Course Description

Media messages are powerful and ubiquitous, both shaping and framing our understanding of the world. In this course, we will examine and implement qualitative and quantitative methods of systematically exploring media messages to answer questions such as: Are video games /really /violent? Why are we so afraid of H1N1? Are men and women represented as having different relationships to technology? In this project-based course, we will explore qualitative and quantitative approaches to analyzing media messages, including traditional content analysis and qualitative media analysis. Students will learn how to implement quantitative and qualitative content analyses of media messages included in written materials (e.g., news articles, print ads), audio/visual media (e.g., movies, TV programs, commercials, photographs), or interactive media (e.g., games, online applications).

Examples of the various approaches to media analysis will be reviewed and discussed. Each student will then identify a specific content analysis problem and design and carry out a content analysis to explore the problem, producing a paper based on their project that is suitable for journal submission as their final assignment for the class.