SCS 100 SNHU Human Behaviors in Advertisements Observation Guideline

SCS 100 Project 2 Observation Journal Guidelines and RubricOverview
Your second longer-term assignment in this course is to complete an observation journal, where you will use the previous information collected in your
comparison template to apply social scientific observations to help you to develop a question about the ads that a social scientist might ask. The work you do on
this observation journal will directly support your work on your third course project, the final reflection, which is due later in the course.
This observation journal assignment will assess the following course outcome, which you focused on throughout Modules Three and Four:

Develop questions about fundamental aspects of human behavior that inform personal assumptions, beliefs, and values using evidence from the social
sciences
Prompt
Your second course project is an observation journal. You have already gathered your advertisements and completed your comparison template to determine
the social science approaches that are relevant to your ads. For this assignment, you will use that information to write an observation journal that will ask you to
draw conclusions from the ads and, eventually, devise a social science question that you might like to investigate. The critical elements of this assessment will be
evaluated in your observation journal.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed and will be graded using the rubric at the end of this document:
I.
Explain why you chose these advertisements for social scientific and personal study. For instance, what aspects of them intrigued you and made you
curious?
II. Explain the assumptions and observations about human interactions and behaviors you made about the advertisements. These are some questions you
might want to consider in your explanation:
a. Who do you believe the audiences for the ads might be?
b. What messages do you think the ads are sending?
c. What do you think the nature of the relationship is between or among the people in the ads?
d. What relationship(s) do you see between or among the people and the product or service being advertised?
e. How effective are the ads in influencing your own consumer decisions?
III. Identify topics in this course that are relevant to the human behaviors in your advertisements and explain how they are relevant. This is your social
science evidence for your observations. For instance, what ideas and people have you studied so far that apply to your observations?
IV. Taking all of your observations and objective conclusions about human behavior in your advertisements into account, assume the role of a social
scientist. What question would you ask about the advertisements that you, as a social scientist, could seek to answer? What observations and objective
conclusions led you to this question?
Supporting Work and Resources
The observation journal is due in Module Four. There are three opportunities to work directly on different elements of the observation journal.
1. In Module Two, you submitted your comparison template. You will use this to create your observation journal.
2. In Module Three, you participated in a discussion using the ads you chose in support of your summative work. You can use your answers from this
discussion when completing your observation journal.
3. In Module Four, you will work to finalize your observation journal and submit it to your instructor for grading. This module also includes an Observation
Journal Checklist document that you can use to ensure you have met all the requirements of this project. You can also review the Observation Journal
Exemplar for guidance in how to complete this assignment. Your instructor is available to provide guidance and answer any questions you may have as
you work to finalize your observation journal.
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: This submission will contain your completed observation journal. Submit your observation journal as a Microsoft Word document.
Critical Elements
Chose
Exemplary (100%)
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
details demonstrate insight
into the connection between
the social scientific and the
personal
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
details demonstrate a mature
awareness of human
interactions and behaviors
Proficient (85%)
Explains why advertisements
were chosen for s ocial
scientific and personal study
Topics
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
connection between topics and
ads shows a strong grasp of the
social science evidence
Explains how topics from the
course are relevant to the
human behaviors in the ads
Question
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
connections between question,
observations, and conclusions
demonstrate insight into social
scientific study
Poses a question a social
scientist could seek to answer,
supported by observations and
conclusions about human
behavior in the ads
Assumptions and
Observations
Explains the assumptions and
observations about human
interactions and behaviors
made about the ads
Needs Improvement (55%)
Explains why advertisements
were chosen, but social
scientific and personal
connections are overly
generalized
Explains the assumptions and
observations about human
interactions and behaviors
made about the ads, but is
overly generalized
Explains how topics from the
course are relevant to the
human behaviors in the ads,
but is overly generalized or has
inaccuracies
Poses a question a social
scientist could seek to answer,
but lacks support from
observations and conclusion
about human behavior in the
ads or is overly generalized
Not Evident (0%)
Does not explain why
advertisements were chosen
Value
23.75
Does not explain the
assumptions and observations
about human interactions and
behaviors made about the ads
23.75
Does not explain how topics
from the course are relevant to
the human behaviors in the
ads
23.75
Does not pose a question a
social scientist could seek to
answer
23.75
Critical Elements
Articulation of
Response
Exemplary (100%)
Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented
in a professional and easy-toread format
Proficient (85%)
Submission has no major
errors related to citations,
grammar, spelling, syntax, or
organization
Needs Improvement (55%)
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization that negatively
impact readability and
articulation of main ideas
Not Evident (0%)
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or
organization that prevent
understanding of ideas
Total
Value
5
100%
SCS 100 Project 1 Comparison Template Exemplar
Ad 1: Freddo Ice Cream
1. Question(s) related
to how individuals are
represented in the ads
2. Questions related to
how groups and group
behavior are
represented in the ad
Ad 4: Antonio Federici Ice
Cream
Why is the candidate a young
How does athletic competition Does indulging in items
white male?
change the way individuals
considered guilty pleasures
interact with one another?
(such as ice cream) actually
increase an individual’s feelings
What are we supposed to
assume, as consumers, about
Can a competitive environment of guilt?
this individual (the candidate)? Why do I perceive some
change an individual’s
personality?
individual faces in the crowd
Why do cultures often
as angrier than others?
associate women with
committing the “sin” of selfIs it normal for individuals to
Why does the ad encourage us celebrate or express relief if
indulgence in sweets?
to consider the bride as selfish they are somehow benefitting
or guilty for eating chocolate? from someone else’s
Why is this viewed in the
culture as humorous?
misfortune?
Why are women stereotyped as
loving sweets, and lacking the
What are ways in which
maturity to resist sweets?
sensory perception around
sweet tastes are gendered?
Why are both servers girls,
while most of the crowd and
the candidate is male?
Why are there not any diverse
faces in the crowd? Why are
various races or ethnicities not
featured in the ad?
Ad 2: Milky Way Caramel
Wedding
What assumptions are we
supposed to make about the
individual characteristics or
appearance of the bride?
Are the minority guests
intentionally grouped or
coupled together in the
crowd?
Ad 3: Celebrations: Gym
How do sports teams express
dominance or power over
competitors outside of the
actual event?
How do elite athlete teams
(where players qualify based
on skill) behave when
compared to intramural athlete
teams (where everyone
qualifies to be on the team)?
Is there a physiological
component?
How do religious orders
such as nuns establish
expectations for behavior?
Are there differences in the
way males and females
interpret Bible stories or
lessons?
Ad 1: Freddo Ice Cream
3. Questions related to
how cultures and cultural
identity are represented
(or not represented) in
the ad
4. How do the ads
compare to each other?
5. What overall
observations might a
social scientist be
interested in studying in
relation to the themes
present in these
advertisements? What
larger questions about
human interactions
might they ask?
Are the red, white, and blue
“vote” signs meant to signify a
specific country or culture?
Ad 2: Milky Way Caramel
Wedding
Does the setting in a church
and the presence of religious
symbols (e.g., cross, priest)
change how we view the ad?
Ad 3: Celebrations: Gym
Ad 4: Antonio Federici Ice
Cream
How do different cultures
Is religion important to Italian
across the globe celebrate with culture?
different types of food?
How have perceptions of
guilt and guilty behavior
How do highly competitive
changed over time in Italian
cultures view the ad when
compared to less competitive culture?
cultures?
What does political voting have
to do with ice cream, and is
Would this ad be perceived
this culture-specific?
differently by members of
other cultures, where lateness
is normal and more accepted?
All the ads are featuring candy or ice cream. Three of the ads distinctly feature women eating the treats, while the fourth features
women serving ice cream to a crowd that is gathered around a boy. Two of the ads, in particular, bring up the concepts of guilt
and religion (or disrespect of religion) as it relates to women eating ice cream or chocolate. The other two ads feature a
competitive setting (a political election and a gymnastics event) and the idea that individuals celebrate with sweets. Three of the
four ads include very little or no racial/ethnic diversity. Three of the four ads depict women behaving questionably—making a
roomful of wedding guests wait, “celebrating” potential harm to a competitor, and a nun eating ice cream while pregnant. Social
scientists would likely be interested in this theme of exploring human behavior in relationship to food.
Social scientists would likely be interested in the way women are portrayed in the ads, specifically the way the ads show women
serving others or behaving questionably. Social scientists would be interested in how the ads build on or depart from expected
roles and behaviors for women.
Based on these observations, social scientists might ask questions such as:



How do contests or competitions impact women’s behavior and change society’s expectations for women?
How do ads and media reinforce gender stereotypes around expected female behavior?
How do men and women experience feelings of guilt differently, especially around foods and sweets?
SCS 100 Project 1 Comparison Template
Complete this template by replacing the bracketed text with the relevant information.
1. Question(s) related
to how individuals
are represented in
the ads
2. Questions related
to how groups and
group behavior are
represented in the
ad
3. Questions related to
how cultures and
cultural identity are
represented (or not
represented) in the ad
4. How do the ads
compare to each
other?
5. What overall
observations
might a social
scientist be
interested in
studying in
relation to the
themes present in
these
advertisements?
What larger
questions about
human
interactions might
they ask?
Ad 1:
[Insert text]
Ad 2:
[Insert text]
Ad 3:
[Insert text]
Ad 4:
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
[Insert text]
SCS 100 Project 1 Comparison Template Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
Your first longer-term assignment in this course is to complete a comparison template, where you will examine four advertisements of your choice for various
aspects that are interesting from a social science perspective. The work you do on this comparison template will directly support your work on two other longerterm projects—an observation journal and a presentation—which are due later in the course.
This comparison template assignment will assess the following course outcome, which you focused on throughout the first two modules:

Utilize fundamental approaches to social scientific research in addressing questions related to human behaviors
Prompt
To start this assignment, you will gather a set of four advertisements from the provided Advertisement Examples document that features multiple people. You
will then use these advertisements to fill in the provided Comparison Template document, in which you address specific social science aspects of each
advertisement in preparation for your next project, the observation journal.
Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed and will be graded using the rubric at the end of this document:
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
Question how individuals are represented in the ads. In your template, ask questions about the individuals in the ads that social scientists might ask.
For instance, you might ask why a person in the ad is standing outside the larger group, or why individuals are depicted in certain ways.
Question how groups and group behavior are represented in the advertisements. In your template, ask questions about groups/group interactions
that social scientists might ask. For instance, you might ask why the women are grouped together separately from the men, or why the group seems
to have very little diversity.
Question how different cultures and cultural identity are represented in the advertisements. In your template, ask questions about the cultures and
cultural identities in the ads that social scientists might ask. For instance, you might ask why people who look to be of the same ethnic background
are wearing similar clothing, or what certain symbols or interactions may mean related to culture.
Notate how the advertisements compare and contrast to each other. For instance, do you see any commonalities or significant differences among
interactions between the ads? What might these commonalities or differences say about human interactions?
Pose questions a social scientist might be interested in, based on your observations of the advertisements. For instance, what larger questions about
human interactions might they ask? For this, you may build on your comparisons, concentrate on a theme or trend you noticed throughout the ads,
or develop a follow-up question related to a particularly interesting ad.
Supporting Work and Resources
There are three opportunities to work directly on different elements of the comparison template.
1. In Module One, you will select the advertisements that you will use for this assignment. You are provided an Advertisement Examples document, which
provides a list from which you can select a series of advertisements, as well as selection criteria if you are interested in choosing your own
advertisements.
2. Once an advertisement is selected, you will begin to work in the template, developing questions and statements in support of at least two of the ads you
selected. Module One also features an Advertisement Observation Guide to support your work. Your instructor will provide feedback on this assignment
to help ensure you are on the right track.
3. In Module Two, you will work to finalize your comparison template and submit it to your instructor for grading. This module also includes a Comparison
Template Checklist that you can use to ensure that you have met all the requirements of this project. Your instructor is available to provide guidance and
answer any questions you may have as you work to finalize your template.
Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your submission will contain the completed Comparison Template document.
Critical Elements
Individuals
Exemplary (100%)
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates mature
awareness of individual
behavior
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates mature
awareness of group behavior
Proficient (85%)
Questions how individuals are
represented in the ads, using
questions social scientists might
ask
Questions how groups and
group behavior are represented
in the ads, using questions
social scientists might ask
Cultures and Cultural
Identity
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates mature
awareness of cultures and
cultural identity
Questions how cultures and
cultural identity are represented
in the ads, using questions
social scientists might ask
Compare and Contrast
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
connections demonstrate a
strong grasp of social scientific
approaches
Notates how the
advertisements compare and
contrast to each other
Groups and Group
Behavior
Needs Improvement (55%)
Questions how individuals are
represented in the ads, but
questions do not reflect those a
social scientist might ask
Questions how groups and
group behavior are represented
in the ads, but questions do not
reflect those a social scientist
might ask
Questions how cultures and
cultural identity are represented
in the ads, but questions do not
reflect those a social scientist
might ask
Notates how the
advertisements compare and
contrast to each other but is
overly generalized
Not Evident (0%)
Does not question how
individuals are represented in
the ads
Value
19
Does not question how groups
and group behavior are
represented in the ads
19
Does not question how cultures
and cultural identity are
represented in the ads
19
Does not notate how the
advertisements compare and
contrast to each other
19
Critical Elements
Pose Questions
Exemplary (100%)
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates a strong grasp of
social scientific approaches
Proficient (85%)
Poses questions a social
scientist might be interested in
based on observations of ads
Articulation of
Response
Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented in
a professional and easy-to-read
format
Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
Needs Improvement (55%)
Poses questions a social
scientist might be interested in,
but questions are not based on
observations of ads
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that negatively impact
readability and articulation of
main ideas
Not Evident (0%)
Does not pose questions a social
scientist might be interested in
Value
19
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas
5
Total
100%