This course emphasizes a theoretical understanding of media and media production skills. It is a critical cultural study of the media, focusing on the relationships between media representations and society. Students explore different conceptual perspectives on the role and power of visual media in society in influencing social values, political beliefs, identities and behaviors; analyze specific media texts, such as film and television shows; and examine the dynamics of how class, gender, generation, and race influence the production and reception of media. LEC.