ENGLISH FOR MEDIA LITERACY as a 21st Century Skill – US Embassy
| DURATION: | 34 weeks |
| COMMITMENT: | 3-5 hrs/week |
| REQUIREMENT: | None |
| COURSE TYPE: | Self-paced |
| CREDENTIAL: | Badge(s); Certificate (free) |
DESCRIPTION
This course is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in improving their language skills and knowledge of the media at the same time. In this course, participants will investigate how media has changed over time. They will explore the world of advertising and identify targeted marketing strategies, analyze sources, detect bias, and examine how diversity representation in media influences individual identity and society. This course provides the opportunity to develop a broader understanding of the role media plays in our lives while building the vocabulary and language skills needed to analyze what we read and watch. This is a self-paced course, which will be open for 12 weeks. Participants can complete coursework at any time during these 12 weeks. The course has 5 modules; each module will require approximately 3-5 hours of work.
About this Course:
English for Media Literacy is designed for non-native English speakers who are interested in improving their language skills and knowledge of the media at the same time.
This course was developed by the University of Pennsylvania and adapted by FHI 360 for the Online Professional English Network (OPEN), sponsored by the U.S. Department of State.
Module 1: Introduction to Media Studies
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- defining media literacy and how you can improve your own media literacy skills
- identifying the five core concepts of media analysis
Module 2: The Evolution of Media
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- distinguishing between traditional and social media
- discussing the positive and negative aspects of social media
Module 3: Advertising and Media
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- identifying advertisements and how they are used to sell products
- understanding targeted marketing strategies
- comparing the features of advertisements in different types of media
Module 4: Bias in the Media
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- defining media bias and implementing strategies to identify biased news stories
- understanding the types of media bias
- distinguishing between connotation and denotation
Module 5: Diversity and the Media
This module covers materials, activities and vocabulary about the following key concepts:
- understanding the impact of representation and diversity in the media and its affects on society
- comparing media images and messages in the United States to those in other countries
Full Course Module Packet
These downloadable materials contain all five modules of the English for Media Literacy MOOC.
Note: These files are large so may not download for those with bandwidth limitations. We encourage you to use the individual module packets on this page to download the course in smaller files.
OBJECTIVES
At the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Analyze media messages
- Evaluate positive and negative aspects of social media
- Identify marketing strategies in use
- Recognize bias in the media
- Analyze diversity representation in mass media
Target Audience: Non-native English speakers interested in professional development to improve their communication skills.
The course is offered by the Online Professional English Network, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. government, and administered by FHI 360.
COURSE INSTRUCTORS
JESSAMYN EMBRY
Senior Technical Officer / Instructor
Jessamyn Embry is a Senior Technical Officer for English Language Acquisition at FHI 360. She has taught and administered English language programs in the United States, France, and India, She holds a BA in International Studies from American University’s School of International Service and an MA TESOL from the SIT Graduate Institute.
About Canvas Network
Canvas Network is an open space for educators to share, experiment, analyze, and create.
OUR MISSION:
To promote OPENNESS, INNOVATION, and EXPERIMENTATION in education by providing educators access to professional development courses and programs that will help them thrive and succeed in their careers.
To Canvas Network ‘open’ means:
- Open entry and open access. Open entry for learners around the globe and continual access to course content after the course end date.
- Open content. Open licensing options and content sharing to Canvas Commons where other instructors reuse, revise, remix, retain, and redistribute content.
- Open platform and ecosystem. Open platform to integrate and innovate with third-party tools.
- Open data. Open, de-identified Canvas Network data for researchers to analyze and synthesize.
- Platform neutrality. Your course. Your goals. Your way. We provide the platform for open innovation and experimentation.
About US Embassy
What does the US Embassy Do?
The primary purpose of an embassy is to assist American citizens who travel to or live in the host country. U.S. Foreign Service Officers also interview citizens of the host country who wish to travel to the United States for business, education, or tourism purposes.
U.S. Embassy, LondonEmbassy in London, England
The Embassy of the United States of America in London is the diplomatic mission of the United States in the United Kingdom. It is the largest American embassy in Western Europe and the focal point for events relating to the United States held in the United Kingdom.
Embassy of the United States, BeijingOffice in Beijing, China
The Embassy of the United States in Beijing is the diplomatic mission of the United States in China. It serves as the administrative office of the United States Ambassador to China. The embassy complex is in Chaoyang District, Beijing.
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