Print Media in the U.S.: History and Perspectives

This class will introduce you to the history of print media in the United States. We will look at different newspapers and magazines, taking into account indigenous perspectives and the African American experience. We will also explore specific formats such as advertisement and early forms of fake news (such as the Balloon Hoax by Edgar Allan Poe), police and sports reports and selected political events. In the light of the current defunding of public media outlets and the increasingly restricted access of the press to the Oval Office, we will look at the potential of good journalism and the political significance of print media as well as practicing our close reading and analyzing skills. Please purchase and read:

• Joyce Carol Oates, On Boxing (Harper 2006)
• Martha Collins, Blue Front (Graywolf Press, 2006)