1. What are the public concerns about the media? Starter Work in pairs. Write down 2-3 examples where the media displays violence on the big screen. e.g. horror movies show murder, abusive language, blood, etc. Objective To understand the different ways that the media influences violence. To look at evidence that suggests the media influences violence. To compare sociological theories on the media influences on violence.

2. Task 1 Watch the clip of The itchy and scratchy show from the simpson and take notes in your book on: 1. How does the following clip represent violence? 2. What effect could this have on children? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a76cFdO1btk Watch 5 minutes.

3. Task 2 Work in pairs. Look at the pictures on the next slide. How do the following contribute to displaying violence in the media. Consider: 1. How are they condoning violence (making it acceptable)? 2. How do they glamorise or glorify the violence? 3. Hypodermic syringe view on the effects of the media. 4. Does this contribute to violence in society?

4. Computer games Films War documentary Fights in Soaps Cage fighting/Wrestling Stabbing news story 1.How are they condoning violence (making it acceptable)? 2.How do they glamorise or glorify the violence? 3.Hypodermic syringe view on the effects of the media. 4.Does this contribute to violence in society?

5. Social Learning Theory Bandura carried out an experiment on nursery school children to explain aggressive behaviour. He argued that aggression is learnt through observing and imitating others. Experiment with the Bobo doll proved this – the children watched a short film showing an adult punching a large inflated doll and hitting it with a hammer. Children were then placed in a room with different toys including the Bobo doll and hammer. Many children who watched the clip imitated the violent behaviour that they watched. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zerCK0lRjp8

6. Example to prove this The horror movie Child’s Play 3 has been linked to the 1993 murder of a 2 year old Jamie Bulger, in Liverpool. Two 10 year old boys supposedly saw the film and imitated a scene where a victim is splashed with blue paint. This is what they did to James. This created a moral panic of the media’s influence but it was never really proven.

7. Task 3 Work in pairs. Use the discussion we’ve just had and the textbook, pages 226 227, to fill in the worksheet.

8. Review 1. What are the different forms of violence shown in the media? Give at least 3 examples. Boxing, wrestling, cartoons, police violence, cage fighting, documentaries on warfare, films, soaps, etc. 2. What is the social learning theory? Bandura - behaviour is learnt through observing and imitating others. 3. How does Bandura’s experiment on the Bobo doll tell us about the influences of violence in the media? That the children imitated the actions of what they saw on the video. This shows that behaviour is learnt through observation. 4. How does Child’s Play link with what happened to James Bulger? The 10 year old boys had watched the movie before they murdered James. There was a connection that they were imitating the behaviour they saw. 5. How does Gauntlett criticise the social learning theory? We should be studying violent people and not the media. He claims that people are not passive. His research showed that there was no connection with those who were violent to what they saw on T.V. 5. Do Peak and Fisher agree with Gauntlett or Bandura? What do they say about media influences on violence? They agree with Gauntlett. Peak and Fisher argue that television is used as a scapegoat for deep rooted social problems. They claim that the causes of violence and crime are down to poverty, unemployment, homelessness, abuse and personality traits.