1.
Teach the differences between generalizations and
stereotypes.
Generalizations
are not synonymous with stereotyping. Students
must first learn the difference and be guided to find examples of each. TV
shows and movies, like books, are written and created by people with their own
biases and understandings. This
can sometimes be a surprise to students.
Discuss the people behind media programs. Guide them to think about who
created the show. Do they think the writers and producers portrayed groups and
people accurately?
2.
Recognize patterns of group treatment in the mass media.
Evaluate
various kinds of media. Not only
should patterns be analyzed in movies and TV shows, look at advertising on
signs, billboards, magazines, and newspapers.
How is a product glamorized and for which audience is it intended?
3.
After recognizing that some patterns in media treatment
equate to
stereotypes, spend time discussing these issues.
Also,
find examples of programs that contradict stereotypes. Mass media can also play a role in highlighting the
cultures and talents of people from different races in a positive manner.
4.
Have students participate in projects that attempt to examine
and assess the
mass media.
-
Communicate the actual history behind popularized stories.
Compare the real-life story to the popular versions found in other movies
and books.
For
example, compare accounts of the real Pocahontas to the Disney depiction of
Pocahontas.
-
Select one radio talk show host and listen to the program regularly over
a two-week period to determine if the host uses a pattern of treatment when
discussing a particular ethnic group or even individual members of that group.
-
Collect all articles about women in one (or maybe two) daily
newspapers over a two-week period to determine if there is a
pattern of topic selection.
-
Over a period of time, watch TV network national news shows to see if
there is a pattern of treatment of religion.
-
Read and collect movie reviews for one month to determine if there is a
pattern of movies about ethnicity, a specific ethnic group, or a specific
diversity-related topic.
-
Look at a wide range of magazines to see if there is a pattern
of adjectives being used when referring to or discussing a particular nation, culture, region, or religion.
