Cultural Studies
1. Hegemony is not a household word in the United States. How would you
explain what the term means to your roommate? Can you think of a metaphor
or an analogy that would clarify this critical concept?
2. What is the nature of Hall’s complaint about American media scholarship?
3. Hall says that the media encode the dominant ideology of our culture. If you don’t
agree with his thesis, what evidence could he muster that would convince you
that he’s right? What evidence would you provide to counter his argument?
4. In what way is Roland Barthes’ semiotic perspective (see Chapter 26) similar
to Hall’s cultural studies? How do they differ?
