GE 6411 - Modern Media & Its Impact on Youth

Mass media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion about youth culture and the various forms of social practices that young people engage in. Sociological research on young people and film has produced a number of theories to explain both the appeal and impact of images and text on the behavior, attitudes and overall outlook of youth cultures. This course is designed to help classroom teachers develop a sophisticated understanding of debates and issues raised by various media environments that characterize contemporary existence. The focus will be on how young people actually use, value, and find meaning in multiple media in different contexts. This course will also discuss the social and cultural implications of media. This highly interactive course will examine stereotyping, unhealthy images, violence, and inequality in film, television, and music, advances in communication, youths perspective on the media, and how to embrace media in schools.

Graduate students will study the advances in media and how it impacts adolescents through class discussion, activities, case studies, inquiry-based learning, primary source analysis, and scholarly research. We will examine modern media as it applies to students, families, and educators. This course will require that students apply critical inquiry into modern media. Current media outlets will be utilized in the study of this course.

3 Credits