Talk:Muted group theory

Untitled

Hello everyone,

My name is Fabrizio. As part of one of my graduate course assignments I have been editing this page. If are or will be working on this page, I wanted to let you know that there are still several aspects of the page that can be improved. These include but are not limited to: (1) adding citation in some sections (e.g. Muted Group Theory and Communication), (2) developing some sections (e.g. Other Related Theories), (3) adding more content. Regarding the latter point there are some sources that I have found but that I have not used, so I am going to list them here: (1) Clair, R. P. “The use of framing devises to sequester organizational narratives: hegemony and harassment”, Communication Monographs; 1993; pp. 113-136; (2) Cowan, Renee. “Muted Group Theory: providing answers and raising questions concerning workplace bullying”, Conference Paper – National Association; 2007; (3) Ferdman, Bernardo M., Rose-Marie Weber, and Arnulfo G. Ramirez. Literacy Across Languages and Cultures. SUNY, 1994; (4) Meares, M.M., Oetzel, J.G., et. all. “Employee mistreatment and muted voices in culturally diverse workplace”, Journal of Applied Communication Research; 2004; pp. 4-27; (5) eaver, Carol. "Muted lives: Older battered women." Journal of Elder Abuse & Neglect 8.2; 1997; pp. 3-21.

Fabrizio Drago (talk) 21:18, 10 October 2014 (UTC)

"Both theorists believe muting is involved, but Kramerae sees it from a feminist standpoint and Tannen sees it from an objective standpoint." And who exactly is making this judgment that contrasts "feminist standpoint" with "objective standpoint", as if "feminist" and "objective" were necessarily distinct? Notapussycat (talk) 03:36, 24 June 2012 (UTC)

Interesting comment. Now, the article just says "Both theorists believe muting is involved, but they see it from different standpoints."

Is that better? (Is that more objective?) --Mike Schwartz (talk) 11:42, 31 March 2013 (UTC)

Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

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This article is or was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): WMMaddox, Amsensenbrenner.

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Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 1 September 2020 and 8 December 2020. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Wuqc. Peer reviewers: LJoanne, Hqybrenda.

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Peer Review Farhad Tehrani

Dear Fabrizio,

As you mentioned in your progress report, the structure of the page is not well established, and the whole content is jumbled up. Under some headings there are some extravagant information and examples that make the page look too broad. I also believe inserting an appropriate picture can help you to restructure your page better, however; as I pointed in Soo's review page, be mindful of the copyright infringements.

Under the The Control Men Have Over Communication, the added up information about Cheris Kramaraes' perspective on language is superfluous. I would even delete the section and only would leave the Assumption. Although the application of the Muted group theory exclusively embraces the context of gender differences, there are many other areas that begs the application of the MGT. Like, the condition of ethnic and religious minorities especially under despotic regimes.

Peer Review from Leo

Hi there, I think this page does have a lot of detailed information, and they covered all kinds of aspects. I'm thinking maybe you can add some pictures or graphs, and try to use more short bullet keywords, so it's easier for readers to concentrate on the most important things. And it can improve readers' reading experience as well. I liked the application section, it covered a lot of different fields, and used some interesting points of view.

St798 (talk) 03:00, 10 November 2015 (UTC)

Feedback from Dayton University

When looking at the quote, “Many studies shows that women and minorities are still partially muted in the mass media landscape, dues to their being mis-represented,” I think it is important to discuss examples of these misrepresentations that are being portrayed in the media. In this section, give some examples of TV shows or movies that are misrepresentative and explain why they fit the muted group theory. Another important issue is the difference between gender and sex. Since Muted Group Theory is based on culturally accepted roles not on biological roles, I think it is important stress the difference of the words gender and sex. As others have commented, this post could also use some charts to display findings from studies or images to illustrate points.

Michaella Videka — Preceding unsigned comment added by Videkam1 (talk • contribs) 20:07, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

University of Dayton

The theory supports the notion that there is a group who is in power and therefore a group who is powerless. This is worth elaborating on in the beginning section of this page to clarify this point. These people feel as though they do not have much power compared to the other group, and are limited on voicing their thoughts and opinions. These groups are often known as ‘minorities.’ The powerless may also conform so that they are perceived as being more like the group in power. These images and perceptions can be reiterated through media that we see everyday including television (give examples). Because of this a particular group dominates and this group is not like all of the others and therefore not all groups of people are represented.

Were there visuals that were used in the original studies covering this research? If so, it might be worth including. Many other pages that cover theories have images that make it easier for a non-academic reader to understand. The section titled assumptions of the muted group theory should perhaps be changed to reflect that this is specifically Kramerae’s work, because no other author is cited for this particular topic. Or perhaps include other assumptions that were the work of someone else? Is there anyway to elaborate on more concrete studies that have been performed? Are there any other studies that examine more than just the power struggle between men and women?

“Although the number of women and minorities in the mass media force has generally increased, many studies shows that women and minorities are still partially muted in the mass media landscape, dues to their being mis-represented.” With this sentence I would change shows to show, dues to due and mis-represented to misrepresented. KristinPeters (talk) 20:48, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

Introduction

Hello, I'm a student from Georgetown's Communication Theory and Frameworks course. I have been studying and working on this page for the last 3 months. As the current page is lengthy, I have been working on the structure and content of the page on external documents to shorten them to a proper and comprehendable size. I will add my work on Nov 23rd, 2015. Please do let me know if you see any issues with my additions before removing them. Thanks! 173.66.115.244 (talk) 23:21, 23 November 2015 (UTC)

2016 Fall Communication Theory Class Peer Review

Hello, everyone! I'm a graduate student from Communication Theory and Frameworks class. I'm responsible and honored to edit the "Muted group theory" entry this semester.

MY GOALS

I have three specific goals in editing this Wiki page: 1) Improve the structure of the content; 2) Add more real-world examples other than gender-related applications; 3) Add more graphics to the page in order to improve its visualization and readability.

WHAT I'VE DONE:

I've finished the editing. Major changes include 1) Rewrote the leading paragraphs; 2) Merged "Background", "Origin", "Communication theory" and "Muted group theory across cultures" into one section - "Overview"; 3) Added "Key concepts" and "Extension of MGT" sections under "Overview"; 4) Added bullet points to "Assumptions"; 5) Added "Application in politics", "Application in LGBT study", "Application in race" to "Application"; 6) Reorganized and deleted/added content to fit in "Application in language", "Application in mass media", "Application in social norms", "Application in the workplace" and "Application in education"; 7) Added 8 pictures to the "Application" section; 8)Merged "Footnotes" with "Bibliography" to be "Reference"; 9) Added 9 internal links within Wikipedia, including 4 related theories to "See also" section; 10) Added 10 references to this theory

MY CONCERNS:

I have three particular concerns: 1) How do you like the "Overview" part? As I have moved several parts from the original page to this section. I'm wondering whether the readers feel overwhelming or not; 2) How do you feel about the introduction part now? I rewrote the whole part. Do you think anything is missing there? 3) How do you like the length of each section? Is there any section that you think are too wordy or not well developed？

Please feel free to leave any comment here. Look forward to your advice!

Best, Moruomi — Preceding unsigned comment added by QuentinValentino (talk • contribs) 15:30, 25 October 2016 (UTC)

RECENT CHANGES:

I took Meng's suggestion to merge content from "Background" to "Origin" as there were some overlappings. I also took part of Ai-Ling's suggestion to make "Extension of MGT" an independent section, and moved it below "Assumptions". — Preceding unsigned comment added by QuentinValentino (talk • contribs) 14:28, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

tj180 reply to 2016 Fall Theory and Com

I really like your plan to combine four sections into a general “Overview” and then sub section it. Too many sections are pretty annoying and usually repeat information so your plan will do great. Same great idea to combine Applications. I also agree that these footnotes are really good as a bibliography and should be just one section. The Overview has a lot of important information that a few would be good to use sub sections. From just this page, I would only thing of sexuality so it would be interesting to see how this theory is applied with other examples. Images are always great but I am not sure what else you can use so sorry I can’t help with that. Looking forward to your continuation of edits! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Tj180 (talk • contribs) 19:31, 2 November 2016 (UTC)

Leyi's Peer Review

Moruomi!! Great job! I like how you organize the page, it looks really clear and reader-friendly to me. Also, it is the best application section I have ever seen. You have rich evidence to support every example and even graphics! There is a tiny suggestion, just a suggestion, is that maybe you can put the assumptions part into the overview section so that the first part would be even short and clear. Your editing plan looks awesome to me. Looking forward to seeing your final work.

Reply from Moruomi

Hi Leyi, thanks for your review! I totally see your point in putting "Assumption" part into the "Overview" section. After consideration, I decide to keep the way it is as I think "Overview" part will be too long in that way. "Assumption" is also an independent part in our textbook, therefore I think it's also proper to make it an independent section in this Wikipage. Thank you for your advice! --Moruomi — Preceding unsigned comment added by QuentinValentino (talk • contribs) 14:24, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

Ai-Ling's Peer Review

Hi, Moruomi! All your contribution and changes make this page more readable, comprehensive and attractive. Your pictures are very helpful for me to get the main idea of processing of silence and the theory's application. Regarding to your major concerns, I love the overview part which make the page more organized and logical. See also part is impressive, too. This part help me broaden my perspective with other related theories.

It is not overwhelming for me since the parts you put into the overview section allow me to have a clear understanding about the background and main concepts of the theory. But I suggest you to change the order "extension of MGT" after application part. Because it is easier for readers to follow the logic line of the theory's development.You did a great job at introduction part which summarize the main arguments, meaning, assumption and utility of the theory. Is there any other factors except language system which leads to the mutedness of subordinate groups such as various social or cultural structure? Furthermore, the length of each section is perfect for readers.

The mutedness part may be better explained with some specific examples. For instance, women and men have totally different grammar and vocabularies in Japanese language. Is there any research focus on the gendered language system like this? Besides, I suggest you to attach link to the LGBT since it is a abbreviation. Besides, what does LGBT+ mean in your application in LGBT study part?

I really learn a lot from your great editing and look forward to your final work on this page! ---Aw1014 (talk) 07:18, 8 November 2016 (UTC)

Reply from Moruomi

Hi Ai-Ling, I really appreciate your detailed reviews. After consideration, I decide to make "Extension of MGT" an independent section, and put it below "Assumptions" section as I want to introduce the extensions first, and then give some examples. As for your question of the origin of "mutedness", "language system" is supposed to be the direct cause. However, there are other indirect causes such as the division of labor and the imbalance of power. However, I don't want to expand this topic in the leading paragraphs as it would be developed further in the following sections.

As for "Mutedness" part, my idea is to explain this concept with academic sources rather than real-world examples. Thanks for bringing me attention to the gendered language system research. I will look it up later.

I added an internal link to the "LGBT" so that the readers can be directed to the LGBT's Wikipage to learn more about this concept. I used "LGBT+" because the article I found used it that way, while it didn't give any explanation to it. Therefore, I changed "LGBT+" to "LGBT" to it more clear. Thank you again for your help! --Moruomi — Preceding unsigned comment added by QuentinValentino (talk • contribs) 14:39, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

Peer Review from ML1462

Hi Moruomi, your work is amazing!!!! Personally I think the subtitle of the Application section is too wordy. You don't have to repeat "Application in XXX" in every subtitle. But still, I agree with Leyi, I love your application section so much that I dare to say is the best I read. Also I love the pictures and graphics you added to the Wiki page, especially the pictures that show the scene in which the theory could be applied to. As for your concern about the Overview section, my suggestion is that maybe you could combine the "Background" part and the "Origin" part somehow? I think they have some overlap. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Ml1462 (talk • contribs) 05:06, 9 November 2016 (UTC)

Reply from Moruomi

Thank you Meng! I am glad that you enjoy the "application" section. I put "Application in XX" to make sure that these subtitles all apply for the same format. My idea is to give the readers a feeling that these contents are unified and well-organized.

As for the "Background" and "Orgin", I took your advice to merge "Background" and "Origin" together, and deleted some irrelavant content. Thank you so much for your advice! --Moruomi — Preceding unsigned comment added by QuentinValentino (talk • contribs) 13:01, 15 November 2016 (UTC)

Comment on Introductory Paragraph

When I came across this page I found it to have a lot of good information on Muted Group Theory; however, I think the initial presentation of the information could be presented better.

First, it's distracting for the first sentence to be about the individuals who came up with the theory. When a reader comes to a Wikipedia page, the first they should see is a good, easily understandable summary of what they are reading.

Next, the second sentence which attempts to do this is dense. It could be rewritten to make it easier for people to understand.

Finally, the initial amount of straight text is daunting. Better use of the shift key and shorter paragraphs at the top would help ease the reader into the theory. This is especially true for readers on mobile platforms.

--Lbl33 (talk) 15:21, 10 October 2017 (UTC)

Peer Review from Jiaying

Hi MC! You have done a great job contributing to this page so far. I really learned a lot about the theory from this page. The introductory part is very readable which doesn’t let a new reader feel uninteresting to keep reading the following sections. For the introduction, I would suggest to summarize the assumptions made by Cheris Kramarae in one or two sentences instead of listing all three assumptions, since the assumptions will be mentioned in detail later in the Assumptions section. For the Extension section that talks about the applications of this theory beyond gender issues, I feel that there are a lot of information included. So I suggest to reorganize this section by adding related sub-headings (such as “co-cultural communication”) or more bullet points for descriptions about “preferred outcomes in the co-cultural communication process” and “the three communication approaches for clarification”. My favorite part of this page is the Applications section. The attached images made the section more reader-friendly. I really like the Disability section in which you created hyperlinks for some difficult terms such as “Ableist” and “retard”. Without the links to the according Wiki page, I could hardly understand this example. You have inspired me to create more hyperlinks for my assigned Wiki page. In terms of some citations, I would suggest to paraphrase some researchers’ arguments rather than directly cite a whole sentence. In addition, I also noticed that there might be an error for the 42nd reference highlighted in red color. Hope you could fix it in further editing process. Good luck on your future works! Rubyrener (talk) 18:32, 5 November 2017 (UTC)

Peer Edits for Com Theory & Frmwrks

- Hey Muted Group Theory! Your article has images… I like that. Anyway, I agree with your goals in wanting to reword some of the introduction and copy edit the page for clearer writing and better choices in words or phrases. Excellent job on your contributions to the Application section. Your additions to the LGBT section and your creation of the disabilities section provided relevant information to help us understand the theory.

My only suggestion is to continue to copy edit, (which I know you already are doing). Your introduction reminds me of my wiki article's intro. The information can be conveyed better, and could be more concise and to the point. There are some very weird moments in this article that just need a little rewording and tidying up. Other than that your progress is making this wiki article solid. Best of luck to you on the rest of your Wiki Journey! Jhenae (talk) 02:38, 7 November 2017 (UTC)

Adriana's Additional Resources

I found two honors theses on Muted Group Theory that could fit nicely under the “Application” section of the theory.

https://fsu.digital.flvc.org/islandora/object/fsu:204649/datastream/PDF/view

https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4dfd/d97826466b33dc1a0d176e1625aaa3aa0267.pdf Amsensenbrenner (talk) 15:18, 16 October 2018 (UTC)

Peer Review: Muted Group Theory (CCT 2018-AV)

The initial paragraph on this page needs to be broken down into paragraphs so it is easier to read through. The content box looks very specific, which its great because it will give people the freedom to look at what they are looking for. The graphics are a great add to the page, and having a few makes the page much easier to read. I really like this page and it can work as an example of what we each have to do with our own. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Corve1994 (talk • contribs) 01:58, 17 October 2018 (UTC)

Peer Review from t2pitchy a Communications Theory Student at CCT

Recent research has shown that the theory of Muted Group can be applied by storytellers when addressing our relationship with the ecosystem. In this paper authors suggest that there are correlations between the neglect the ecosystem faces and women of the physical world, extending the theory to ‘ecofeminism theory.

References

CCT peer edit 2019

I have reviewed some peer reviews on talk page, and one of them mentioned the structure of this theory page is problematic; however, I would say the whole page is well-organized, though some parts may not closely related to headings and some content are redundant. But overall, the structure of this page is quite clear and logic, and most importantly, the content covers a lot of issues, and it is not a bad thing, in my view. I noticed that for the part of muting process, the editor included strategies to avoid the muting process, but there is a specific section on the bottom exclusively introduced strategies again. These two parts overlapped as you can see. So I think one of them should be deleted so it can be more concise. Aijia Qin (talk) 15:26, 13 October 2019 (UTC)

Peer Review, CCT 2019

Hello there. The wikipedia page for Muted Group Theory is already pretty extensive and covers a lot of groundwork around the theory. It gives a good summary of the theory, while also discussing at length how the theory can be applied in a real world setting, assumptions of the theory, and a small section of critiques of the theory. One thing to note though is that in the Strategies of Resistance section, it does not offer any sources, so it would be great to be able to add some citations to that section, to make it more reputable. Another addition that would serve this page well is the addition of more critiques of the theory as it is somewhat lacking.

One source that could be added to this page is the article: An Analysis of Words Coined by Women and Men: Reflections on the Muted Group Theory and Gilligan's Model by Lynn Turner. This article could add some more context to the wikipedia page.

A second source that could be used is the article by Jayne Cubbage, titled: Shop Talk: Talking Shop about Creating Safe Spaces in the HBCU Classroom. Within this article, it discusses Historically Black Colleges & Universities in relation to predominantly White institutions, in Maryland.

NateNuddy (talk) 21:36, 21 October 2019 (UTC)

References

Peer Review, CCT 2020

Hi! I think the content of this page is quite complete and I only have some small tips for this page. First I don’t really think the section of “navigating the muted status” and “strategies of resistance” can exist as headings by themselves, especially the first one seems a little “out of nowhere”. I think you can reexamine these two sections and decide whether to delete them or moving around as content under other big sections. The second thing I find a little confusing is the section of “Extension” because I think this part has some overlapping ideas with the content above. So I suggest that you could compare this part with the application above and make sure the readers are not confused when they read through this section.

Two articles to consider as reference:

Hendrix, K. G., & Wilson, C. (2014). Virtual invisibility: Race and communication education. Communication Education, 63(4), 405-428.

Kramarae, C. (2005). Muted Group Theory and Communication: Asking Dangerous Questions. Women and language, 28(2), 55.

LJoanne (talk) 10:01, 13 October 2020 (UTC)

Proposal To Delete All 3 Graphic Images

All of the graphics on the article are bad ones that do not contribute to understanding in graphical form. The first one makes no sense in text OR graphics. The second is merely 3 statements in colored circles for no reason, and none of them overlap, but it is not a Venn diagram for disjunction. The third claims it is a "process" but the graphic does not show a "process". I propose we delete them all. ♠Ace Frahm♠^talk 00:05, 25 February 2021 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: COMM 500 Theory and Literature of Communication

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 21 August 2023 and 15 December 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Vsiguenza (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Lynnpj29.

— Assignment last updated by Lynnpj29 (talk) 14:02, 13 November 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: Communication Theory

This article was the subject of a Wiki Education Foundation-supported course assignment, between 22 August 2023 and 7 December 2023. Further details are available on the course page. Student editor(s): Jrm168, Julisadeleon (article contribs). Peer reviewers: Red racer736.

— Assignment last updated by Kwv2014 (talk) 18:08, 10 November 2023 (UTC)

Revision to Wikipedia for COMM 500 Theory and Literature of Communication Course

Hi everyone,

In this Wikipedia article, I revised the definition and lead sentence of muted group theory. Under the "Origin headline," I fleshed out key concepts in Ardener's "Belief and the Problem of Women" essay. In the Expansion section, I added a subhead to encompass the feminist lens through muted group theory. Additionally, I implemented more real-world applications to the muting methods such as ridicule and ritual in institutional systems including the health care system and family hierarchies. Under Kramarae's three assumptions headline, I refined the diction in the three assumptions. In relation to the application section, I inserted more social contexts in which marginalized groups experience mutedness in mass media, social rituals, the workplace, politics and education. I did not touch the theology subhead due to the lack of recent credible examples. Under the muted elements headline, I added more recent examples to the LGBTQ, race and age variables such as pedagogy disregarding Latinx community's education and ageism persisting in anti-aging industries that promote products to stop the aging process. I did not contribute much to Mark Orbe's perspective because the previous Wikipedia editor covered his research extensively. However, I did add more research from Radhika Chopra's perspective on men sometimes being a muted group in society. Future Wikipedia's could consider adding more critiques to muted group theory. Vsiguenza (talk) 01:26, 13 December 2023 (UTC)