SOC 5055 Media & Social Change
How capitalism, patriarchy, and racialized institutions create and shape mass media. How mass media and popular culture shapes our consciousness, and our ability to act on the world around us. How media is, and can be, used for social change. Topics include: the power and pervasiveness of mass media; capitalism and ideology; the concentration of media ownership and control; the manufacturing of consent; the management of news; the history and role of advertising; ethnic and gender roles; de-constructing images; media and cultural globalization; the politics of social change; traditional left politics vs. alternative politics; sources of change in the U.S. and Third World; alternative media; counter-culture; anti-globalization movements, and case studies of how media can be used for social change.