UNDERSTANDING MEDIA
CORE 114 / 164

Course Overview and Objectives

Media seem to be everywhere and it is almost impossible to go anywhere without being confronted by a steady stream of media messages.  In the U.S., people can choose daily from broadcast media – radio and TV; cable TV; print media – newspapers, periodicals, and books; recorded media – CDs and audiotapes; visual media – videocassettes, DVDs and motion pictures; and the fastest growing form - computer-based media.

How can we make sense of this media mix?   How can media consumers tell the difference between news, propaganda, advertising, and entertainment?  What, if anything, are the differences? What factors determine the media messages that get produced and the ones that don’t? Whose interests are being served; whose ignored? What are the implications of all this for our political system and our culture? 

In this course, we will explore these and other questions in the attempt to develop a high degree of media literacy.  Additional objectives specific to this course which tend to both lead to and flow from media literacy include:

· Learn to think independently and question authority

· Develop analytical skills that encompass social and historical understandings

· Understand the effect of media on constructing perceptions of reality

· Recognize the racism, sexism, and classism that may be imbedded in media messages

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The following are objectives that are common to all the Core Discovery courses:

GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES – SKILLS
Develop academic skills necessary for success in this and other college courses 

· enhance note-taking abilities

· practice active reading of complex materials

· develop a working knowledge of university library resources 

Develop effective communication skills

· develop the ability to convey ideas coherently and effectively in written and oral form

· develop interpersonal skills including participating in class discussions, posing thoughtful questions, listening and responding to others

· accomplish tasks through group work 

Develop the ability to think critically 

· learn how to identify and evaluate arguments

· develop the ability to assess multiple perspectives on a single issue/topic 

Develop the ability to use effectively a variety of methods of inquiry

· practice gathering data from a variety of sources, e.g., texts, public documents, interviews, panels,  surveys, observation, internet sites

· develop the ability to synthesize insights and information from various disciplines

GENERAL COURSE OBJECTIVES – CONTENT
Be introduced to a number of academic disciplines and their interdependence 

Become aware of and sensitive to the diversity of humankind 

· develop an understanding of diverse values, attitudes, and interpretations

· become aware of how values are shaped by culture

· critically examine personal values and attitudes 

Understand contemporary experience in light of past events  

Experience the diversity of campus culture by attending lectures, concerts, theater productions, gallery exhibits, etc.