Race, Sex, Media

Are non-traditional media better at handling issues of identity, race and gender, or are they making things worse by reinforcing harmful ideas and stereotypes? Let’s talk about social media, blogs, chat groups, non-mainstream outlets, non-news outlets, the late night talkies, comic books and graphic novels. Required Reading/Viewing: “ Are We Racist? A Family’s Conversation, Illustrated ” by Mira Jacob, The Guardian “ 37 Difficult questions from my Mixed-Race Son ” by Mira Jacob, Buzzfeed “ Is Twitter the Underground Railroad of Activism? ” by Feminista Jones, Salon “ A Conversation on Race ,” The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Peruse: “ Just My Boy ” blog by Elle White Peruse: “ African American News ” on Breitbart “ Equal Rights Amendment ,” Last Week Tonight With John Oliver “ The Thing About Safety ” by Ijeoma Oluo “ Three Great Innovations That Show Gender Fluidity Has Become Mainstream ” by Andrea Cheong, Foresight Factory “ Why I’m Writing Captain America ” by Ta-Nehis...

What's the media's role in shaping national history? Is it significant that the New York Times -- known as "the paper of record" -- published this project instead of another print publication? Did it have a different impact in print than it would have as a broadcast or cable news report? Was this project a public service or political propaganda? Required Reading/Viewing: " The 1619 Project " by The New York Times and the Pulitzer Center (print version). There is A LOT here. Please be sure to read Nikole Hannah-Jones' essay "The Idea of America" (pages 14-26), the poem by Yusef Kommunyakaa (page 29), the poem by Eve L. Ewing (page 42), "Undemocratic Democracy" by Jamelle Bouie and the profiles in the "Hope" photo-and-essay feature by Jeneba Adauyom, Nikole Hannah-Jones and Wadzanai Mhute (pages 86 to 93). " The 1619 Project Live Event " by The New York Times,   featuring Nikole Hannah-Jones, Jamelle Bouie, Ma...

Those of you studying advocacy journalism may be interested in this opportunity (if you're not too swamped). Via Call for Papers : Michele Lockhart seeks contributors for her fifth collection of essays, which will analyze the language used by female candidates as they vie to be the 46th President of the United States and first female President of the United States. The book, tentatively entitled Women and their Words: The Rhetoric of the 2020 U.S. Presidential Election Campaign, examines the prelude to the historic event—Election Day, November 3, 2020—focusing on the women who ran for high office, whether it be Vice-President or President. The primary focus of the book will surround the political discourse of the individuals as demonstrated through speeches, debates, and social media, while taking into consideration visual rhetoric components, such as political ads / signage, and yes, the appearance of the candidate. The interdisciplinary approach lends itself to: rhetoric; ...

Want to learn more about the Society of Professional Journalists ? Come to an informal meeting with free pizza (what journalist doesn't love free pizza?)... When: Wednesday, Sept. 25, at noon. Where: Holmes 110 Get involved! Leadership positions are available. For more information, please email  Professor Dan Kennedy .

We’ve come a long way since the 2008 race and concerns over whether Sarah Palin was being treated fairly by the media. Or have we? How does the way the media covers race and gender make a difference now, with so many women and a few people of color in the crowded Democratic field? Required Reading/Viewing: Watch the Democratic presidential debate on Thursday, Sept. 12. Take note of how often and what kinds of questions are posed to female candidates or candidates of color compared with white males. Notice who gets interrupted, and who is doing the interrupting. Are the moderators allowing all candidates equal time to respond? Who is getting the most time, and on what topics? What are the pundits discussing after the debate? Take notes, and come to class prepared to discuss whether and how race and/or gender affected media coverage, or not. “ Many Say the Press Has Been Too Tough on Sarah Palin ” by Tom Rosentiel, Pew Research Center “ Palin Attacks Media for Her Treatment During ...

On Monday, Sept. 9, we’ll introduce ourselves to one another, and talk a bit about the differences between race and ethnicity, and between gender and sex. Is the media doing a good job of making the distinctions? Required Reading/Viewing: “ The Year We Obsessed Over Identity ” by Wesley Morris, The New York Times “ Why Identity Matters ” The Critical Media Project “ What We Can Learn from an Indonesian Ethnicity that Recognizes Five Genders ” by Sharyn Graham Davies, The Conversation

Welcome to Race, Sex, Media, a journalism course at Northeastern University that explores how race, sex and gender are represented in the media and how that affects how we see the world. My hope is that, by the end of this course, we'll have a better idea of how to minimize bias and tell stories of race, sex, and gender more effectively. But first, a few things... Please check back here the day after class to confirm the readings for the following week. This class is focused on how the media is covering race, sex and gender issues right now, so while the syllabus is full of interesting things to consider, I may update the readings with more-current examples or we may need to pivot to a different topic if something is dominating the news cycle. Please feel free to schedule a quick chat any time. Office hours may be limited, but you can email me or Google Chat at any time and if I'm not available that moment I will be happy to schedule a time to talk. Just reach ...