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C5. Questions/Campaign Ads
This section includes questions related to the following topics: Positive/Negative Ads, Issues Ads, Presidential Leadership Attributes, Year, General, Historical Context, Ad Analysis.
Positive/Negative:
- What is the difference between a negative and positive ad? (Suggestion: begin by using crossroads cases. Which of the Hub Cases are positive? Which are negative ads?)
- What kinds of evidence have been offered to support positive or negative claims?
- Do humor ads tend to be more negative or positive? Discuss your findings. (Suggestion: In advanced search retrieve clips for negative and humor.)
Issues Ads:
- What were the main issues in the 1968 campaign? Are the issues in the 1968 campaign similar or different to the main issues in the 2004 race? How are they similar? How are they different?
- Compare how economic issues were discussed in the 1952 and 2004 campaigns.
- Compare four ads that link foreign affairs and economy? (Suggestion: In advanced search click on foreign affairs and economy.) (Suggestion: Compare 1976, 1980, 1992 campaign ads. In advanced search retrieve foreign affairs, economy, and 1992.)
- How has the issue of national security been talked about since 1952? Which candidates have used the issue similarly? Why are they similar? How was the issue used differently? Why used differently? (Interesting to search on national security in main menu.)
- Does each party seem to own certain issues? Does one party give the impression that they have a better reputation handling certain issues? Does this change over time? (Suggestion: In main menu search on Social Security.)
- Do the Republicans seem to "own" national security and foreign policy issues? Do the Democrats own social issues? (Suggestion: Compare 1968 when Nixon presented himself as being stronger on social issues to 1964 when Johnson owned social issues. Search on 1964 or 1968 in advanced search.)
Presidential Leadership Attributes:
- Judging from the kinds of candidate ads produced, what kind of leadership qualities was the public looking for in the 1980 election? How about 1952? (Suggestion: Use the advanced search page to bring up 1980 and strong)
- Terms can be used in different ways in the ads. Build a 4-part story comparing what kind of 'candidate experience' was emphasized in the 1992 election. What did each candidate mean when he said that he had the right kind of experience to be president? How did they use 'experience' differently? Similarly? In the 1992 campaign Bush held up his foreign policy experience while Clinton emphasized his time as the governor of Arkansas. (Search on 1992 and experience on the advanced search page.) Here are two suggestions:
- Create a dictionary entry for experience, with multiple entries. Similar uses of experience will receive a combined entry while unique uses will receive its' own entry. Then will tell a four-part story about how the meaning of experience evolves over time. Use connecting words like "similar to" and like if they are a combined entry, and "different" "although"
- Create and share 4-part stories of what 'experience' means.
- Compare and contrast the presidential leadership qualities of the two candidates in the 1952 election? What positive qualities did Eisenhower project? How about Stevenson? What negative qualities were emphasized by the two opposing campaigns? How did each candidate compensate for his weaknesses? Eisenhower in '52 was seen as too serious, so his campaign ran 'I Like Ike', which presented a smiling and friendly candidate. (Search on 1952 and positive in the advanced search page.)
Year
- How did the candidates describe each other in 1964? (Suggestion: Compare candidates in 1964, 1980, 1988, 1992, 2004. Search on 1964 in the main menu or in the advanced search page.)
General:
- How have TV ads changed since the 1952 election? Why have they changed? What has been the impact of this change?
- How were the 1968 and 1964 campaigns similar? How were the 1968 and 1964 campaigns different? Why are there similarities/differences? (Search on 1964 and 1968 in the advanced search.)
- Which ads do you think are effective? Which ads make you less likely to want to vote for a candidate? (Suggestion: Look at the Hub Cases that are available in the main menu or in the advanced search page.)
- How are ads run by candidates with large leads different from ads run by candidates in a highly competitive race? (In the 1964, 1984, and 1996 the incumbents enjoyed big leads. In 1968 Nixon thought that he had a big lead over Humphrey. Search on 1964 in the main menu or the advanced search page.)
- Do campaign ads contribute to campaigns in positive way?
Historical Context:
- What do you already know about the situation and time period shown, and the people and objects that appear? (Search on 2004 in the main menu or on the advanced search page.)
- How were historical events used in the 1952 election? (Suggestion: Compare 1980, 1992, 2000, 2004 ads)
- How might the context of the time have affected the way the ads were made?
Ad analysis:
- Overall question: How did this ad try to persuade?
- Describe the physical setting.
- Did the ad have strong visual images? Name two. Why were the images so striking? Were these images persuasive?
- What values did the ad try to attach to the candidate? (Patriotism, family values...)
- Did people surround the candidate or was the candidate alone
- Whose voice is heard in the ad? Is there a narrator or the candidate, or someone else?
- Describe the narrator or candidate's voice.
- Describe the candidate's body language. How does the candidate move?
- How was the candidate dressed?
- Is there a campaign slogan included in this ad?
- Did the ad provide evidence? If so was it convincing? Was the evidence from a reliable source?
- Describe the pacing of the ad. Was the pace fast or slow?
- How many transitions were in the ad??
- Did the ad use music? Did the music support the mood?
- What kinds of camera angles were used?
- Was this a positive or negative ad?
- Was this ad persuasive?
*We would appreciate your input. If you want to contribute lesson
plans or make suggestions on how to improve current lesson
plans/worksheets then please send us a note at colli239@msu.edu
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