COM3076 SpT:Media in Times of Crisis

Media reports and our perceptions of crises are often at odds with the real events that people experience. From global warming to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, our current condition is increasingly defined by world-wide crises. This course will explore the ways our perceptions of global crises are shaped and informed by the media, including broadcast, print, film, and digital. Through reviews of case studies, students will evaluate how media have informed civic responses to crises over time. They will examine the AIDS epidemic, 9/11, the war on terror, the 2008 financial crisis, and the opioid crisis. Discussions will focus on promoting media and information literacy, as well as strength and resiliency in times of crisis. These activities and presentations will draw from positive psychology, communication, sociology, economics, health, environmental science, and statistics. Students will be assigned films, documentaries, and podcasts about crises, that promote “apocalyptic imagination,” (Mad Max, Water World, and Outbreak). Students will become critical consumers, increase media literacy, understand the various impacts of media, and gain valuable research skills. Credits: 2