NARRATIVE AND ARGUMENT ................................................................ 8
4.1 Contributions made by Propp to the field of narrative analysis ....................................... 8
Seven Character Functions ............................................................................................................... 8
Six Sequential Stages ....................................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Two functions from Propp’s model and how these play themselves out or are
portrayed in the advertisement. ..................................................................................................... 14
5 FIELD RESEARCH IN MEDIA STUDIES ......................................................................................... 15
5.1 “Netnography” and state whether the research you are going to conduct can be
described as “netnography” or ethnography. ........................................................................... 15
5.2 Essay in on how you I will follow these steps when conducting participant
observation. ......................................................................................................................................... 16
6. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 18
7. SELF ASSESSMENT AND SELF-REFLECTION ......................................................................... 19
SOURCES CONSULTED ....................................................................................................................... 20
ADDENDUM A ......................................................................................................................................... 22
, 1 INTRODUCTION
This assignment will address the following topics: communication and media semiotics,
media and visual literacy, textual analysis: narrative analysis and field research in media
studies. Firstly, I will provide a definition of a sign and discuss its three characteristics.
Secondly, I will select an advertisement and analyse it based on Jakobson's sign
functions, including the referential function, the conative function, the poetic function, and
the phatic function. Thirdly, I will explore media and visual literacy by applying the three
levels of media and visual literacy to a political cartoon of national or international interest.
Thereafter, I will critically discuss the contributions made by Propp to narrative analysis,
focusing on the seven-character functions and the six sequential stages. I will also
analyse a television or magazine advertisement using Propp's model. Lastly, I will conduct
field research in media studies by analysing individuals' responses to political news
coverage on Twitter using Hall's encoding/decoding model.
2 COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA SEMIOTICS
2.1 The Definition of sign
According Fourie (2018), in media studies, a sign refers to any element within a media
text that conveys meaning. These signs can take various forms, such as words, images,
sounds, or symbols. Essentially, a sign is not reality as such, but replaces reality or an
aspect or a concept of reality. A sign is composed of different components which are the
signifier, referent and signified.
1|Page
Media Studies:
Media content and media audiences
ASSIGNMENT 01
SEMESTER 1 2024
,TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 INTRODUCTION..................................................................................................................................... 1
2 COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA SEMIOTICS.................................................................................. 1
2.1 The Definition of sign ................................................................................................................... 1
2.3 Sign functions as conceptualised by Jakobson. .................................................................. 3
2.3.1 The referential function ............................................................................................................ 3
2.3.2 The conative function ............................................................................................................... 4
2.3.3 The poetic function .................................................................................................................... 4
2.3.4 The phatic function .................................................................................................................... 4
3 MEDIA AND VISUAL LITERACY ........................................................................................................ 5
3.1 The three levels of media and visual literacy......................................................................... 5
3.1.1 Media content literacy............................................................................................................... 5
3.1.2 Media grammar literacy ............................................................................................................ 6
3.1.3 Medium literacy .......................................................................................................................... 6
3.2 Application to visual example (cartoon) ................................................................................. 6
4 TEXTUAL ANALYSIS: NARRATIVE AND ARGUMENT ................................................................ 8
4.1 Contributions made by Propp to the field of narrative analysis ....................................... 8
Seven Character Functions ............................................................................................................... 8
Six Sequential Stages ....................................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Two functions from Propp’s model and how these play themselves out or are
portrayed in the advertisement. ..................................................................................................... 14
5 FIELD RESEARCH IN MEDIA STUDIES ......................................................................................... 15
5.1 “Netnography” and state whether the research you are going to conduct can be
described as “netnography” or ethnography. ........................................................................... 15
5.2 Essay in on how you I will follow these steps when conducting participant
observation. ......................................................................................................................................... 16
6. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................................... 18
7. SELF ASSESSMENT AND SELF-REFLECTION ......................................................................... 19
SOURCES CONSULTED ....................................................................................................................... 20
ADDENDUM A ......................................................................................................................................... 22
, 1 INTRODUCTION
This assignment will address the following topics: communication and media semiotics,
media and visual literacy, textual analysis: narrative analysis and field research in media
studies. Firstly, I will provide a definition of a sign and discuss its three characteristics.
Secondly, I will select an advertisement and analyse it based on Jakobson's sign
functions, including the referential function, the conative function, the poetic function, and
the phatic function. Thirdly, I will explore media and visual literacy by applying the three
levels of media and visual literacy to a political cartoon of national or international interest.
Thereafter, I will critically discuss the contributions made by Propp to narrative analysis,
focusing on the seven-character functions and the six sequential stages. I will also
analyse a television or magazine advertisement using Propp's model. Lastly, I will conduct
field research in media studies by analysing individuals' responses to political news
coverage on Twitter using Hall's encoding/decoding model.
2 COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA SEMIOTICS
2.1 The Definition of sign
According Fourie (2018), in media studies, a sign refers to any element within a media
text that conveys meaning. These signs can take various forms, such as words, images,
sounds, or symbols. Essentially, a sign is not reality as such, but replaces reality or an
aspect or a concept of reality. A sign is composed of different components which are the
signifier, referent and signified.
1|Page
