The purpose of this course, as governed by the textbook at its core, Understanding Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication, is to complete a fairly comprehensive examination of the evolution and impact of the media, primarily in the United States.
Please note: this legacy course does not offer a certificate and may contain broken links and outdated information. Although archived, it is open for learning without registration or enrollment.
Each of the major media (newspapers, magazines, books, radio, movies, music, and television), as well as new media (electronic entertainment, social media, and the Internet), are examined from their conception to the present and future possibilities. Emphasis is placed on how each media industry has evolved over time, responding to changes in society, technology, politics, and economics. The course also explores the cultural impact of the media, from individual media products to entire industries, with particular emphasis on the cultural and ethical factors that influence production, consumption, and also, due to the advent of new media, participation. Upon completing this course, you should be more conscious of how your viewpoints are shaped by and can shape the media with which you interact. As a result, hopefully, not only will you be more critical as a consumer of media products but also more demanding and more creative as a participant and even a producer.
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Provide specific examples of how media has influenced culture and cultural change and how cultural changes have had an impact on media development.
- Describe the processes of convergence and gatekeeping and critique their significance in the current media landscape.
- Identify influential theories and research on the roles, uses, and effects of the media on social, political, and cultural institutions.
- Compare and contrast the economic and cultural factors that influenced the evolution of various media from their inception to their current status.
- Recognize historically important technological changes that had direct and lasting effects on the public’s use of various types of media and on how people live their lives.
- Trace the evolution of journalism as it was influenced by developments in media and critique its current role in fostering public knowledge, social responsibility, and ethics in leadership.
- Recognize and describe from historical, cultural, and economic perspectives the leading products and personalities in each of the major and new media industries.
- Identify the legal and legislative developments that have shaped the media and describe some of the unresolved issues which challenge regulation of the media, including how media operate and how much control over media products political and social leaders can exert.
- Explain the changes and challenges that are occurring as the world goes digital.
- Provide examples of how the media influences individual perceptions of culture, gender, sexuality, wealth, education, politics, and other important social issues.
- Show how technology, legislation, and economics have changed media business models over time and how those models have adapted to and/or influenced cultures beyond their countries of origin.
