COMM 4206 - Media and Society

3 cr. 3 hr. Offered every other semester.

This seminar provides a broader framework for understanding the relationship between media and society, and skills for critically evaluating the social role of media. The topics draw upon current media debates about the increasing concentration of media ownership, the role of the independent media sector, the rise and regulation of new media, the media portrayals of underrepresented segments of population, the relationship between media and identity, the active role of media audiences, and the growth of global media. The readings include and cite important texts in media theory and cultural studies.