Gender, Race, and Class in the Media

Since their onset, US media industries have been enormously powerful conveyors of meaning, both nationally and globally. All media content, from news and music to advertising, video games and social media, is about the stories we tell ourselves as a society. Thus, we need to understand who produces it, how it is produced, and what effect it has. This course critically examines historical and contemporary stereotypes of gender, sexuality, race and social class in films, TV, music, video games, websites, books, magazines, advertisements and news media, looking at the reasons for and consequences of stereotyping. Challenging students to reflect on issues of historical and contemporary social and economic inequality in society, students will exit the course with greater cultural sensitivity as it relates to professional media practices and building civility, community and character in everyday life.

Introduction to Media

This course is designed for students who have grown up in a rapidly changing global multimedia environment and who want to become more literate and critical consumers and producers of culture. The course offers students an introduction to the history of media, defined broadly as including, print, audio, photographic, broadcast, cinematic, and digital cultural forms and practices and explores the current climate of media, media industries and institutions, and effects. We will begin with historical media and move toward the nuanced issues of the contemporary media landscape, but we will look for consistent issues and concerns throughout.

Media Ethics & Law

This course challenges students to reason through legal and ethics-related conflicts in journalism and beyond, encouraging them to grapple with moral philosophy, moral decision-making models, journalistic principles, and law. Using journalism as the lens through which to explore these questions, students will be pushed to more deeply understand journalists' role in society; the challenges of practicing ethical journalism in an environment filled with hindrances; the responsibilities journalists have to sources, audiences, and employers; the role of diversity in journalism; and how philosophers have approached these huge ethical problems for centuries. Students will also gain a working understanding of libel, reporter's privilege, privacy, and shield laws.