The Guide to Teaching
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Using Newspapers in the Classroom
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 1997 09:04:22 -0800 (PST)
From: Lawrence Woods <woods@unbc.ca>
I have designed a media file/research essay assignment for my students
which requires them to discuss nine newspaper articles of their choice
under one overarching theme and three subthemes of their choice. It is
essentially a critical thinking/media literacy exercise in which they draw
connections to themes in the course and assess aspects of the ways in
which these stories are reported. There are certain minimum
bibliographical requirements for the research component, including
scholarly journal articles, "alternative media" sources, and websites.
I begin this course - Intro to International Studies - by showing
"Manufacturing Consent: Noam Chomsky and the Media," in its entirety. The
companion text to this documentary (Mark Achbar, ed., Black Rose Books,
Montreal) is also one of the required texts in this course. I have used
this approach for the past three years (having previously taught this
course in a more traditional and unsatisfying way using a more traditional
and unsatisfying text) and it works like a charm! Students now speak of
my course in the hallways as the "Chomsky course" and take my course in
some cases primarily in order to see and discuss film. The important
thing to me is that they come and that they learn to think about things
international from a variety of different perspectives, many of which do
not seem to be taught in many other classes/programs.
Larry Woods
University of Northern British Columbia
On Thu, 6 Nov 1997, Patrick H. O'Neil wrote:
***************************************************************
NB - PLEASE NOTE MY NEW E-MAIL ADDRESS AND AMEND YOUR DDRESS
BOOK ACCORDINGLY, IF NECESSARY. MANY THANKS! LW
Dr. Lawrence T. Woods
Associate Professor
International Studies Program
University of Northern British Columbia
3333 University Way Tel: (250) 960-6635
Prince George, BC Fax: (250) 960-5544
CANADA V2N 4Z9 E-mail: woods@unbc.ca
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