Pat Rogan

Pathfinder

Quest I

April 11, 2003

 

The topic I chose to explore was music. There are many different aspects of music that I could have chosen to explore, but the most interesting was the way the music was censored, and the belief that music has an effect on the way people behave. Do people have different attitudes when they listen to different types of music? Does this mean that music should be censored even more than it already is? I plan to find out what effect music has on peoples behavior, and if music should be censored as much as it is, or whether it should be censored even more than it already is. My thesis question is:

Does music have such an influence on people’s behavior that it should be severely censored?

My Advice: If beginning to research this topic, the first type of resource I would go for would subscription site. There are many related to Gale Net, and you can find lots of information and views on the Viewpoints portion of Gale net. If you are just beginning to research this topic, check that site, as well as some of the university sites, because they have all sorts of information on this topic. Also a good idea would be to check out some of the University sites, such as the Stanford University website, there is good information to be found there.

 

Dewey/Library of Congress Number/Reference Works:

Dewey Numbers 800.0-900.0

There are books on the history of music and its effects on people, and that provides a little background information to get started with.

Online Databases-

This viewpoint was originally delivered before the Senate Subcommittee on Oversight of Government Management, Restructuring and the District of Columbia on November 6, 1997. C. Delores Tucker is a notable source, because she is the head of a major organization that advocates on behalf of African-American women and their families. Her view was that many musicians have a bad influence on our children, and gave some interesting insight into why she thinks so.

Specific Web Sites:

 Impact of Music Lyrics and Music Videos on Children and Youth.” American Academy of Pediatrics. December 1996. Committee on Communications.April 25,2003. http://www.aap.org/policy/01219.html.   

Probably the best source out of all of them. Provides views, opinions, as well as facts about the influence of music on adolescents. Has good information on music videos as well. Also gives advice to parents on censoring music and music videos, which pertains directly to the topic of music censorship and influences on adolescents.

“Youth Violence: A Report of the Surgeon General” Public Health Sevices. April 27 2003. http://www.mentalhealth.org/youthviolence/surgeongeneral/SG_Site/home.asp

A good site written by an expert source. Newsletter written by the Surgeon General, obviously a good site. Provides information about music’s effects on violence. A mostly con side to the argument, it is a good way to figure out what side you choose to be on.  

 “Exposure to Media Violence” Safe Youth. January 8, 2003. National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center. April 27, 2003 http://www.safeyouth.org/faq/parents/parentsi.htm

Provides in-depth information about questions you may have about censoring your children from seeing or hearing media violence on TV as well as on the radio.

Rock & Roll: Does it influence teens’ behavior?” Kathleen O’Toole Stanford Online Report. November 12, 1997. Accessed April 27, 2003. http://www.stanford.edu/dept/news/report/news/november12/teenmusic.html

   Provides information on the psychological aspects of rock music. Also gives information on the way music effects behavior, the way it effects different genders, and how grades are effected. A good starting point.

“Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: Executive Summary” Federal Trade Commission April 27, 2003 http://www.ftc.gov/reports/violence/execsumm.htm

A high-quality government source, has a short section about music, and the rest is about the other elements of the media. A good one to check out, gives a few statistics that would be good to include in an argument.

Primary Sources: Gale Net, University of Stanford Online Report, and Nation Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center.

These are the best sites, and the ones that should be looked at first, and the ones with the most, and the best information.

Online Journals:

 “The Influence of Music and Music Videos” American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. May 2000. Release No. 40. April 25, 2003 http://www.aacap.org/publications/factsfam/musicvid.htm

A mix of information, a lot on music videos and television violence, but does address most of the key points about the topic, especially the effect on children. A good site for the pro side of censorship.

“Marketing Media Violence: An Interview with FTC Attorney Linda Stock” The Motion Picture Editors Guild Magazine Vol. 21, No. 5 - September/October 2000  http://www.editorsguild.com/newsletter/SepOct00/ftc.html

Linda Stock is an expert on media violence, and it would be a good idea to consult this site, it has good information, and you know it is reliable because it is from a good, expert source.

Organizations, Associations:

National Youth Violence Prevention Resource Center                                      
1-866-SAFEYOUTH
(1-866-723-3968)

AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS                                                       
www.aap.org

American Psychological Association
Office of Public Affairs
750 First St., N.E. Washington, DC 20002-4242
(202) 336-5700

 

Experts/Scholars: Federal Trade Commission Attorney Linda Stock

The FTC produced "Marketing Violent Entertainment to Children: A Review of Self-Regulation and Industry Practices in the Motion Picture, Music Recording & Electronic Game Industries.", and she was interviewed about it, and was very versed in the censorship of music, as well as the media.

Keywords/Phrases/Subject Headings: Music Censorship, Youth Violence AND Music, Music AND Adolescent/Child Influence,  Rock and Roll Music AND Adolescent Behavior

Additional Advice to Researchers: When starting your research, check out the university sites first, because they seem to have the best information. Gale Net as well. Some of the key words may not turn up too many results, so try them all, and make sure not to use the big search engines such as Yahoo! and Google. Refine it to subscription sites and university sites. You can also find additional information on newsletter-type websites. They are not too many book sources, and the ones that I did find did not have enough information to be included. Most of your information will either be exactly on, or very much off the topic, so make sure that your searches are very refined, and make sure you start in the right places.