Lec 3: Crime, Media & Representation

Question 1

sociological imagination

Answer 1

understanding society by having a grasp of the interplay of social structure and individuals

Question 2

divisions of law:

Answer 2

substantive & procedural

Question 3

substantive law:

Answer 3

right and obligations (ex: crim law states what types of conduct are prohibited)

Question 4

procedural law:

Answer 4

sets out the methods to enforce these right and duties

Question 5

objective-legalistic:

Answer 5

intentional act in violation of crim law, committed w out defense or justification and sanctioned by the state

Question 6

elements of a crime:

Answer 6

actus reus & mens rea

Question 7

actus reus:

Answer 7

“guilty act” or physical element (or omission)

Question 8

mens rea:

Answer 8

“guilty mind” or intention

Question 9

5 key concepts of media literacy:

Answer 9

1. media msgs are constructed
2. each medium has different characteristics, strengths, & a unique “language” of construction
3. different ppl interpret the same msg differently
4. media messages are produced for particular purposes, including profit, persuasion, education, and artistic expression
5. media have embedded values & points of view

Question 10

media framing:

Answer 10

ways which new stories are organized by “patterns of selection, emphasis, interpretation, & exclusion”

Question 11

power of media “framing”

Answer 11

• define & identify problems
• make moral judgements
• suggest solutions, while also serving to maintain power & status quo
• shape public understanding & influence public policy
• symbolic power & use “myths, narrative & metaphors that resonate w in the culture)

Question 12

power of framing suggests:

Answer 12

how to public should think abt an issue & what should be done abt it (both journalists and special interest groups can influence frames

Question 13

why does media matter?

Answer 13

a socially constructed reality is made by mass media, which serves as a powerful outlet normalizing public opinion
-(a community’s response to a crisis event is largely influenced by how the event is depicted in the media & by public leaders).

Question 14

framing of responsibility:

Answer 14

an effort to understand attribution, or how ppl assign cause to social problems .
-(news media define a specific social problem, leading the public to make attributions of responsibility & judgements based on news frames).

Question 15

internal attributions (cause of crime):

Answer 15

personal choices or individual failings (ex: pathological explanations for the offense)

Question 16

External attributions (causes of crime):

Answer 16

forces beyond the control of an individual (ex: social factors)

Question 17

episodic framing:

Answer 17

focuses on storytelling by presenting an issue related to a specific issue or person

Question 18

thematic framing:

Answer 18

(places issue in larger societal context). places blame for societal problems squarely on individuals to the exclusion of larger societal factors

Question 19

racialisation frame:

Answer 19

disregard to citizenship status, resort to (-) racial stereotypes, conflate recital/ethnic/religious identity w foreignness, & represent them as permanent foreigners.

Question 20

traditional voices of authority:

Answer 20

government sources such as:

• political leaders
• law enforcement officials
• other state managers (described as primary definers of violent situation).