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ABOUT


Welcome to the Media Writing Lab at DePauw University. This site features commentary and criticism written by students enrolled in Professor Kevin Howley's Media, Culture & Society course.

Throughout the semester, students organize and publish a weeklong series of thematic essays (500-600 words each) that address some aspect of media and popular culture. Modeled after the Media Commons project, In Media Res, this site promotes collaborative research, interactive learning, multi-modal writing.

The views and opinions expressed in the Media Writing Lab are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the instructor, the Department of Communication & Theater, or DePauw University.

 Instructor: Kevin Howley
Teaching Assistant: David Petrushka
Technical Assistance: Jin Kim

For more information regarding the Media Writing Lab write to us at: khowley@depauw.edu.

Popular posts from this blog

PREVALENCE OF COLORISM IN BLACK AMERICAN MEDIA REPRESENTATIONS

By: Cailey Griffin     It would be extremely difficult to make the argument that the media doesn’t have power. The media has the power to foster a sense of community amongst people by bringing friends and family together to view a television show. The media has the power to regulate the emotions of individuals by creating fictional characters the average viewer will become attached to. The media also has the power to serve as a representation of the different “types” of people in society. In media platforms there’s usually a clear representation of what it means to be a man, what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a person of color, and what it means to be a person from a particular socioeconomic background. These media representations of different groups and types of people are not always incorrect or negative. In fact, I would argue that media representations are largely positive for certain people. However, the group that seems to consistently get ...
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CLASS REPRESENTATION IN BREAKING BAD: THE CASE OF ALBUQUERQUE

By Georges Azouri Breaking Bad was a critically acclaimed television series that aired from 2008-2013. It was show that was based around the life of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher turned methamphetamine producer. Walter turns to a life of violence and crime due to a cancer diagnosis and the desire to provide for his family. While the show touches on masculinity and similar perspectives of family and providing, it also makes an interesting choice with setting, making Albuquerque, New Mexico and the class representation of the community a central role of the show. Class representation, or rather misrepresentation is a common characteristic of American television and cinema, Breaking Bad is no exception to this. Albuquerque is a city riddled with social problems and struggles with poverty and unemployment, along with crime and drug issues (Cook & Ashutosh, 2018). The real city of Albuquerque is one that struggles from these very real issues. Breaking Bad , ...
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A KNEE TO THE GUT: PATRIOTISM

By Ryan Scott On August 14, 2016, during the first NFL preseason game, one particular player decided to stop standing for the National Anthem. The professional athlete was Colin Kaepernick, the San Francisco 49ers quarterback. This was a protest following the slaying of an unarmed, black teen named Trayvon Martin. He was killed by George Zimmerman, a neighborhood watch coordinator, who viewed Martin as a threat for his apparent image. This was a major sign of racial profiling and violence that is a reoccurring issue in our nation. Too frequently, unarmed African Americans are killed by police officers in disproportionate numbers. Nonetheless, most of these unfortunate killings have included no repercussions. Colin Kaepernick firstly went unnoticed the first two weeks of the preseason, and then it sparked a movement. In week three of the preseason, on August 26, 2016, he continued to sit out during the National Anthem and the uproar began. This turned into a prolonged debate about pr...
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