Presentation Title
Critical Media Literacy and Climate Change
Biographical Sketch
Jeff Share worked for ten years as a freelance photojournalist documenting situations of poverty and social activism on three continents. In 1995, he became a bilingual elementary school teacher at Leo Politi Elementary School in Pico Union. After seven years, Share left the classroom to work as the Regional Coordinator for Training at the Center for Media Literacy where he wrote curricula and led professional development. He then earned his Ph.D. in the Graduate School of Education and Information Studies at UCLA and now works as faculty advisor in the Teacher Education Program at UCLA with new teachers in the master’s level credentialing program. He also provides professional development training in critical media literacy with teachers in the Los Angeles Unified School District as well as educators across the US and internationally. His current research and practice focuses on the teaching of critical media literacy in K-12 education. In 2015, Share published the second edition of, Media Literacy is Elementary: Teaching Youth to Critically Read and Create Media.
Type of Presentation
Individual presentation
Brief Description of Presentation
We begin with historical context about critical media literacy and cultural studies. The audience will then use an inquiry-based framework to deconstruct representations of environmental issues. Through analyzing various media texts, such as a classic Public Service Announcement from the 1970s and contemporary media that challenge hegemonic ideologies, the audience will apply critical media literacy pedagogy to unveil common tropes and the powerful role media play in framing public discourse about climate change and environmental justice. We will also explore ways to use media to challenge problematic representations with alternative perspectives.
Abstract of Proposal
For years, environmental problems in the US have been represented in mainstream media as issues of universal vulnerability, as if everyone were affected equally by the environmental dangers. This hid the fact that low-income neighborhoods, especially communities of color, have been impacted with far worse consequences of environmental hazards than middle and upper class areas. The other trope too often repeated in the media, is the notion of universal responsibility; the idea that we are all equally responsible for the environmental damages. While it is important that everyone contribute to improving the environment, it is also essential that corporations, governments, and non-sustainable economic practices and ideologies be held responsible for the majority of the harm they are causing to the environment. In this presentation we will use critical media literacy pedagogy to explore the historical context of portrayals of environmentalism in relation to current media messages about climate change and environmental justice. The better people can learn to deconstruct media messages and dominant ideologies, the more prepared they will be to construct their own media messages that can challenge the dominant myths and promote socially just alternatives for a more sustainable and healthier planet.
Location
Coastal Georgia Center
Start Date
2-25-2017 2:35 PM
End Date
2-25-2017 4:05 PM
Recommended Citation
Share, Jeff, "Critical Media Literacy and Climate Change" (2017). International Critical Media Literacy Conference. 15.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/criticalmedialiteracy/2017/2017/15
Critical Media Literacy and Climate Change
Coastal Georgia Center
For years, environmental problems in the US have been represented in mainstream media as issues of universal vulnerability, as if everyone were affected equally by the environmental dangers. This hid the fact that low-income neighborhoods, especially communities of color, have been impacted with far worse consequences of environmental hazards than middle and upper class areas. The other trope too often repeated in the media, is the notion of universal responsibility; the idea that we are all equally responsible for the environmental damages. While it is important that everyone contribute to improving the environment, it is also essential that corporations, governments, and non-sustainable economic practices and ideologies be held responsible for the majority of the harm they are causing to the environment. In this presentation we will use critical media literacy pedagogy to explore the historical context of portrayals of environmentalism in relation to current media messages about climate change and environmental justice. The better people can learn to deconstruct media messages and dominant ideologies, the more prepared they will be to construct their own media messages that can challenge the dominant myths and promote socially just alternatives for a more sustainable and healthier planet.
