In this course, we will consider the cultural history and experiences of racial and ethnic minorities, explore the way these groups are portrayed in mainstream mass media, and analyze how and why minority groups have created systems of mass media self-representation to counter the mainstream mass media.  We will focus on mass media channels: print, Web, radio, television and film; and on two communication forms: news and entertainment.  Our primary geographical focus is on the United States, but we may consider other multicultural societies as time and current events warrant.

Who are "minorities"? When used in the statistical sense, the term refers to groups that are small in number -- less than the majority.  In this class we will use a non-numerical definition of the term minorities.  It will refer to those groups of people who are characterized by some combination of political oppression, economic exploitation, and social discrimination.  Thus, in the United States, we are referring to African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans and Latinos.  In other parts of the world, the term could refer to other ethnic groups.  (Women, gays and lesbians, and the physically disabled also may fit into that category, but we do not focus extensively on these groups in this course.)

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