Given my interest in teaching and research on race and
ethnicity, I decided to compare syllabi for courses that are related to the
study of media and minorities. Although I found a number of courses on the
topic, I narrowed it down to three. They are all upper level undergraduate
courses at different U.S. universities, including the University of
Wisconsin-Madison (UW-Madison), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
(UIUC), and University of South Carolina (USC). Links to the syllabi are below:
1) J662: Mass Media and Minorities (UW-Madison), Spring 2014 (Please contact for copy of syllabus.)
(3) Communication 429: Minorities, Women and the Media (USC), Spring 2011
Learning Objectives
Each course asked students to engage with stereotypes in the
media so they could critically read mass media representations of minorities,
including women. They all emphasized the role the media plays in perpetuating
stereotypes and their potential effects.
However, Comm 429 at UIUC did not explicitly spell out
learning objectives. The course was designed to provide an overview of the
topic, whereas J662 at UW-Madison and Journ 311 at USC seemed to be geared
toward gaining historical context and allowing people to develop the skills to
critically analyze media based on communication theories and/or theories
related to race and ethnicity.
Reviewing these syllabi confirmed the importance of setting
out explicit learning goals at the beginning of the course so that students can
make connections to what they are reading/discussing, and the knowledge they
are amassing through this process.
Course Topics
Although all of the courses are grounded in some sort of
theory, the courses differed on how they conceptualized learning about mass
media and minorities. For instance, J662 and Journ 311 took the trajectory of
first establishing a theoretical foundation, then focusing on special topics
(e.g. specific minority groups and the media). On the other hand, Comm 429 was
more focused on the current social science literature on media content and
media effects in relation to minorities. Therefore, there was less of a focus
on theory in that particular course and more emphasis on topic-based knowledge.
However, the theory-based approach also had its differences:
J662 was mainly concerned with the theoretical basis and concepts related to
“race” and “ethnicity,” whereas Journ 311 focused on communication theories
(e.g. cultivation theory, agenda setting). J662 did the most to delve into the
actual conceptualization of race and difference, and why that matters to the
study of race in media. It provided a framework for understanding media in
context by drawing attention to the U.S. as a multicultural society.
Course Readings
The readings reflected the emphasis of each course. Each
syllabus had a fair share of popular media readings, but also included a
variety of journal articles, chapters from books, etc. Not many of the readings
overlapped, which is probably reflective of the different approaches each
course took in tackling the topic. Comm 429 focused on empirical research,
mainly journal articles that studied the content and effects of minority
representations. Journ 311’s reading list was mainly made up of popular media
that supplemented the two required books. The J662 reading list seemed to be
the most extensive, in terms of combining excerpts from books with some popular
media readings. The readings seemed to generally reflect the goals each syllabus
outlined for the class.
Course Assignments
All of the courses compared here used a combination of exams, papers, and/or projects to assess student learning. The assignments required students to critically engage with the material and often matched up with their learning objectives. For example, the papers in Journ 311 asked students to explicitly use mass communication theories. In J662, the writing assignments asked students to engage critically with the concepts and theorizations of race (e.g. white privilege, color-blind racism). Comm 429’s main writing assignment asks students to critique a stereotyped media portrayal and consider its effects. Therefore, each of the courses uses the assignments to bolster the goals they have set forth for the course.
All of the courses compared here used a combination of exams, papers, and/or projects to assess student learning. The assignments required students to critically engage with the material and often matched up with their learning objectives. For example, the papers in Journ 311 asked students to explicitly use mass communication theories. In J662, the writing assignments asked students to engage critically with the concepts and theorizations of race (e.g. white privilege, color-blind racism). Comm 429’s main writing assignment asks students to critique a stereotyped media portrayal and consider its effects. Therefore, each of the courses uses the assignments to bolster the goals they have set forth for the course.
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