Writing-Based Inquiry Seminars:
Descriptions for Fall 2008
(please note: section topics and descriptions are subject to change)
Title: Media, Bias, Stereotyping & Image
Course: WBIS 188
Section: 019, 020
Instructor: Mertens, Maureen
It is said this is the information age, but is it? We are bombarded by bias in the news and negative stereotypes in television sitcoms and music videos. The oft repeated slogan that "Image is Everything" has never been more true. In this course, students address and answer the following questions. What bias exists in network and cable newscasts, in newspapers and magazines? Do negative stereotypes create personal bias? How important is image over substance? Students investigate these issues by working as detectives to unravel the world that surrounds them so that the contemporary world can be better understood.