Africana Media Studies

Catalog description

Africana Media Studies is an introduction to the Africana experience (primarily in the U.S) through media. This course is designed to enable scholars the opportunity to explore, critique and understand images, stereotypes, myths and counter-imaging of the Africana experience. Contemporary as well as historic notions of race, class and gender through the prism of media will be examined. In the exploration of these various themes attention will be paid to the social, political, and economic contexts that have shaped the media. The media includes, though not limited to radio, television, film, newspapers and the internet. This course will attempt to include all aspects of the media to facilitate the examination of the Africana experience. However primary attention will be given to television, film and radio. The course will follow a loose chronological approach from early media to contemporary media. While the primary focus is on Africana media it does not preclude discourse on other related media studies issues, it is however the emphasis for this course.