Extended Class

Communications 101

A picture is worth a thousand words - Anonymous

This quote of unknown origin was made many years before the arrival of the Age of Information. Much of what we learn about the world today is through visual images. This class will address communication in a world BEFORE and AFTER modern technology. You will learn to think critically by interacting with a wide variety of media messages. You will get to examine what the media is, why it is important, the power it holds, how stories are constructed, and how and why the media should be interpreted. You will analyze the kinds of media messages you see and hear everyday -- even those you think of as entertainment.

You'll find challenging opportunities to:

• analyze television shows
  
• evaluate and create your own advertisements
  
• determine target audiences for magazines
  
• study the news media
  
• learn how to take, interpret and evaluate photographs
  
• consider song lyrics and music videos
  
• learn public speaking
  
• study popular programs like cartoons, talk shows, even professional wrestling
  
• write a screenplay
  
• study the development of the motion picture industry
  
• watch classic films
  
• evaluate Web sites

You'll also engage in an ongoing discourse about the long term effects of technology on our society and the world. There is a negative viewpoint and criticism of our ever growing dependence upon technology. The roots of contemporary resistance to the direction of technology and its manifestation in the 21st century will also be closely examined.

View the Flyer
(PDF format - Adobe Acrobat Reader required)