DPHU1007 Chap.7 Structures of Power in Media Analysis
Structures of Power in Media Analysis
Every thesis and essay task in this course asks you to refer to a structure of power, and the rubric bands check for it. The course defines structures of power as the idea that society is organised in ways that give some groups or individuals more power than others, reinforced by institutions and through social relations.
Its list names patriarchy, capitalism, heteronormativity, racism, ableism, ageism and eurocentricity, each with a short definition.
This chapter compares those definitions side by side with what each looks like in a media text, then works on the central question of the assessments: does a text support or challenge an existing structure of power in the contemporary media landscape?
A worked paragraph on an invented sportswear campaign shows how a single text can challenge one structure while supporting another, and how a thesis can commit to a main direction while acknowledging the weight on the other side.
The drills practise choosing the structure that the stimulus evidence supports rather than the one you know best, and avoiding the habit of listing several structures without analysing any of them.
Where this shows up in assessment. The thesis statement rubric lists a reference to a structure of power in each band from 2/5 to 5/5, and the essay rubric repeats that criterion.
The Assessment 2 practice stimulus offers a short menu of structures to choose from, so practise justifying a choice in one sentence of evidence before the tutorial.
What this chapter covers
- 01
Structures of power: social organisation that favours some groups, reinforced by institutions and relations.
- 02
Patriarchy and heteronormativity: gender and sexuality norms presented as natural defaults.
- 03
Capitalism: private ownership and profit as the organising principle of production.
- 04
Racism and eurocentricity: hierarchies of race and culture with one group treated as the norm.
- 05
Ableism and ageism: prejudice that treats some bodies and ages as inferior or problematic.
- 06
Support or challenge: the two directions the thesis and essay questions ask you to weigh.
- 07
Evidence first: choose the structure that visible details in the stimulus actually show.
Worked example · free
Choosing a structure for a dating-app advertisement
- +1Evidence: every couple is a man and a woman, and every person is young and slim.
- +1Choice: heteronormativity is the strongest fit, because the gender binary and opposite-sex couples are presented as the only form of a perfect match.
- +1Second structure: ageism is also present, since older people are absent; mention it only if it changes the conclusion of the paragraph.
Key terms
- Patriarchy
- A system of gender inequality in which men dominate and exclude women from political, social or economic life.
- Capitalism
- An economic system based on private ownership of assets and production for profit.
- Heteronormativity
- A perspective that assumes the gender binary and can marginalise LGBTQ people and families.
- Racism
- Prejudice and discrimination based on race, in which a dominant group benefits from others' oppression.
- Ableism
- Prejudice and discrimination against people with disabilities based on assumed non-disabled superiority.
- Ageism
- Prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of a person's age.
- Eurocentricity
- Viewing the world from a European or Western perspective assumed to be superior.
Structures of Power in Media Analysis FAQ
What counts as a structure of power in this course?
The course defines it as social organisation that gives some groups more power than others, reinforced by institutions and social relations. Its list covers patriarchy, capitalism, heteronormativity, racism, ableism, ageism and eurocentricity.
Do I need to mention a structure of power in every response?
The thesis statement and essay rubrics include a reference to a structure of power in their criteria, and the task instructions require it, so leaving it out limits the marks available for the thesis criterion.
Can a text support one structure and challenge another?
Yes. A campaign might challenge ableism through its casting while supporting capitalism through its purpose. Name both if the evidence shows them, but commit to one main direction in your thesis.
How many structures should I discuss?
Usually one as the main argument, with a second only when it changes the conclusion. Listing many structures without evidence suggests that none has been analysed properly.
Where do the course definitions of structures of power come from?
They appear in the course's concept and quotation documents for the essay, drawn from the lecture on structures of power. Learn them closely, because an accurate definition in your introduction shows the marker you understand the term.
Assessment move
Copy the course definitions of each structure onto a single card and learn them word for word, since accurate definitions help both the thesis and the viva. Then collect one media example for each structure from your own experience and write one sentence of evidence for it. Practise the support-or-challenge question on three texts, writing a one-line verdict for each and the strongest counter-point.
Before the essay, decide which two or three structures you can discuss most confidently, and prepare a short quotation or lecture point for each.
