This lesson plan comes from the Canadian Media Awareness Network. It is designed for students with the goal of having them think about pornography and free speech and, in the process, finding ways to distinguish between pornographic material and artistic or aesthetic material. The use of sexual images in advertising provides the context for the discussions. The module also contains several supportive materials, (i.e. laws, regulations and definitions), as well as two activities the instructor can utilize in executing this discussion.
Type of Material:
The exercises in this module include both in- and out-of-class activities.
Recommended Uses:
The module provides two main activities (one of which involves a case study). Both activities are conducive to in-class or homework, individual or team usage.
Technical Requirements:
None.
Identify Major Learning Goals:
According to the exercise, there are three goals. "Students will demonstrate: an understanding of what constitutes pornography, knowledge of the guidelines that have been established to regulate pornography in the advertising industry, and an appreciation of the difficulties in enforcing these guidelines"
Target Student Population:
The module is specifically geared for high school juniors and seniors. However, due to the charged nature of the topic, it is perhaps better utilized in a college classroom and is especially appropriate for introductory marketing and all levels of advertising courses. It would be very useful during discussions of controversies and/or ethics in advertising.
Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:
None required of the teacher or students -- though some sophistication on the part of students probably is required in terms of maturity and cognitive abilities. The module needs minimal preparation to execute as written. The supportive material is,
however, very focused on the laws and regulations as they exist in Canada. An instructor from another country may wish to prepare background information from his/her own country before utilizing the module. The instructor may also wish to have a defined set of questions to direct the student conversation if used as an in-class exercise.
Content Quality
Rating:
Strengths:
This is a high quality lesson plan that provides all the materials one would need (and points the instructor to additional readings to supplement the material in the lesson plan). Sufficient visual material is provided so that an instructor need not seek out additional examples on his/her own. It has several activities that are adaptable to classes of all sizes, and has an interesting case and case assignment on Calvin Klein that is factual. Due to the nature of the topic, students will likely be intrigued and will have had heard about this issue beforehand. They should be very motivated to participate in the activities.
Concerns:
The advertising examples are primarily older Calvin Klein ads; an instructor might wish to update them with more recent examples. On the other hand, using older ads may have the advantage of not being something students are familiar with and thus could discuss more objectively.
The legal and regulatory material provided is Canadian. A teacher from another country probably would want to seek out materials relevant to the country in which the school was located. (U.S. instructors might include the 1996 Telecommunications Act -- sometimes referred to as the Communications Decency Act.)
Finally, the module is limited in that it couldnt be used without support. The instructor would need to place this in the context of ethics in advertising or else it would seem out of place. It focuses heavily on pornography, but the instructor should also address other controversial topics, such as marketing makes us more materialistic, marketing creates needs, marketing uses subliminal messages,
etc., in order to provide a complete picture to students. Lastly, the module doesnt provide any supportive data, such as how often sexual appeals are used or why such appeals are considered to be a strong tactic in advertising.
Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool
Rating:
Strengths:
The topic is one that should be of great interest to students. It provides very well-written, interactive exercises for students and a good illustration of this topic. It fosters conversation on a relevant topic in advertising.
The lesson itself could be used not only in advertising classes or media classes, but also for classes wishing to include a module on critical thinking. Pornography often engenders knee-jerk reactions, and so requiring students to think about their own responses and those of society and reasons for those responses would make for some interesting and useful discussions/assignments.
There are a number of other ways in which this lesson plan could be adapted for other foci. Just a few are mentioned here. 1. The unit could be modified to address cross-cultural norms and laws regarding pornography (and regarding simply the use of children in advertising, a topic that differs across countries). 2. Bringing an art faculty member to class to address the issue of aesthetic expression might bring additional dimensions to the discussion. 3. Children in advertising could be another focal topic. 4. Does advertising reflect society's values or "condition" society's values? (The classic exchange in JCR between Pollay and Holbrook would be good companion readings here for college students.) 5. The exercise could be used in an ethics course.
Concerns:
Students should walk away from this module with the learning objectives achieved. As stated above,
however, the module lacks in its expanded information. The topic is very isolated to one issue in advertising, and provides little outside supportive material. It needs to be made more relevant in order for students to see the bigger picture. Of particular concern is the definition of pornography that is used in the lesson plan. The definition ("The explicit depiction or exhibition of sexual activity in literature, films or photography that is intended to stimulate erotic, rather than aesthetic or emotional feelings.") commits the "intentional fallacy." That is, it tries to judge the advertising based on the assumed intentions of the creators -- something we cannot know.
An instructor's own lack of comfort with the topic might also be an issue of concern.
Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty
Rating:
Strengths:
This material is well organized and presented, making it easy to use. The "ease" of the discussions that might result, however, is another matter. Nonetheless, this is a useful way to address topics not only of just "decency" in advertising, but also issues of the responsiblity of corporations to the societies in which they operate.
Concerns:
Students could perhaps have the mistaken impression that pornography is the only controversial topic in advertising.
Other Issues and Comments:
None
Creative Commons:
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