Media Literacy Film Resources
A teacher resource for the media education college classroom
Jan 1, 2007
Media literacy is a growing international movement to help students develop the skills and the vocabulary to interpret the media critically. (For more information, see this article about teaching media literacy in the college classroom.) I've been teaching media literacy for over a decade, and I can recommend some useful films to show to college students.
As you can see, a number of these recommended films are from the Media Education Foundation, a University of Massachusetts based producer of educational films about the media. If you teach media classes to college students, you'll want to look through their website and see what they have to offer. The downside to MEF films is that they are expensive. See if your school has copies of these films, and if they don't, encourage your school to order them.
Many media literacy films have a bias, which filmmakers do not try to hide. When showing these films, remember not to present the arguments made in each film as fact. An important principle when teaching media literacy is to avoid preaching your own views about the media. Use these films to start discussions, and present "devil's advocate" views if no one else does.
- Rich Media, Poor Democracy (2003). Featuring Robert McChesney and Mark Crispin Miller, the short documentary makes a powerful argument against the corporate media system. It's a little dry, but can be used to spark discussions about the pros and cons of the corporate media system. Available from the Media Education Foundation
- Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media (1992). This classic documentary focuses on Noam Chomsky's views about the media. Chomsky argues that the U.S government and media corporations manipulate media in a propagandistic way to keep citizens from questioning the status quo. This documentary is very long (167 minutes), so you may want to pick and choose what to show. Available widely, including at Amazon.com.
- Control Room (2003). This documentary chronicles the early coverage of the Iraqi War by Al Jazeera, the main television network in the Arab world. Compare and contrast the coverage in this film with media coverage of the war in the U.S. and in other countries, and you'll have a great discussion about how objectivity is a complicated goal. Available widely, including at Amazon.com
- Color Adjustment (1991) and Ethnic Notions (1987). Created by Marlon Riggs, these two documentaries are must-sees for any class that discusses representations of African Americans. Color Adjustment offers a historical look at African Americans on television from the post-war years to the late 1980s. Ethnic Notions chronicles the history of derogatory images such as the Mammy, the Sambo, and the Coon, and discusses how these images never fully went away. Available from California Newsreel.
- Killing Us Softly 3 (2002). Created by Jean Kilbourne, versions of this film have been shown in classrooms for decades to spark discussions about gender and advertising. Using countless advertisements as examples along with a sense of humor, Kilbourne argues that advertising objectifies and infantilizes women and contributes to a culture of violence against women. Available from the Media Education Foundation.
- Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity (1999). Created by Jackson Katz, Tough Guise is a great resource to use when discussing both masculinity and violence in the media. Katz argues that the recent influx of hypermasculine images in the media are a backlash against women's increased power in society. Available from the Media Education Foundation.
- The Celluloid Closet (1996). Based on the book by Vito Russo, this historical documentary chronicles representations of homosexuals in Hollywood films until the early 1990s. Homosexuals were officially excluded from all Hollywood films because of the Hollywood production code, but this film shows how producers managed to sneak in ambiguous representations, many of which were derogatory. Available widely, including from Amazon.com.
- Dreamworlds 3: Desire, Sex & Power in Music Videos (in production). Produced by Sut Jhally, Dreamworlds 3 is the updated version of the documentary that argues that music videos contribute to a culture of rape and violence against women. This may be one of the most controversial things you ever show in your class, so expect very mixed reactions. An important note: this documentary contains graphic scenes that may be extremely disturbing to survivors of sexual violence, so let your class know this ahead of time and allow students the option of anonymously opting out of viewing it. Dreamworlds 2 can be shown while the 3rd version is in production, but be warned that many of the videos will seem very outdated to the students and might lead them to dismiss the argument. Available from the Media Education Foundation.
Related articles:
- All about teaching college media literacy courses
- Using reality TV in the college classroom
- Film resources for Black History Month
- College teacher resources
So, what do you think about college media literacy classes? Please join the discussion!
