Course description: The course examines what it means to be literate in a media era. Key concepts and principles from the field of media literacy are studied through an examination of movies, advertising, television, photojournalism, news, and the Internet. Emphasis is placed upon understanding media texts, media industries, media narratives, and the form and language of a variety of different media. Students are provided with critical frameworks for analyzing media as well as with tools and techniques to be applied in several class projects aimed at deconstructing media messages.