Communication 494AI - Media and the Family

Over the years, the family has gradually given up many of its functions and much of its authority to outside institutions. Schools, religious institutions, peer groups, and various community organizations now perform basic tasks of socialization, education, work, and recreation that were previously the domain of the family. Unlike most other external institutions, however, media come inside the home, bringing with them the most pervasive, common, and widely-shared images, perspectives, and values of our society (including those of the family itself), as they give shape and structure to family interaction patterns. At the same time, conceptions of what counts as "a family" are changing as never before, and new media technologies continually offer new ways for family members to communicate, both inside and outside of the home, shifting what "family communication" means in the process. This seminar explores existing theory and research in order to assess what we know about these transformations and to explore how we might be able to understand them better. What are the "normative" images of families presented in the media and what do they contribute to our beliefs and "values" about families? How do media influence family interaction? How do families mediate the effects of media? What about social networking, video games, cell phones, and other new technologies? With a major focus on assessing the quality and validity of existing empirical research, students will draw upon various approaches to research and constructions of family encountered in their GenEd courses, along with personal experiences with media in the family context. Requirements include written commentaries and oral presentations based on the readings, self-reflection papers, and a final (group) research project. Satisfies the Integrative Experience requirement for BA-Comm majors.

Open to Senior and Junior Communication majors only. This course serves as an Integrative Experience (IE) requirement for BA-COMM majors.