Race, Media and Technology

Catalog description

This course introduces students to critical perspectives that enable them to evaluate the racial, social, and cultural consequences of contemporary media and technology in their daily lives. The course focuses on the production of race and racisms in the U.S. via mass media, social media, and (bio)technologies. Students will develop critical media literacy skills by analyzing companies and platforms (Netflix, Twitter, Spotify), technologies (screens, algorithms, cameras), artifacts (memes, gifs, TV episodes), and practices (viewing, posting, sharing) that socially construct race and racial power dynamics. In addition, the course will explore how racially and/or ethnically marginalized communities use media and technologies to construct subjectivities, engage in politics, and resist racial power.