The main goal of this homework assignment is to address the following question:
Does the media perpetuate ageism? You will need to review multiple media sources such as newspapers, magazine articles, magazine advertisements, television shows, films, TV commercials, books, and the Internet to determine how elders are depicted and how stereotypes are perpetuated.
You will need to make connections to the discussion of ageism in all of the following 3 sources:
Textbook Chapter 1: Cavanaugh, J.C., & Blanchard-Fields, F. (2019/2015).
Adult Development and Aging (8th ed.). Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.
Fighting ageism download[PDF] (attached om files)
The Roots and Consequences of Ageism in America (Links to an external site.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdqVoxT-caI
Your goal is to create a cohesive essay that explores the way that older adults are portrayed in the media and discusses whether that perpetuates ageism. In your paper, please describe the various media sources you viewed and include answers to the following questions:
How are older people portrayed?
How often were older people represented or highlighted?
Were the images of older people positive or negative? How so?
Were older men viewed differently than older women? How so?
Was cultural and ethnic diversity reflected in the images of aging?
Was aging viewed as positive and life affirming, or was it viewed as negative, a process of deterioration?
Was aging seen as a process to deny or to embrace?
If an older person was portrayed as a member of a family, how did other family members view him/her? With reverence or with disdain?
How often did you see younger persons interacting with older persons?
How often did you see images which reflected the older persons capacity for love, intimacy, and/or sex?
Make sure to explain specifically which media sources you reviewed. You do not need in-text citations for your media sources, but do have to describe them in detail (if from a magazine, TV show, or movie, which one?). You must describe at least 3 different media sources. You will also need to make connections to discussions of ageism in the textbook as well as in the Fighting Ageism download article by Dittmann and video titled “The Roots and Consequences of Ageism in America.” This means you will not only need to describe what you saw in terms of how older adults were portrayed in the media, but also discuss the implications of those images as related to ageism in our society. The questions listed above are guidelines; you may also address other issues/questions not listed and you do not need to cover the whole list of questions as long as your paper has good substance.
