Media Criticism and Theory

Catalog description

Critical and theoretical approaches to the analysis of media and communication. To what extent does media (television, movies, print, radio, Internet, etc.) shape our awareness of not only the world around us but also ourselves as thinking human beings? Is it all a matter of perception and relative exposure to these media? How do we approach everyday interfaces with the immense number of media messages in both public and private spaces? Where do our opinions of the validity of both the informational and the aesthetic standards of media messages come from? In this course, we attempt to come to terms with the rise and apparent predominance of media as a dominant cultural institution.