MDST 363 Children, Adolescents and the Media

General

• Students will understand the history of electronic media in the United States and public policy issues in broadcasting, especially as they relate to the child/adolescent audience and can demonstrate this understanding in essay and objective exams and/or book reviews.
• Students will locate and critique communication research studies of historical significance related to the child/adolescent audience and will locate and critique the most current communication research on the same topic. Students will respond to these readings in papers and online class discussions.
• Students will develop skills in media criticism and media literacy through viewing a wide variety of media materials for young people (including current films/television programs/video games), writing about current media issues in the popular press and using journal writing assignments to document individual media use.
• Students will explore some of the major issues in the study of children, adolescents and the media including but not limited to advertising, violence, media literacy, cultural representations, gender, educational media, media campaigns for social issues, animation and new technologies and can demonstrate their understanding of the issues through response papers, book reviews and/or projects .
• Students will learn about future trends in electronic media and international programs for young people.
• Students will develop the ability to generate a new programming idea for children and/or adolescents and "pitch" the idea in an industry simulation.
• Students will develop skills in online communication and demonstrate these skills through individual and group presentations, industry simulations and discussion activities.