PCST 359 - Terrorism and War in the Media

(Same as SOC 359.) The course examines how terrorism and war are portrayed in film, television, news sources, and other media. We explore how media is used by elites on various sides of a conflict and by social movement actors to construct cultural conceptions of terrorists/freedom fighters, the enemy, just wars, and even success in a conflict. We also observe the impact of these media constructions. Students are introduced to the methodology of content analysis and use it to produce research about contemporary media trends about conflict. (Offered fall semester, alternate years.) 3 credits