Week 2 “Crap Detecting:” Becomning Critical ...



School and Society

OISE/UT

Winter 2003

Professor Megan Boler

office 6-262

mailbox located on 6th floor Theory and Policy Studies

416 923 6641 x3218

Course Description

The aim of this course is to ask you to

• reflect critically on your teaching philosophy

• examine the cultural values that you have learned and which impact your educational goals and practices

• examine social and cultural contexts of schooling

• explore how popular culture and media represent a key site of education

• develop curricula that use media education as an approach to engaging students in analysis of social and cultural issues

Required Texts: (available at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore, 73 Harbord at Spadina)

Beyond Heroes and Holidays

Mass Media and Popular Culture, Barry Duncan et al

Course Reader (available for purchase from Quality Copy, 333 Bloor St W)

Course Assignments

Participation and Attendance 15%

In Class Quizzes 20%

Media Log Part One 25% (Due in Class February 9)

Practicum Media and Culture Log Part Two 20% (Due In Class

March 29)

Curriculum Project 20% (Due April 19)

READING SCHEDULE

January 5 Introduction: Situating the Social, Historical, and Political Context of Schooling

What are the aims of education? What is your philosophy as a teacher? How do we integrate self-reflection and critical thinking into educational practices? What is multicultural education and how is it tied to globalization?

Key concepts:

Globalization

Cultural myths

Ideology

Bias, prejudice, structural inequality

Screening: Isle of Flowers

In-class reading: Wal Mart production of toys

In-Class Survey: (Part One)

Computer Lab

Read online: (links from electronic handout “Background Media Literacy Sources”)

January 12 “Crap Detecting:” Becoming Critical Anthropologists of our Own Culture

What are the unquestioned cultural myths you have grown up with? What is gained by critical reflection on ideologies? What role does the media play in reinforcing particular cultural myths?

Neil Postman, “Crap Detecting” (rdr)

Introduction vii-xii BHH

Nieto, “Affirmation, Solidarity, and Critique” BHH 7-18

“Approaches to Multicultural Reform” Banks 73-74 BHH

Kellner, “Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture” (rdr)

Chapter 1 Mass Media pps 1-23

Reading the News Critically

“Reporting the News” Mass Media 155-167

Key websites for alternative online news:

Truthout (site that links to all different international news sources)



Common Dreams



CounterPunch



Democratic Underground



The [London] Guardian



In These Times



Independent Media Center



Z Magazine



The Progressive



The Nation



The Centre for Research on Globalization

Endgame Research Services



FAIR Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting



The Onion Sardonic political and social humor



Program on Corporations, Law, & Democracy ()

monSense



Homework: visit Critical Media Literacy in Times of War website: spend 2 hours reading through modules on Iraq and Afghanistan

In-Class Screening: Advertising and the End of the World

Canadian Education on the Web



Sites on Corporate Influence and Consumerism

Information on the influence of corporations on public schooling:



A private educational corporation or ‘learning supplier’ which provides analysis and efficient organizational strategies for ‘learning markets’ and ‘learning buyers’:



Others:







Web Resources on Commercialism

Commercialism in Education Unit at Arizona State University



The Merrow Report on Commercialism in Schools:



PTA Guidelines on Corporate involvement at Schools:



A website called “Consumers Union: Non-profit

publication of consumer reports”, and “Consumers Union Education Servicesî,

which published a report called “Captive Kids: A Report on Commercial

Pressure on Kids at School”, (a follow-up to their earlier report, Selling

America's Kids: Commercial Pressures on Kids of the 90's) in 1998, outlining

the types of strategies used by advertisers and the various problems

associated with them.



January 19

Recognizing Social Class and Economic Influences

How are social inequities visible and not visible in Canadian culture? How do advertising images play on social class myths and values? How might we “resist”or rewrite advertisers’ messages?

Carly Stasko, Guest Speaker: Introduction to Culture Jamming

Layton, “Homelessness” (rdr)

Oakes, “Keeping Track”

Class Bias (electronic)

Overview on Advertising and Consumer Culture: The Corporate Influence in/on Culture and Education

Giroux, “Kids for Sale: Corporate Culture and the Challenge of Public

Schooling” (rdr)

Naomi Klein, “The Branding of Learning” (rdr)

Mass Media Chapter 3 Selling Images and Values

For homework for Jan 19 Spend one hour Visiting the following Web Resources:

A Canadian site run by the Media Awareness Network which provides resources on media education and literacy for parents, teachers and youths:



Sites that discuss intersection of race and class in Canada:









Charts and Graphs on Class in Canada from

Canadian Stats Website













January 26 Gender and Schooling

What is sex? What is gender? What is sexism? How do we learn gender roles? What are the costs of gender roles? How do schools and media institutionalize/reinforce gender roles?

Mass Media Gender and Media 41-54

Heterosexism in Middle Schools Mandel and Shakeshaft (rdr)

Kilbourne, “Cutting Girls Down to Size” (rdr)

Kirkham, “Cosmetics: A Clinique Case Study” (rdr)

Advertising, Popular Culture and Gender

Jackson Katz, “Advertising and the Construction of Violent White

Masculinity” (rdr)

Jhally, “Image Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture” (rdr)

In-Class Screening: Tough Guise, Killing Us Softly

A Report on the effects of media on masculinity:



February 2 Defining Racism and Anti-Racist Education

What is the difference between “celebratory multiculturalism” and anti-racist teaching? What are the challenges of “unlearning” privilege?

Anti-Racist education pps 26-34BHH

Dear High School Teacher 108 BHH

Dear principal 110 BHH

Students’ Stories in Action Comics 216-225 BHH

White Privilege McIntosh 77-80 BHH

What I’ve Learned About Undoing Racism 111-112 BHH

Distancing Behaviors 113 BHH

Moore, Racist Stereotyping in the English Language (rdr)

How Are Racial Stereotypes Reinforced in Media?

Mass Media pps 34-41

Arab Stereotypes 132-136 BHH

Wilson, “Advertising and people of Color” (rdr)

“Multicultural Pavilion”

Massive web-based lesson plans, resources



Social Justice Resources Center Database



February 9 First Nations

First Nations Education in Canada: The Circle Unfolds (rdr)

“Bias in Children’s Movies” Pocahontas 126-130 BHH

CHOOSE A READING from the “Education of Aboriginal Students” resource

bibliography, find it, read it, and bring to class ready to report on its key ideas.

Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Inclusive Curricula

What is heterosexism? How does schooling reinforce heterosexual privilege?

“Growing Up Gay” Whitlock 93-96 BHH

Broz, “Annie on My Mind” (Rdr)

Friend, “Choices Not Closets: Heterosexism and Homophobia in

Schools” (rdr)

Raymond, “Popular Culture and Queer Representation” (rdr)

Fejes, “Advertising and the Political Economy of Lesbian Gay Identity”

(rdr)

In-Class Screening: It’s Elementary

DUE in class February 9: Media Log Part One

Post-Practicum

During the final weeks of our course our goals are:

• To reflect on practicum observations of how cultural differences shape schooling

• To develop curricular units and lesson plans that integrate media education as an approach to fostering discussion about social issues in your classroom context and subject area

READINGS for Post-Practicum TBA

Description of Assignments/Evaluation

Participation and Attendance 15%

Your preparation for class—demonstrating through participation that you have completed the readings—your active participation in dialogue and groups, and your attendance will constitute a significant portion of the grade.

In Class Quizzes 20%

On two occasions, there will be a 15 minute quiz in class that asks you to define two or three of the key concepts discussed in the course up to that point. Each quiz is worth 10 points. A missed quiz cannot be made up.

Media Log Part One 25% Due in class February 9

During the first six weeks of the class, you will keep a weekly media log that will include at least two observations per week about representations of culture you observe. The representations you analyze must be related to the topic of the week—e.g., gender, race, class, heterosexism, etc. Examples might include:

• Advertisements you see

• Conversations you overhear

• Television content

• Fashion worn

• News coverage

Throughout your Media Log, VARY the type of representation you analyze—e.g., a combination of ads, conversations, news clips etc.

For each entry (at least two per week) include the following:

1. a description of what you have selected to analyze (or include in your journal a photo or other visual representation e.g. copy of the ad or news story etc. if possible)

2. an analysis of how you read the representation. The analysis needs to include:

• who is intended audience and how do you know?

• How does the representation reflect an aspect mentioned in one of our course readings (give a quote from our readings and show how your observation illustrates the authors’ point)?

• Your critical analysis/reflection on how this representation reflects cultural myths or values—be specific.

Culture Jamming: After Carly Stasko’s lecture on January 19, include one example of culture jamming in your Part One Media Log.

Practicum Media and Culture Log Part Two 20% DUE IN CLASS MARCH 29

During your Practicum, the focus of your Media Log is to record and analyze how young people in the schools engage, discuss, and interact with popular culture in their schools. Document the following:

a) Record Five occasions in which students discuss, enact, or engage popular culture/technology/corporate or consumer culture. For example, these might include (this is NOT an exhaustive list!):

• discussions of a tv show or music or fashion

• engagement with computers or personal technological devices (cell phones, cd players, etc)

• corporate inroads into education

• school polices regarding what personal devices are or are not allowed in the school

• advertisements on the school grounds (e.g., a vending machine etc)

You will record in writing:

• conversations you overhear

• behavior and interaction related to an object belonging to a student (e.g. a cd player, walkman, cellphone)

• students reactions to something in the class (e.g. a video that is shown, etc).

• discussions between students and teacher, or memos from administration, related to any aspect of popular culture or technology or fashion

b) When you record these five occasions, also write your reflections and observations:

• is their anything culturally-specific about how students spoke about this popular culture? For example, do girls talk to girls about one sort of things and boys another? What kinds of popular culture are shared across different cultural groups/cliques in the school? Which are not?

• Does their discussion engage critical analysis of the issue—e.g., do they analyze the TV show in terms of what was represented and what they did or did not like?

(c) Record at least three “critical cultural incidents”: incidents in which interactions take place or words are exchanged (between student-student; or teacher-student, or any other relationship in school) that reflect issues we’ve discussed in class regarding class, race, gender, disability, sexual orientation. For example (this is not an exhaustive list):

• Discussion of body image

• Gender roles enacted

• Racial segregation or hostility

• Linguistic diversity and challenges

• Social class/tracking

• Physical or learning disabilities, how this is a challenge or how accomodated by classroom/school

Final Project 20%

In this project, you will critically analyze lesson plans or a curriculum unit you have previously developed. Using significant amounts of in-class group time, you will develop five creative additions that integrate the material on social issues (race, class, gender, sexual orientation, class, disabilities, linguistic diversity) addressed in this class in a manner appropriate to your subject area. You will be expected to address:

a) integrate material related to three of these: race, class, gender, sexual orientation, class, disabilities, linguistic diversity

b) use the lens of media education

c) include a “rationale” that quotes key passages from our course readings that explain the goals and aims of your lesson plans as a unit

d) include a list of readings, websites, audio/video materials that will be used

e) include suggested activities/discussion topics that you can work into your lessons/unit

March 29 Barry Duncan visit

Debriefing: Discussion of Practicum Popular Culture Logs

How do we develop curricula that engages students in media literacy?

Readings: TBA

April 5 Reflecting on Teaching: Developing Anti-Racist Curricula and Pedagogies

Disabilities: Inclusive Learning Spaces

Haller, “Current Perspectives on Advertising Images of Disabilities” rdr

CHOOSE A READING from the “Disability Education” resource bibliography, find it, read it, and bring to class ready to report on its key ideas.

The True Colors of the New Jim Toomey 52-65 BHH

Language Diversity and Learning 154-165 BHH

Bilingual Education 17-180 BHH

Linguistic Human Rights 181-187 BHH

Reflections on Teaching (Further Possible Readings)

Why Do you Force Your Ways? Fingarsen 92-93 BHH

When the Frame Becomes the Picture, Marshall 104-108 BHH

Where I’m From 391-394 BHH

Global Learning Networks 334-354 BHH

Levin, “The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers” (rdr)

Teaching Social Issues through Science and Environmental Issues

pps 316-327 BHH

CONSUMERISM IN EDUCATION BIBLIOGRAPHY

Edmundson, Mark. “On the Uses of Liberal Education: I. As Lite Entertainment for Bored College Students,” Harpers Magazine. September, 1997, pages 39-59.

Giroux, Henry. Disturbing Pleasures: Learning Popular Culture, New York: Routledge, 1994.

__________. “Corporate Culture and the Challenge of Public Schooling”, in Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Text-Reader, ed. by Gail Dines and Jean M. Humez. Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications, 2003, page 173.

__________. The Mouse that Roared: Disney and the End of Innocence. New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 1999.

Grace, Gerald, “Politics, Markets, and Democratic Schools: On the Transformation of School Leadership”, in A. H. Halsey, Hugh Lauder, Phillip Brown, and Amy Stuart Wells, eds, Education: Culture, Economy, Society. New York: Oxford, 1997.

Kellner, Douglas. “Beavis and Butt-Head: No Future for Postmodern Youth,” in Kinderculture. The Corporate Construction of Childhood, edited by Shirley Steinberg and Joe Kincheloe. Westview, 1997: 85-102.

Klein, Naomi. No Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. Toronto: Vintage Canada, 2000.

Kincheloe, Joe & Steinberg, Shirley, ed. Kinder Culure: The Corporate Construction of Childhood, Boulder, CO: Westview, 1997.

Lasn, Kalle. Culture Jam: The Uncooling of America. New York: Routledge, 1994.

Molnar, Alex. Giving Kids the Business, Boulder, CO: Westview, 196.

Sides, Phyllis. “Captive Kids: Teaching Students to Be Consumers”, in Selling Out Our Schools: Vouchers, Markets, and the Future of Public Education. Milwaukee: Rethinking Schools Publication, 1996.

Wright, R. George, Selling Words: Free Speech in a Commercial Culture, New York: New York University Press, 1997.

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