Race and American Journalism

Catalog description

We know the names Trayvon Martin, Sandra Bland, and Tamir Rice. But we should also know the name Damon Kearns, a young black man born in Davidson who killed the only officer to die while on duty in the town - while being killed by the officer. This class will include an exhaustive look into the 20th anniversary of Kearns’ death as a way of exploring larger issues of race in American journalism. This loccal case study will help to illumine a myriad of lessons for young journalists and social justice warriors on the intersection of race, media, crime, and inequality in the 21st century, including many that are often misunderstood or overlooked. Satisfies a requirement in the Africana Studies major (Geographic Region: North America). Satisfies the Diversity requirement in the English major. Satisfies a requirement in the Communication Studies interdisciplinary major and minor. Satisfies the Justice, Equality, and Community requirement.