Jerrell Mobley

Professor Malcolm Campbell

English 1103
9/27/16
Topic Proposal: What BS has T.V. been Feeding us?
Introduction/Overview
I will be examining the positions minorities hold in T.V. and media, and how they are portrayed

Comment [1]: I would spell out BS

Comment [2]: I like how this really grabs the readers
attention, but you might want to consider stating it in a
slightly more professional tone, for example: "How is
Television Effecting how we Stereotype Races?"

to the public eye. I am focusing on the aspects of media that has formed the minds of minorities
and whites alike about different races, good or bad. I will be looking at the aspects from when
television just began until now. I want to determine what things have remained the same and
what is different now, also I want to know how the media portrayal can affect the perception of
other people. I have been reading articles from bloggers to college professors trying to get the
viewpoint from professional to armature as they may not have the same profession but still are
aware of the issues. Also, I have watched YouTube videos discussing the issues of white

Comment [3]: Are bloggers and college professors

saying the same thing?

washing in T.V. and media, giving minority roles to white actors or actresses. An example of
that is the main character Katniss was described to be a native American but the role, was given
to a white female. In a since this is a controversial subject to be exact anything involving a race

Comment [4]: Good example

or an ethnicity is controversial. Some people are oblivious, others downright refuse to believe

Comment [5]: I am not exactly sure what you are trying

to say in this sentence, try changing the word 'since' to
'sense', also put a comma between 'sense and a' as
well as a semi colon after subject. Then another
comma after ' exact' So: In a sense, this is a
controversial subject; to be exact, anything involving a
race or ethnicity is controversial.

that this is happening and the last of them are straight bigots. From what I read basic individuals
to groups like the NAACP and BLM movement are making issues like this known. Here are
some sources: https://www.quora.com/Why-do-so-many-civil-rights-films-pivot-around-white-

Comment [6]: How are they making it known?

protagonists , http://www.medialit.org/reading-room/long-way-go-minorities-and-media ,
https://web.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/mediarace/portrayal.htm

Comment [7]: Definitely try to summarize in your topic

proposal what is contained in these links, only because
the final version of the topic proposal is to be printed on
paper and handed in.

Initial Inquiry Question(s)

Comment [8]: Great questions!

How are minorities portrayed in media and television? What has changed on T.V. and media and
what has remained the same in regards to the topic? What stereotypes are still being present in
media? And how do they shape our minds about different races?
My Interest in this Topic
I am interested in this topic because I am interested in race relations in America. How the media
presents minorities in America is an intriguing topic to discuss. Especially with what is going on
in America with police and black people in America. I know that minorities in America on T.V.
and media are portrayed only by there stereotypes, the heroic roles are given to white leads on

Comment [9]: Yes it is, have you ever been negatively

affected by stereotypes? Does this issue personally
harm you or people you know?
Comment [10]: You only need to say America once.
Comment [11]: Their

many occasions. I hope to learn in depth stories and other discussion people have had on the
subject matter.

Next Steps
I will look for documents in library about race relations as I think that is the basis for my paper.
Then, I will try to be more current and look at more articles as well as archives from the past

Comment [12]: Issues involving minorities being treated

poorly and unfairly is a very hot and current topic that is
continuing every day and hurts and effects many. It
might be a good idea to even talk to people around
campus, or friends and family, get some personal
insight as to how people around you are being
negatively effected.

century. I want opininated as well as factual evidence because perception is reality.

Comment [13]: I would like to know what books have

been written on this subject and how far they date back

Comment [14]: add an 'o' after the second 'i'

Jerrell,
I really enjoyed reading your topic proposal, this topic has been deeply hurting and effecting a
large number of people across the country for decades, and I think it is important that you are
exploring reasons why it keeps happening (i.e. media and television's portrayal of it). I really
liked your reference to Katniss as an example, as this is familiar to a lot of people and may help

them understand more what you are presenting. In the Introduction paragraph, I would like to
know exactly what people are saying. You mentioned NAACP and BLM groups, what exactly
are these groups saying and how is it relevant? You also mentioned a Youtube video you
watched, what exactly does whitewashing mean? I have not heard the term before, but it
sounds interesting and I would like to know more about what they said about it in the Youtube
videos you watched. There were a couple minor grammatical errors, but this is not a big deal at
all since this is the first draft. Overall, this topic and proposal do a great job of getting the
attention of the reader, I would be very interested to read your paper on this topic and hear about
what you discover.

Thank you,
Lizzy :-)

Jerrell,
I think this is a great topic and definitely one that will interesting to research and read about.
Race in general is an important conflict of interest in todays world and race in Hollywood is a
big part of that. I would suggest looking back into the roots of whitewashing in movies and TV
and expand on the history of it. I think providing a history will provide the reader a big picture of
the issue so that they can relate the past to the present.
David