Your paper will both describe and analyze the role media played in shaping your
Your paper will both describe and analyze the role media played in shaping your own emerging
sense of identity as well as your identification and socialization with a broader youth culture.
Some things to consider:
How did adults, your parents, and/or your home life (e.g., economics, tech access, religion, family values, language, culture, etc.) shape your access?
to and experiences with media?
● How did friends and your peers influence your access to and interpretation of media?
● How did the specific time period in which you grew up shape your experiences with media (e.g.
popular trends, current events, etc.)?
● In what ways did your race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, language, and/or sexuality
shape your experiences and identifications with media?
● How did the unique cultures of your neighborhood, school, city, state, and/or nation influence your
media experiences and interpretations?
● The paper should be 5 PAGES (minimum 1200 words, maximum 1400).
● It should be formatted with Times New Roman 12 pt. font, or Calibri 11 pt. font double space,
1” margins – no exceptions!
●
Appendix: The last page of your paper (not included in the word count) should briefly explain any media
genres, films, television shows, musical artists, books, etc., that you reference. Please do not assume I
will be familiar with the media you analyze, so give me a brief description in the appendix (don’t waste
too many words describing the text/genre in your actual analysis; save it for the appendix). You may also
include images or links to videos/songs if you think it would help me to understand your analysis better