Module Course Readings ( Pick 4 and cite) Required reading/viewing: (Ore) Hargittai—“The Digital Reproduction of Inequality” (#26); Merskin—“Winnebagos, Cherokees…”(#27); Alsultany—“The Prime-Time Plight of the Arab American…” (#28) (Web Materials) · View this brief Al Jazeera video that explains the concept of Orientalism (closed captions available in video), which was initially developed by Edward Said.  https://youtu.be/4QYrAqrpshw · Read "Scripted Fantasies and Innovative Orientalisms (Links to an external site.)" by Lissovoy et al.  (if link doesn't work, use this: Lissovoy et al--2017--Scripted Fantasies & Innovative Orientalisms.pdf).  This is an article from an academic journal (in the field of cultural studies) and thus is theoretically complex, so you should allot yourself additional time to read and reread the article.  ;-)  I've included this article because it explicitly analyzes media content targeting youth and thus materials with which most of you are likely quite familiar: the video game Call of Duty; a YouTube channel from a gaming vlogger titled PewDiePie; and Hollywood films World War Z, Planet of the Apes, and The Hunger Games series.  Of particular importance in the article is Edward Said's concept of "Orientalism."  The concept of Orientalism is important in that it captures what has been identified (by Said and later, others) as a longstanding way that the West frames its understanding of myriad "others" (especially Asians and Middle Easterners).  For example, on p. 452, the authors explain: Across the media texts we analyzed, notions of good and evil are usually presented in binaries that draw upon fear of human eradication. In this context, the sanctity of the West perpetuates ideological narratives that stigmatize people of the global (South-)East as dirty, disease-carrying, and dangerous. This script ignores the “objective violence” (Žižek, 2008b) of Western aid institutions whose neoliberal organization chronically underserves people of color and impoverished communities. What the authors are conveying here is that the narratives--the stories--we tell in popular culture do two things simultaneously.  First, nonWhite people from around the globe are portrayed as dangerous and dirty "others" who are juxtaposed to safe and clean Westerners (who are framed as White).  Thus, as youth in Western cultures--especially White youth--consume these materials for fun and enjoyment, they are being taught specific lessons not only about peoples around the globe, but about themselves (and even if consumers aren't White, they're compelled to identify with interests of Western Whites).  These lessons are decidedly hierarchical, wherein Westerners are portrayed as civilized, advanced, and egalitarian while "others" are portrayed as the inverse.  Second, these stories also erase the violence undertaken by the West in the past (colonialism) and the present (US/European and allies' economic and foreign policies).  And when Western vio ...

1. Module Course Readings ( Pick 4 and cite)
Required reading/viewing:
(Ore) Hargittai—“The Digital Reproduction of Inequality”
(#26); Merskin—“Winnebagos, Cherokees…”(#27); Alsultany—
“The Prime-Time Plight of the Arab American…” (#28)
(Web Materials)
· View this brief Al Jazeera video that explains the concept of
Orientalism (closed captions available in video), which was
initially developed by Edward
Said. https://youtu.be/4QYrAqrpshw
· Read "Scripted Fantasies and Innovative Orientalisms (Links
to an external site.)" by Lissovoy et al. (if link doesn't work,
use this: Lissovoy et al--2017--Scripted Fantasies & Innovative
Orientalisms.pdf). This is an article from an academic journal
(in the field of cultural studies) and thus is theoretically
complex, so you should allot yourself additional time to read
and reread the article. ;-) I've included this article because it
explicitly analyzes media content targeting youth and thus
materials with which most of you are likely quite familiar: the
video game Call of Duty; a YouTube channel from a gaming
vlogger titled PewDiePie; and Hollywood films World War
Z, Planet of the Apes, and The Hunger Games series. Of
particular importance in the article is Edward Said's concept of
"Orientalism." The concept of Orientalism is important in that
it captures what has been identified (by Said and later, others)
as a longstanding way that the West frames its understanding of
myriad "others" (especially Asians and Middle Easterners). For
example, on p. 452, the authors explain:
Across the media texts we analyzed, notions of good and evil
are usually presented in binaries that draw upon fear of
human eradication. In this context, the sanctity of the West
perpetuates ideological narratives that stigmatize people of
the global (South-)East as dirty, disease-carrying, and
dangerous. This script ignores the “objective violence”

2. (Žižek, 2008b) of Western aid institutions whose neoliberal
organization chronically underserves people of color and
impoverished communities.
What the authors are conveying here is that the narratives--the
stories--we tell in popular culture do two things
simultaneously. First, nonWhite people from around the globe
are portrayed as dangerous and dirty "others" who are
juxtaposed to safe and clean Westerners (who are framed as
White). Thus, as youth in Western cultures--especially White
youth--consume these materials for fun and enjoyment, they are
being taught specific lessons not only about peoples around the
globe, but about themselves (and even if consumers aren't
White, they're compelled to identify with interests of Western
Whites). These lessons are decidedly hierarchical, wherein
Westerners are portrayed as civilized, advanced, and egalitarian
while "others" are portrayed as the inverse. Second, these
stories also erase the violence undertaken by the West in the
past (colonialism) and the present (US/European and allies'
economic and foreign policies). And when Western violence is
acknowledged, it's cast as legitimate, as protecting civilization.
What's important here is that the (re)production of Orientalism
is often quite subtle or tacit because it's embedded in the
ordinary, everyday ways that we engage in the world (e.g.,
playing video games, watching movies, visiting YouTube
sites). To be sure, there are other elements to the production of
culture, but Orientalism often shapes those arenas as well. The
article provides a number of other insights that you might find
of interest.
· View Anita Sarkeesian's video "Manufacturing a Muslim
Menace," from her web series The FREQ Show. Sarkeesian is
a well established and respected media critic who analyses of
the ideas portrayed through media imagery, including
Hollywood films, television shows, and video games. Her
website (and associated YouTube channel), Feminist
Frequency (Links to an external site.)has tons of material that
she's produced over the past 8 or so years. She's received lots

3. of attention for her critical analysis of media content, most
notably her analysis and criticism of the portrayal of women in
video games in a series titled "Tropes vs. Women (Links to an
external site.)" (scroll down for "Tropes" series in the link). In
the video below, Sarkeesian provides an analysis of the media's
production of the stereotype of the "Muslim terrorist." I've
selected this video this week because Sarkeesian does a nice job
of explaining that this stereotype is not new; it is a recent
manifestation of Orientalism. Note, too, that Sarkeesian takes
her analysis a step further by infusing it with an intersectional
perpsective, noting how ideas about masculinity and femininity
are conveyed in the content, generally resulting in the erasure of
Arab & Muslim women from the
imagery. https://youtu.be/ZVUmpuq7ygg
· Watch the following CNN video clip, which features an
interview with sociologist Reza Aslan. The interview is built
around the question of whether the religion of Islam promotes
violence. Aslan challenges the assumption of the question and
repeatedly points out the problems with the premise of the
question. https://youtu.be/q-W-7ozJXLw
3. Suppose the number of firms you compete with has
recently increased. You estimated that as a result of the
increased competition, the demand elasticity has increased from
–2 to –3, i.e., you face more elastic demand. You are currently
charging $10 for your product. If demand elasticity is -3, you
should charge [x].
4. An amusement park, whose customer set is made up of two
markets, adults and children, has developed demand schedules
as follows:
The marginal operating cost of each unit of quantity is $5.
Because marginal cost is a constant, so is average variable cost.
Ignore fixed costs. The owners of the amusement part want to

4. maximize profits.
Price ($)
Quantity
Adults
Children
5
15
20
6
14
18
7
13
16
8
12
14
9
11
12
10
10
10
11
9
8
12
8
6
13
7
4
14

5. 6
2
Calculate the price, quantity, and profit if: The amusement park
charges a different price in the adult market
Please express your answers for Price and Profit in whole
dollars (i.e.10.00)
Please use whole numbers for Quanitity (i.e. 10, 27, 4)
Price
Quantity
Total
Revenue
Marginal
Revenue
Marginal
Cost
Total
Cost
MR-MC
Profit
Blank 1
6
84
5
30
34
13
Blank 2
91
7
5
35
2

6. 56
12
8
96
5
5
40
0
Blank 3
Blank 4
9
99
3
5
45
-2
54
10
Blank 5
100
1
5
50
-4
50
9
11
99
-1
5
55
-6
Blank 6
Blank 7
12
96

7. -3
5
60
-8
36
7
Blank 8
91
-5
5
65
-10
26
6
14
84
-7
5
70
-12
Blank 9
5
15
75
-9
5
75
-14
0
5. An amusement park, whose customer set is made up of two
markets, adults and children, has developed demand schedules
as follows:

8. The marginal operating cost of each unit of quantity is $5.
Because marginal cost is a constant, so is average variable
cost. Ignore fixed costs. The owners of the amusement part
want to maximize profits.
Price ($)
Quantity
Adults
Children
5
15
20
6
14
18
7
13
16
8
12
14
9
11
12
10
10
10
11
9
8
12
8
6
13
7

9. 4
14
6
2
Calculate the price, quantity, and profit if: The amusement park
charges a different price in the child's market
Please express your answers for Price and Profit in whole
dollars (i.e.10.00)
Please use whole numbers for Quanitity (i.e. 10, 27, 4)
Price
Quantity
Total
Revenue
Marginal
Revenue
Marginal
Cost
Total
Cost
MR-MC
Profit
14
2
28
5
10
Blank 1
13
Blank 2
52
12
5

10. 20
7
32
Blank 3
6
72
10
5
30
5
42
11
8
88
8
5
40
3
48
10
10
100
6
5
50
1
Blank 4
9
Blank 5
108
4
5
60
-1
48
Blank 6

11. 14
112
2
5
70
-3
42
7
16
112
0
5
80
-5
Blank 7
6
Blank 8
108
-2
5
90
-7
18
Blank 9
20
100
-4
5
100
-9
0
6. An amusement park, whose customer set is made up of two
markets, adults and children, has developed demand schedules

12. as follows:
The marginal operating cost of each unit of quantity is $5.
Because marginal cost is a constant, so is average variable cost.
Ignore fixed costs. The owners of the amusement part want to
maximize profits.
Price ($)
Quantity
Adults
Children
5
15
20
6
14
18
7
13
16
8
12
14
9
11
12
10
10
10
11
9
8
12
8

13. 6
13
7
4
14
6
2
Calculate the price, quantity, and profit if: The amusement park
charges the same price in the two markets combined
Please express your answers for Price and Profit in whole
dollars (i.e.10.00)
Please use whole numbers for Quanitity (i.e. 10, 27, 4)
Price
Quantity
Total
Revenue
Marginal
Revenue
Marginal
Cost
Total
Cost
MR-MC
Profit
14
8
112
5
40
72
Blank 1
11

14. 143
10.33
5
55
5.33
88
12
Blank 2
168
8.33
5
70
3.33
98
11
17
187
6.33
5
85
1.33
Blank 3
Blank 4
20
200
4.33
5
100
-0.67
100
9
Blank 5
207
2.33
5
115

15. -2.67
92
8
26
208
0.33
5
130
-4.67
Blank 6
Blank 7
29
203
-1.67
5
145
-6.67
58
6
Blank 8
192
-3.67
5
160
-8.67
Blank 9
5
35
175
-7.67
5
190
-12.67
-38

16. 7. Explain the difference in the profit realized under the two
situations (the price in each market or in the two markets
combined.)
Make sure you include the profit with and without price
discrimination in your answer.
8. Time Warner could offer the History Channel (H) and
Showtime (S) individually or as a bundle of both.
Suppose the reservation prices of customers 1 and 2 (the highest
prices they are willing to pay) are presented in the boxes below.
The cost to Time Warner is $1 per customer for licensing fees.
Preferences
Showtime
History Chanel
Customer 1
9
2
Customer 2
3
8
Should Time Warner bundle or sell separately? Your answer
needs to include the unbundled and bundled profits.
9. Suppose Time Warner could sell Showtime for $9, and
History channel for $8, while making Showtime-History bundle
available for $13. Should it use mixed bundling. i.e., sells
products both separately and as a bundle?
Your answer must include the profit with mixed bundling.

17. For this assignment, you will write a 3-4 page paper. The paper
will have double-spaced text and use standard 12-point font and
1-inch margins. There is no need for a separate title page. Your
paper should be in the standard 5-paragraph expository essay
format (Links to an external site.), and you should citeat least 4
class resourcesfrom this module (See other attachment). Your
essay will be based on the required materials from this week,
although you may use materials from earlier in the course;
there's no need to make use of materials from outside the class.
The assignment must be submitted (in MS Word or Rich Text
format) tby Friday 8/02 at 11:59pm. There is a rubric for the
assignment, which will be used to assign points based on the
criteria detailed below.
1. This assignment requires that you first read and view all of
the assigned materials listed in the Module. Your entire
Analysis Paper needs to be based on the materials from the
module, including our course text readings and online resources
(you can use other readings from our class, if they are closely
related to a point you're making). As always, be sure to cite all
resources fully and properly using ASA Style (see "Tips for
Success" below for assistance with citations, including a link to
an online citation resource).
2. View the CNN Interview with Reza Aslan again:
https://youtu.be/q-W-7ozJXLw
3. Write your paper in which you analyze the above CNN video
in terms of Orientalism. The term is not used in the video clip,
but the video is ripe for an analysis of the concept.
4. You paper should follow a specific structure: A) You should
introduce and briefly summarize the CNN video clip (no longer
than 1/2 page). You should conclude this summary of the video
clip with a thesis statement that links the content of the video
clip to Orientalism. B) You should provide an introduction (1
page) to the concept of Orientalism as detailed in this week's
materials (be sure to cite readings and videos properly). C) You
should devote the remainder of your paper to an analysis of the
video clip in terms of Orientalism (~ 2 pages). There are a

18. number of specific things to consider when analyzing the video,
including the ways in which the CNN anchors' line of
questioning embodies Orientalism (be specific here); The CNN
anchors don't seem to "get it" when Aslan corrects them in how
they're asking questions; and how Aslan's responses to the
questions signify that he's read Said's work and understands the
concept of Orientalism. It is important that you infuse your
analysis with an intersectional perspective--
the Lissovoy reading is helpful here, but so is the Sarkeesian
video clip. Also, you are welcome to document and explain
how any other aspects of the video relate to the concept of
Orientalism.
E) Provide references at the end of your document using proper
ASA format (discussed below in "Tips for Success"). Also, be
sure to cite properly within your paper (properly use in-text
citations, per ASA guidelines).
Tips for Success
Sociological Content: Remember that this is a sociology course.
You therefore need to frame your paper using sociological
insights, which are provided by the readings. You demonstrate
your understanding of these materials by using specific
concepts/ideas presented in the readings and applying them
correctly to the topic you're discussing. Concepts help
you explain why or how something happens in the world, and
sociological explanations point toward collective, institutional
patterns and practices such as policies that are enacted by the
state (the government) and economic institutions (like
employers).
Citing properly: You must cite properly using ASA Style (Links
to an external site.) guidelines (use the ASA guidelines for
citations only, not for paper formatting, which I've explained
above.). Not citing properly could result in plagiarism, a
serious offense that could result in failing not only the
assignment, but the entire course. After following the citation
link above, pay special attention to the style information

19. for "in-text citations" and "reference page" formatting. Note
that our course text by Tracey Ore is cited as a "chapter in an
edited volume." This means you cite the author of the specific
chapter we're reading--Tracey Ore is the editor for the text.
Below is a sample citation for a selection from the Ore text.
Note that the only information to change for other selections
are the author, selection title, and the page ranges.
Omi, Michael and Howard Winant. 2019. “Racial Formations.”
Pp. 19-26 in The Social Construction of Difference and
Inequality: Race, Class, Gender and Sexuality, 7th Ed, edited by
Tracy E. Ore. NY: Oxford University Press.