Abstract
Using symbolic theory and identity theory, this paper describes the internalization of symbols portrayed in the sexual consumerist culture and looks how these unattainable standards make self-verification near impossible. Self-verification--a matching of self perception and perceived identity standards--is a crucial part of one's self-esteem. The inability to feel we've attained the society standards creates a disturbance in our cognition and makes us feel incompetent and unworthy. This paper looks behind the production of fashion magazines and what implications these consumerism-driven values have on today's young women's self-esteem.

Outline:
Sexuality & Consumerism
Symbolic Interaction with Identity
Behind the Production of Fashion Magazines
Internalization of Identity Standards in Magazines
Implications of Low Self-Esteem
Conclusion

From the Paper
"Self-esteem plays an important role in both our cognition and behavior. As Cast & Burke (2002) suggest that self-esteem serves as a self-motive directing our behavior; to an extent where we could be creating opportunity structures or social contexts that allow self-verification. Young women are at their transition phase in entering womanhood. They are unattached to major life demands, still exploring in the field of romance and sex, finding their identity. This explorative stage leaves their self-esteem and identity particularly vulnerable especially when they are the targets of the consumerist market. Sexual consumerism projects certain values that symbolically interact with young women's identity; and in turn has an effect on their self esteem. There are two main values in the contemporary brand of "femininity": being sexually seductive and attainment of physical beauty."

Tags:femininity, beauty, image, media, fashion, magazines

Abstract
The paper states that Asperger's syndrome falls under the category of pervasive developmental disorders, and was first identified by Hans Asperger in 1944. The paper comments that autism is also a PDD, but is different and often more severe than Asperger's syndrome. Two researchers both identified the disorders in the 1940s, with Hans Asperger identifying what is now called Asperger's syndrome and Leo Kanner, an American, identifying what is now referred to as Kanner's autism. The paper discusses the disorders which are very similar, but yet are still different. It took many years before Asperger's syndrome was researched more thoroughly, as it was initially discounted due to Asperger's research occurring in Nazi Germany, and the seemingly similar topic to Kanner's research. Today the two disorders are separated in the DSM-IV.

Outline
History of Asperger's Syndrome
. - Hans Asperger
. - Leow Kanner
Differentiation of Asperger's from autism and other disorders
. - DSM-IV
. - ICD-10
. - Autism differences
. - Other disorders
Differentiation of Asperger's from Kanner's Autism
. - similarities
. - differences

From the Paper
"In addition to peculiarities in the verbal component of the speech of his subjects, Asperger noted an oddness in the non-verbal aspects of communication. Although all of his subjects spoke fluently, he noted abnormalities in their communication, especially in the use of gaze to establish non-verbal contact in a conversation. He observed an abnormality of gaze, so that "hardly ever does their glance fix brightly on a particular object as a sign of lively attention and contact" and commented that this peculiarity in eye contact was particularly evident when they were in conversation with others."

Tags:purposeful, intelligent, fine, motor, skills, abstract, thinkers

From the Paper
"Newspapers, television, radio and Internet are the main sources that the public turns to when they want to be informed about issues that are taking place in the world around them. The media has been able to send out subliminal messages about minority groups and their actions. Mass media has portrayed Arabs as terrorists there by greatly influencing the way people look at them. The media manipulates, distorts and abuses the way people view Arabs by associating terrorist attacks with Arabs and Muslims. "

Tags:media

Abstract
This paper looks at the role that the media plays in portraying and delivering news with special reference to the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Towers. The author argues that the way the media depicts news creates a situation in which reality becomes indistinguishable from film making. The media's use of techniques such as slow motion, repetition, development of characters and formation of anticipation in the audience in delivering news, is so similar to the way films are made, that to discern between boundaries of the media and real life becomes impossible.

From the Paper
"The Spectacle of horror, which took place on September 11th 2001, has left daunting unforgettable memories in the minds of all on lookers. The events of that day influenced so many individuals because of the vast reach of the media in our day-to-day lives. What happened on September 11th 2001 leaves many believing that real life has become indistinguishable from the movies. The increase in media control has taken off with in the cultural industry over the last 30 years. Televisions became mainstreamed into the family home in the 1970's with the invention of colour TV. These days more then 11 million Canadians have cable television. The mega trend of corporate capitalism in the post-industrial world has 7.5 million households online. Hollywood and American cinema account for the 2nd largest product surplus in North America. Ironically before the September 11th 2001 tragedies top grossing industry was the Airline Industry. Both the film and airline industries have seen drastic declines in profits since September 11th 2001."

Tags:cultural, industry, media, role, terrorism, war, cinema, movie

Abstract
This paper examines the formation and recent development of reality television: the type of television that reflects personal lives and encounters. The author attempts to tackle why reality television exists, the types of reality television that is offered and the future of reality television and society. Included is a review of different television shows that fall under this category.

From the Paper
"In the past few years? society and the entertainment industry has been more and more obsessed with the idea of reality-based television. This desire to find the real amongst society is a reflection on a society, which is based on lies, fraud and war. Television shows such as Real World, Cops, and Hard Copy introduced television viewers to the world of the unscripted and spontaneous. We often put aside these television programs calling them trash TV, or game shows, when really it is society, which has made these shows popular and allowed for the major networks, to demand for our attention in their scheduling. This essay will introduce many different types of reality television and begin to guide us to understanding why it exists and where it is expected to go. Society has been waiting for television to reflect our personal lives and the real world in which we live, and now it does."

Tags:911, abc, big, brother, cbs, cops, copy, crossing, entertainment, fox, hard, island, line, nbc, prostitution, real, rescue, september, survivor, temptation, tonight, world

Abstract
This paper examines the globalization of culture and how the American popular culture shapes it. It investigates how economic dominance, communications technologies, social and political events influence global mass media. The paper also describes the role of the English language in creating a single world culture.

From the Paper
"When we look at the dominant form of culture that characterizes our society today, it is often referred to as "globalization." But to many, this idea of a unified world is characterized by the concept of "Americanization." To a large extent, the shared culture around the world is becoming more and more influenced by American culture. There are many reasons for this, but primarily these are the result of the economic dominance of that nation, the development of global systems of communication, and the spread of English as the new international language. The following paper will address all of these issues in order to fully understand the reasons why the United States has a stranglehold on the global market in mass culture."

Tags:americanization, globalization

Abstract
The paper shows that when we think about communication, we think about the spoken word and that our thoughts are always about the words people use and their fluency of speech. Yet, at the same time, we are also taking in information from nonlinguistic sources. The author notes that people's mannerisms, clothing, and appearance are also important, as well as their tone of voice. Researches have estimated that, in face-to-face communication, as much as 90 percent of the social meaning may be carried in the nonverbal message and that facial appearance and response may contribute more to our meaning of their message than all their words. The paper explores the importance of both types of communication and how they are put across.

From the Paper
"As popularly used, language refers to a system of words. This development is not surprising, since words distinguish human communication from that of lower animals. Words, as symbols, usually convey information in a quite deliberate, no instinctive way. For this reason, language is sometimes treated as a set of verbal symbols."

Tags:symbol, coding, culture, language

Abstract
This research attempts to examine the extent to which the media influences the lives of adolescents. The author attempts to investigate how the media impacts the socialization of the youth culture and whether the media is so powerful that it has come to replace other socialization agents such as the family, school and peers. The author examines the way socialization agents impact stages of development and how each contribute to another aspect of the individual's forming personality and attitudes. The author makes use of various sociological theories for supporting evidence.

Table of Contents:

Chapters

1.0 Statement of Research Problem

1.1 Research Problem 2

2.0 Introduction to Theoretical Perspectives

and Review of Literature 3

2.1 Introduction to the Media as an Agent of Socialization 3

2.2 Getting to Know the 3

2.3 The 4

2.4 How the Media Socializes 5

2.5 Media as an Industry 5

2.6 Development of Gender Roles

and Consciousness of Achieved Status 6

2.7 Global Impact vs. Role in North American Society 7

2.8 Pros and Cons of Media Dominance 7

2.9 Independent and Dependant Variables 8

2.10 The Test 8

2.11 The Respondents 9

2.12 The Choice of a Questionnaire 9

2.13 Possible 9

2.14 Validity of Respondents 10

2.15 Questionnaire Distribution 10

2.16 Questions to Answers 11

2.17 Conclusion to Theoretical Perspectives

and Review of Literature 11

3.0 Administration Overview 12

3.1 Time Schedule 12

3.2 Budget 12

3.3 Ethical Issues 13

4.0 Measurement Overview 13

4.1 Existing research 14

5.0 Analysis Overview 14

6.0 Implications 14

6.1 Practical Applications 15

Figure #1 The Questionnaire 16

References 18

From the Paper
"There is a problem in Canada that youth are unaware of the significance of the media and its influence on their day-to-day lives. The main questions that will be investigated in the research and hopefully answered if not fully understood by the end of the study would be as follows: How important is the media in the socialization of Canadian popular cultured youth? Is the media the most influential agent of socialization in a teenager's life? Has the media replaced the family, school and peers for being the centre of acquired knowledge for youth? Existing sociological theory suggest we have varying agents of socialization that have different effects on us at different stages of our development and life course. Agents of Socialization are people, groups or institutions that teach people what they need to know in order to participate in society. During the elementary years of school peers are the most important influence. A peer group is a group of people who are linked by common interest, equal social position, and similar age categories. Even as adults we are still influenced by our peers. In this study it will be discussed that the media because of its worldwide accessibility has become a great contributor to socialization than the peer group between the ages of 15-18. The stage of development, which will be conveyed, is called anticipatory socialization (to be discussed in further detail in the theoretical discussion section). This influence at the ages of 15-18, which is referred to, as adolescence will carry on for the future generations as a vital agent of socialization through, out their adult lives."

Tags:agents, candian, culture, film, music, pop, popular, socialization, sociology, television

Abstract
This paper looks at what kind of pornographic material in being transmitted via the Internet, and how available and accessible is child pornography to these pedophiles. The author discusses the methods the government, parents and communities have undertaken to protect children from this rapidly increasing sub-culture.

From the Paper
"Since the widespread use of the Internet began, public safety, specifically relating to the safety of children has become a major issue and highly debated topic. The Internet has become an international gateway for child predators to produce and distribute child pornography. It allows these people not only to have limitless boundaries for its promotion, advanced technology for its production, but to be able to form a virtual community, hosting forums, newsgroups and providing vast resources for their fetishes. It is suggested that not only are these sites readily available and easily accessible for public viewing, but are also being protected under legislation. Various methods of exposing and deterring these predators have been created, ranging from anti-child pornography websites to parental control software to new and stricter laws and harsher punishments both for the consumers and creators. It is interesting to examine what is myth and what is truth regarding this phenomenon. Realistically, what kind of pornographic material in being transmitted via the Internet? Why? How available and accessible is child pornography to these "kiddy pornophiles""

Tags:pedophile, access, parent, government, communities, protect, sex, offenders, act, protection, chat, rooms

Abstract
This paper examines the ways in which communication between the genders differs, and how these styles contribute to widespread stereotypes. In addition, language is used to challenge stereotypes, as depicted. Areas investigated include verbal approaches, language usage, interruptions and silence, talkativeness and topics of conversation, harmony and competitiveness, assertiveness and compliments, dominance and egalitarianism, body language, and behavior.

From the Paper
"The differences that exist between the verbal interaction patterns of men and women are not absolute. However, the communication approaches that are recognized between males and females have frequently been described as "report versus rapport," "debate versus relate," or "competitive versus cooperative." Men seek practical advice and straightforward solutions to problems, whereas women tend to establish intimacy by sharing personal difficulties and exhibiting empathy to reinforce relationships. (Monroe, 1999) In one study that involved men-only and women-only discussion groups, it was discovered that when women converse with one another, they tend to reveal a vast amount of information regarding their personal lives. They also examine a particular issue extensively, allow others speakers to conclude their thoughts, and encourage participation among all members. Conversely, men rarely discussed their personal relationships and emotions. Instead, they competed to prove themselves better informed about such issues as current affairs, travel, and sports. The topics varied quite often within a short time span, and over time, a stable hierarchy was established, with some men dominating conversation, while others meagerly contributed. (Coates, 1993)"

Tags:communication, language, speech, gender, male, female, body, stereotype