2003 GIFT GRAND PRIZE WINNER

Chapter one of the mass media history textbook I use begins by describing the diverse ways ancient civilizations found to communicate. Along with providing detailed descriptions of various materials and methods people thousands of years ago used to convey information, it also includes the following provocative and powerful statement about communication which I incorporate early on into our into a dialogue about mass communication�s complexity and its power�at any time in humankind�s history:

�To share fully in the thinking of others, homo sapiens�needed some means of carrying their words across space and time. That means was writing. It is among the most revolutionary inventions in the cultural evolution of humankind� [Alf Pratte, �Origins of Mass Communication,� in The Media in America, A History, edited by William David Sloan (Vision Press, 2002)].

This exercise allows students to experience the difficulty, frustration and uncertainty of trying to communicate without �writing,� and lets me introduce and explore concepts and characteristics of communication systems/media throughout various times in history, many which have relevance today.

Used early in the semester, this exercise provides a chance to make observations that will be relevant to much of what the class will deal with later on as we review the development and history of American mass media. Students usually find the exercise unusual, even fun, and when used early in the semester when the class is just beginning to �gel,� it helps foster more open and relaxed class discussions later.

• I bring to class several materials I have collected and placed in resealable plastic bags: Play DohR, string, small stones and sticks (spraypainted white to resemble bones). In addition, I have written simple messages (�Water Here,� �Danger,� �Good Hunting Here,� �Quicksand,� �Hunting Depleted,� etc.) on slips of paper.



• Students form small groups of 4-5 students each. I inform each group that it is now an ancient �civilization,� or �culture,� different from all the other groups. They name their culture, often calling themselves after the bag of materials they have been given (the �String� People, for example). Each group receives a bag of materials and one of the written messages. Groups are told they must use their materials to communicate the message on the slip of paper and that using their materials to �spell out� the message is not allowed. They are given l0-l2 minutes to complete this task.



• After each �civilization� completes its message, the groups disband, and we visit each �civilization� and try to figure out each group�s message. This often results in some wild guesses, some laughter and, very quickly, some on-the-money correct responses.



• After we have figured out each group�s message (or failed to and had to be given clues), we debrief and talk about what just went on and their observations about the task. Comments like �We got better at this after the first few attempts� and �It�s hard to convey much information without using words� are common. This exercise has also generated the observations below that serve as springboards to topics and issues in mass media history that we will cover in the coming weeks together:
  
  
  1. Some civilizations had better materials to work with than others (the Play DohR cultures were much envied, for example, while the String group complained that they didn�t have much to work with). This allows us to explore the idea that resources (money, supplies, access) can have a significant impact on communication. I relate this to some of the financial hardships that minority presses, such as the African American language newspapers of the early l800�s, faced and contrast their situation with some of the mainstream papers of that period.
  
  
  
  2. It was difficult to try to understand the message because we were not part of that culture. This idea that a shared, common background can affect communication or the effectiveness of it. Students often share their own experiences of visiting a country and not being a speaker of the language there and the frustrations and confusions that can result. Intercultural differences in communication have been addressed in our discussions. The lack of understanding of people different from us (and how the media have played a role in this) has been mentioned, providing an opportunity to talk about how American Indians, for example, were often portrayed in frontier newspapers as savages.
  
  
  
  3. Even with some understanding, there was a lot of room for misunderstanding or confusion. Students make this point using their own experiences with the media. E-mail and chat room users have abbreviations that leave others confused, and others have noted that misunderstanding can occur via e-mail and other media when the face-to-face component is missing. Others point out that words and symbols can have multiple meanings (red, bad) or words or images taken of context can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication. This kind of discussion can be tied to incidents in mass media history of distortion or manipulation (altering photographs or using composites without informing the audience, for example).
  
  
  
  4. One person took over and decided what our message would look like and the rest of us just followed along. This can lead to discussions of the ideas of consensus, shared understanding and agreement and to dialogues about the �power� involved in mass media. The people in power, or the people with the persuasive power, influence and resources have often shaped the media and media messages in history. Mass media history provides many examples of people who have felt �powerless,� ignored or marginalized by the media (African Americans in the l820�s or suffragettes in the l880�s, for example).

Students comment favorably about this exercise each semester. It serves well as a novel, creative and fun way to begin the important dialogue with students about the history of mass media and its relevance today.