Popular movie depictions of racial minorities as dysfunctional help maintain the present race-linked social stratification by instilling a sense of social disharmony and justifying continuing racial oppression. The enthnocentric bias of the majority of films reinforces stereotypical perceptions of minorities and legitimizes the status quo of white…

As a major element of societal multicultural education, the mass media disseminate information, images, and ideas concerning race, ethnicity, culture, and foreignness. The multicultural media curriculum functions whether or not media makers actually see themselves as educators and whether or not viewers are aware of the role of media as sources of…

This conference focuses on how females are portrayed in a range of current media and whether these messages influence girls. The report is divided into three parts. Part 1, "Getting the Message," maintains that girls are aggressive consumers of the popular media and they understand the messages conveyed there. Although current media…

Discusses the impact of a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary, "The Valour and the Horror." Asserts that, although the presentation caused controversy in English-speaking Canada, it received little interest in Quebec. (CFR)

Examines African-American family life portrayals (BFLPs) on commercial television during the 1985-86 season, and considers BFLPs as a model for social learning by children. Analysis of the "Cosby Show,""227," and "Charlie & Company" indicates that more positive BFLPs are emerging, which may provide possible role…

Explores the implicit boundaries on topic choice established by early proponents of writing process pedagogy and traces these boundaries to a widespread cultural concern about the disappearance of a pretechnological form of childhood. Urges a dialogic view of writing that acknowledges the positive contribution children's media affiliations can…

The United States produces the most media--film, television, and music--in the world; yet, media literacy is still a new concept to most Americans, including educators. What media literacy is, why it matters, and how it can be implemented--especially in the schools--constitute the subject of this yearbook. The answers are diverse, as the chapters…

A study investigated how a contemporary, popular media program such as "The Real World" (on MTV) can be used most effectively in the classroom to illustrate the basic concepts of interpersonal, group, and family communication. The 21 individual 22-minute episodes of the second season of "The Real World" (a combination of…

Based on an ethnographic study in an urban classroom of 7- to 9-year olds, this book examines how young school children use popular culture, especially superhero stories, in the unofficial peer social world and in the official school literary curriculum. In one sense, the book is about children "writing superheroes"--about children…

This pamphlet presents the results of a series of focus groups comprised of Native American children and adolescents regarding their perceptions of race and class in the media. The results indicated that although some youth were concerned most about the absence of their group in the media, others were primarily concerned about stereotyped…

Updates knowledge about the representation of occupations on prime-time network dramatic television using data on 14,902 television characters, and explores how these representations may be related to perceptions of over 3,000 high school students about their future work. Television may be doing young people a disservice in its portrayals. (SLD)

A study compared the portrayal of teachers in a sample selection of American movies with recent trends in the public perception and opinion of teachers, education, and the nation's public schools. E. G. Bormann's fantasy theme analysis was used to examine themes and myths developed in "Goodby Mr. Chips,""The Corn Is…

More high school students watch television regularly than read newspapers. Newspapers in Education coordinators should be involved in teaching their students critical viewing skills. The essential concepts that students need to learn are to: (1) understand what mass media and popular culture mean; (2) understand how the media shape attitudes and…

To see whether the subject matter of magazines of general circulation and the subject matter of public concern coincide, a study examined the volume of coverage of United States-Soviet relations, communism, and issues of nuclear warfare between the two nations in twentieth century popular magazines. The "Reader's Guide to Periodical…

Summarizes a wealth of evidence establishing a causal relationship between television viewing and violence. Outlines a series of corrective measures available within the fields of media literacy, public policy, and education. Briefly discusses related issues such as government versus self-regulation, and First Amendment protections. (MJP)