Can Propoganda Be Subtle?

Can Propaganda Appear Neutral and Detached?

The goal of this exercise is to determine whether a ninth grade language arts student at a private school affiliated with a large Southern Baptist Church can write a literary critique of a controversial topic while taking into account media influence and at the same time examine their own issues of faith.

The Private School where I have been offered employment seeks to embed religious discussions with academic courses. I could imagine using this four day unit to acquaint my students with notions of how media affects the message and to challenge some theological notions they probably hold. As students are very familiar with social commentary in cartoons such as The Simpsons, The Family Guy, King of the Hill and Futurama, the class would discuss literary elements of character, stereotype, hyperbole, symbolism and satire contained in these programs. Media issues would be examined in a unit concentrating on satire and point of view. The “Banned Mormon Video” would be presented towards the end of this unit which focused on the media messages and literary forms of the popular television cartoons previously mentioned.

I believe that students would be accepting of a cartoon about relevant religious questions, which also prompts them to examine how media colors and influences the perceptions of the audience. The choice of this particular video is to deliberately provoke questioning of the beliefs and assumptions held by the fundamentalist Christian students who would comprise the class. My aim in selecting this clip is to stimulate classroom discussion, individual introspection, to promote dialogue between the students and their parents, and perhaps even members of the church congregation, about the issues contained in the cartoon. My aim is to have my students confront a highly controversial subject, examine their beliefs and to learn something about literary forms and messages imparted by media.

I expect most members of the class would hold a viewpoint of skepticism and bias towards the  Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, as that is the prevailing viewpoint of the membership of the Church which sponsors the school. However, recent discussion of the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of  Latter Day Saints has been lively in Southern Baptist circles, as a prominent and outspoken Baptist pastor and author has written his opinion that Mormon beliefs fall within the mainstream orthodox Christianity. This opinion is counter to the teachings of most Baptist authorities. This class exercise would place the student in the position of having to examine a current and controversial topic.

For two or three class periods the students would view and discuss various episodes of the Simpsons, The Family Guy, King of the Hill and Futurama. The point of watching these cartoons would be to provoke discussion of current events and challenges to societal norms. The teacher would question the class about the messages presented. Specifically the teacher would seek the students’ ideas on what elements made the points of the programs clear. Much attention would be given to the role of media presentation and how subject matter was influenced by the choice of characters, music, narration, and cartoon art depiction. Various literary devices would be discussed. A homework assignment which called for some written analysis of characters or story lines would be given. On the second day of the unit, following a class discussion of the homework and another cartoon episode, a written quiz would be given to assess whether the students were understanding that the manner of presentation has an influence on perception of the program’s message.

I would have my students view the “Banned Mormon Video” on the third or fourth day of the unit, after having first read and discussed an encyclopedia article or wikipedia piece or other “neutral” source regarding the history and belief system of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The class would then read and discuss the article “The Life and Ministry of Joseph Smith” published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The point behind these readings would be to give the students some notion of the articles of faith held by most Mormons and to present some degree of balance over the controversial and one sided  “Banned Mormon Video”. Following the viewing of the “Banned Mormon Video” we would hold a class discussion as closely approximating the discussions of the Simpsons, King of the Hill and the other programs as possible.

The students would be given the following written assignment as a homework project. The questions presented in the homework  are designed to provoke thought about media presentation, charaterization, stereotypes and credibility of sources.

The expectation is the student would write approximately one hundred word answers to each of the assigned questions. The manner of assessment would be to identify and reward clearly written expression, analysis, argument of the student’s point of view and to encourage an examination of the student’s personal religious education.

ASSIGNMENT

Write one to two paragraph responses to each of the following questions. Give specific examples from the video as you present your point of view. Likewise, cite examples from the Joseph Smith article to sustain your points of argument. Remember: the goal is to clearly express your thoughts and observations, not to become overwhelmed by a controversial subject. This homework assignment is a portion of the unit on MEDIA INFLUENCES and counts no more than your previous in class assignments.

1. Describe the narrator’s tone in the “Banned Mormon Video”. Is his tone intended to effect the audience’s perception of whether this is an informational or persuasive video?

2. What is the purpose behind the “Banned Mormon Video”? Who would seek to ban the video? Is it intended to relate factual information or is it intended to present a specific agenda?

3. How are the sympathetic characters depicted differently from the antagonists? What physical factors appear with each type of character? Do you notice any stereotypes? Give three examples.

4. How does the manner of presentation of this video give it credibility, or how does its presentation detract from the video’s credibility?

5. How does the manner of presentation of the video compare with the tone and presentation of “The Life and Ministry of Joseph Smith” article?

6. Does the fact that no comment was solicited from the Mormon Church reflect on the message of this video? What source materials are cited for the information contained in the video?

7. How does this piece challenge your own thoughts about the statement of faith you have signed as a student at this Academy?

Potential Problems for the Teacher

The subject matter was intended to be controversial and to provoke debate between students steeped in denominational controversies and students who have a concept of toleration of other faiths. Such differences are rarely resolved without conflict and the teacher would be well advised to expect to provide explanations to parents and to administrators over the subject matter. The teacher must keep in mind that he intended to be something of a “gadfly” and that examination of source materials and religious thoughts go together in the exercise. The teacher would have to be aware that assessment would have to be based on the student’s demonstration of having contemplated media influence and having participated in exploration of theological beliefs. The insights themselves could not be graded, but the evidence of exploration of the literary and religious ideas and the expression of the student’s thoughts would be evaluated.