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Part I: A Cultural Studies Approach to Media: Theory

Video 1: 1931: M - How Cinema Asks a Difficult Question.
Description: Some of the best films ask big philosophical questions, but M did more than this. M created a carefully constructed philosophical argument aimed at getting the audience to examine their own ideas of right and wrong. M is a 1931 German drama-thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre. The film was written by Lang and his wife, Thea Von Harbou, and was the director’s first sound film. The film concerns both the actions of a serial killer of children, and the manhunt for him, conducted by both the police and the criminal underworld.

Video 2: Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream-Why Poverty?
Description: Using the famous Park Avenue in NYC, this film demonstrates the gap between the rich and poor.

Video 3: Generation M-Media Literacy, Education, and Choice
Description: This short video introduces the concept of and need for media literacy in our society.

Video 4: bell hooks: Cultural Criticism and Transformation
Description: Author, activist, and educator, bell hooks, explains why popular culture is a useful way to teach about racial, gendered, and classed representations.

Web 1: Theory.org.uk
Description: David Gauntlett’s site about media and creativity in everyday life. Established in 1997, Theory.org.uk was initially a set of original online resources.

Web 2: Introduction to Critical Theory, a Culture Approach
Description: This website offers an introduction to Critical Theory through two cultural movements within philosophy: predominantly, the Frankfurt school responded to the Enlightenment but also to German Idealism in a Marxist way.

Web 3: Action Coalition for Media Education
Description: This website offers tools and resources for media education through analysis, evaluation, and production of media.

Web 4: Freepress
Description: This website offers information about media ownership and concentration.

Web 5: Writers Guild of America, West
Description: The 2013 Staffing Brief highlights three groups traditionally underemployed in the television industry--women, minorities, and older writers.