Media Literacy and the Critical Process

Media Literacy and the Critical Process
You may have noticed that each chapter in the Campbell text includes a featured called Media Literacy and the Critical Process (MLCP). The value of media literacy cultivated through such a process is described a bit more in Chapter One, but in general terms, each of the MLCP boxes follows a standard format for analyzing some aspect of the respective chapter, including the steps of description, analysis, interpretation, evaluation, and engagement. For Short Paper #3, I am leaving it open for you to choose any one of the Media Literacy and the Critical Process sections/boxes from any chapter we have read this semester. Choose your favorite chapter or the MLCP box that matches up best with your interests. Follow all the steps of the critical process delineated in these sections. The idea is to use the critical process to derive conclusions and insights about media that enable us to understand the workings of the media in a different way. Each chapters focus will be different and will require different background, so again, search for the MLCP box that works best for your interests. You will also note an extended case study at the very end of the book (p. 569) that may also be helpful. A special note: since we are engaging in this exercise as a short paper, (rather than a more extended project) you should focus on the areas most relevant to you and from which you can draw the most insight from the chapter. For example, the engagement step is about taking action and will in some cases require you to do something in the community or outside of class. I will not be requiring that of you in this context (though if it is something simple, like writing a letter to editor, and you would like to do so, thats great!), but would want you to articulate what you would do in this case. Similarly, some description steps will ask that you keep a log of media use over several weeks or engage in extended research on a topic.