Media for Social Responsibility
In this course, students will learn to synthesize complex information about a particular topic of global social consequence (such as pollution, illiteracy, obesity, de-forestation, malnutrition) and develop proposals for actual media companies to address these topics and effect positive change.
The course format includes a leading expert outlining the importance of the issue and its relation to media's social responsibility in a keynote address, case studies of the ways in which this topic has already been addressed in the media, and small teams of students led by industry professionals working on a group project.
Students will demonstrate their grasp of the social impacts of the problem and media's social responsibility, their ability to apply message design and media selection strategies, and their knowledge of media economics and programming formats.
2013 Theme: Media Coverage of Global Nutrition
April 18-20, 2013
Professor Cory Young
To register:
GCOM 20000-01, CRN 42132
1 credit
Open to all Ithaca College majors
This year, the M4SR curriculum is focused on a topic of great concern throughout the world: The Global Food Crisis. The course will identify five key areas and will provide a program to discuss how media is dealing with them, what is positive about media coverage and how media is not being responsible in providing a forum for issues relating to the food crisis.
Some key topics include:
- societal risks
- environmental risks
- health risks
- portrayal of the body
- food as an industry
Nutritionist Joy Bauer of the NBC’s TODAY! will kick off the course in conjunction with the Jessica Savitch Distinguished Journalism Lecture Series.
Other speakers include:
- Brooke Bailey Johnson, President of Food Network
- Dr. Per Pinstrup-Andersen, winner of the 2001 World Food Prize
- Urvashi Rangan, Ph.D., Director of Consumer Safety and Sustainability for Consumers Union and Project Director for Consumer Reports GreenerChoices.org
- Bettina Luescher, Chief Spokesperson for North America of the World Food Programme
- Julian Cribb, The Coming Famine
- Michael Moss, investigative reporter with The New York Times
For complete bios, click here.
