Race and Media Literacy, Explained (or Why Does the Black Guy Die First?)

Gooding's book "Race and Media Literacy, Explained" offers twelve clear, cogent, and concise racial rubrics to help users of mainstream media discern patterns hidden in plain sight. It primarily leverages popular movies as the medium of analysis, but the rubrics apply to other forms of media. The book provides concrete concepts and a uniform vocabulary to recognize and further analyze these formulaic images, challenging the disparate treatment of non-White characters onscreen. It features an interdisciplinary approach to teaching race, guidance for honing media literacy skills, a HARM Theory Rubric, questions for questing sections, and innovative analysis of depictions of race and ethnicity in the top ten highest-grossing films of all time.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 192 pages
Publication date: 31 May 2024
Publisher: Teachers' College Press

Race and Media Literacy, Explained is a groundbreaking book that offers twelve clear, cogent, and concise racial rubrics to help users of mainstream media more readily discern patterns hidden in plain sight. The text primarily leverages popular movies as the medium of analysis, but the rubrics apply to other forms of media, such as television, print, and social media. "Why does the Black guy die first?" is a well-known rhetorical question that challenges the disparate treatment of non-White characters onscreen. This subtle statement about the representation of persons of color within mainstream movies has remained largely unexplored until now. Race and Media Literacy, Explained provides concrete concepts and a uniform vocabulary with which to recognize and further analyze these formulaic images. After participating in this dynamically interactive experience, readers will never see media the same way again!

The book features an interdisciplinary approach to teaching race that draws on cinema and forms of popular media that most students know. Guidance for honing media literacy skills with middle, high school, and undergraduate college students is provided. A HARM Theory Rubric that identifies 6 consistent patterns for depictions of non-White characters and 6 consistent patterns for White characters within mainstream movies is included. Questions for Questing sections provide critical questions for further exploration. Concrete vocabulary/glossary terms to engage with the subject matter more precisely are also included. Innovative analysis of depictions of race and ethnicity in the top ten highest-grossing films of all time is included.

Race and Media Literacy, Explained is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the role of race in media and how it can be used to promote positive change. With its clear and concise rubrics, the book provides a valuable tool for anyone who wants to become more media literate and aware of the ways in which race is portrayed in the media. Whether you are a student, teacher, or just a casual viewer of movies and television, this book will help you to see the world in a new light and to become more engaged in the conversation about race and media.

Weight: 274g
Dimension: 228 x 154 x 13 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780807769409