SOCI248

Sociologists conceptualize culture in myriad ways, but are particularly interested in how institutions shape cultural norms. Media are ubiquitous in modern life, and a primary conduit for the communication of culture. This course uses sociological theory, both classic and contemporary, to examine how media shape such norms with respect to how we understand crime and the criminal justice system in the context of the American cultural landscape. Particular attention is paid to how media reinforce harmful stereotypes, inequality, and marginality. Students will examine both historical and current cultural artifacts (films, TV shows, comic books, news stories, songs, etc...) and learn to analyze the artifacts through the lens of communication and criminological theories. We will examine how media representations construct social reality, and the effect of this on perceptions of crime, and criminal justice policies. Special attention is paid to cultural constructions of the “newsworthiness” of crime stories, and how journalistic practice contributes to inaccurate public information about crime and criminals. Finally, we review approaches used by social scientists to systematically study media representations and culture.