Education (EDUC) 315

Overview

Designed for teachers, parents, and students of communication, this course in media education recognizes that, although mass media has come to dominate many aspects of our society, children have few opportunities to develop media literacy skills in formal settings. A basic assumption of the course is that media literacy helps children to an informed understanding of the nature of the mass media, its techniques, and effects. More specifically, media literacy increases their understanding and enjoyment of how the media works: how it is organized, how it produces meaning, and how it constructs reality. The course aims to provide the means by which teachers and others can foster media literacy in children so that they can critically analyze and evaluate the form and content of media, create media, communicate using media, and understand its use and purpose.

Outline

Unit 1: Introduction to Media Education

Unit 2: Media Literacy and the Curriculum

Unit 3: Canadian Popular Culture

Unit 4: The Art of Persuasion - Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations

Unit 5: Media and Values

Unit 6: Media Languages

Unit 7: The News

Unit 8: New(er) Technologies

Unit 9: Ideology and Representation

Unit 10: Audience

Unit 11: Movies

Unit 12: Prime Time Television

Unit 13: Popular Music

Evaluation

To receive credit for EDUC 315, you must complete all assignments, achieving a minimum composite course grade of “D” (50 percent). The chart below summarizes the course assignments and the credit weight associated with each one.

Unit Questions (after Units 1, 2 & 3)	12%
Unit Questions (after Units 4, 5 & 6)	12%
Unit Questions (after Units 7 & 8)	8%
Assignment 1 (due after Unit 8)	10%
Unit Questions (after Units 9 & 10)	8%
Unit Questions (after Units 11, 12 & 13)	12%
Assignment 2 (due after Unit 13)	25%
Discussion Forum Postings (min. of 13)	13%
Total	100%

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.