Literacy Review

Media & Literacy: What are we looking for? (Field Notes)

Which Literacy Metaphor? Explain.

Discuss your answer as a group. List specific examples from this clip. Pick a speaker to share your answer with the class.

Literacy as power:

Deregulating of media industry = A handful of companies owning most media and controlling content. Few limits on content.

Making people feel insecure about themselves in order to sell them beauty and diet products.

Media images shape our culture.

Literacy as Adaptation

The way the news is delivered drives rating. Yelling = more ratings. Celebrity reporting = more ratings.

Media Literacy

Scribner's Literacy Metaphors

Perspective: Media & Societal Gender Norms

Which literacy metaphor is this? Give specific details to explain your answer.

What literacy metaphors do you see in this clip of Malala discussing education?

Summarize the perspective of this YouTube video. What are your assumptions about who made it (not the actresses in it)?

Perspective

Literacy as Adaptation

Scribner's Literacy Metaphor

While the characters themselves may appear empowered in their films (bravery, wanting adventure, etc.) ultimately their storylines boil down to the importance of settling down with a man which disempowers the characters and reinforces societal norms.

Women need to be writing their own lives into screenplays in order for us to produce authentic stories about women.

Literacy as Power

Makers

By sharing stories based on real women we can present positive and realistic role models. People can relate and know they're not alone. Shape culture in a positive way.

Music and Lyrics by Antonius Nazareth

Directed and Edited by Vijay Nazareth

(2 men) - Does this surprise you?

Literacy as adaptation: Adapting education to target instruction to a specific community.

Literacy as power: The political power of education and the fight for the right to be literate.

Literacy as state of grace: The religious arguments surrounding education and literacy.

Media Bias

Perspective

Media & Race

Is this an insider or outsider perspective? Compare it to the perspective in the video we just watched.

Much of what Miss Representation argues about gender & media can also be argued about race and media. This clip illustrates the issues of race and representation in media.

Perspective

• For more information about the lack of racial diversity in popular culture and why it matters check out these links:
• http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/opinion/sunday/where-are-the-people-of-color-in-childrens-books.html
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kyle-zimmer/diversity-in-childrens-bo_b_5365694.html

Insider perspective- it comes from fans who are defending their fandom (Disney Princesses).

This graphic is arguing that the falling in love and having a "happy ending" does not negate the strong, empowering parts of their personality and actions throughout the plot. This graphic disagrees with the previous video.

Media & Class

What is your position?

Your Ethnographies

Media: Literacy as Power

These examples and Miss Representation raise the question of how does media challenge or reinforce societal norms (what is perceived as normal in society that you are pressured to conform to)? People often look to media for role models. There is great criticism about the role models available, especially for young girls and women.

Is this ethical in journalism? Is this ethical in entertainment (Pop culture)?

Look for YouTube videos and graphics like these for your ethnography project. What are people saying about your the text from your chosen subcultre? Are there criticisms about gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, etc. in the discourse community you are observing? These are the sort of things you should be looking for. What are people saying about the text? What are the conversations taking place? Find the perspectives. Find the arguments. Find the dialogue.