Fake News: A Media Literacy Reading List
Compiled by graduate students in a 2016 course on “Activism and Digital Culture,” at University of Southern California.
How Training Bras Constructed American Girlhood
In the twentieth century, advertisements for a new type of garment for preteen girls sought to define the femininity they sold.
How “Carpe Diem” Got Lost in Translation
"Carpe Diem" doesn't actually mean "seize the day." The fact that we understand it that way suggests we are more traditional than we like to admit.
How Natural Black Hair at Work Became a Civil Rights Issue
On the 55th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, U.S. courts are still divided about African Americans’ right to wear their natural hair in the workplace.
To Cope with Digital Distraction, Embrace Digital Neurodiversity
The internet is changing our brains. Our columnist suggests that maybe this isn't such a bad thing.
How Ellen DeGeneres Changed TV
In 1997, Ellen DeGeneres publicly came out on her show, Ellen. It was a cultural turning point for many.
Honoring History with Edgar Heap of Birds’s Building Minnesota
Prior to discussions about appropriation art, artist Hock E Aye Vi (Hachivi) Edgar Heap of Birds honored the 40 executed Dakota men in "Building Minnesota."
Wittgenstein on Whether Speech Is Violence
When is speech violence? Sometimes. It depends. That’s a complicated question.
How Arizona Banned Mexican-American Studies
An Arizona court is hearing a case that could roll back a 2010 ban on teaching Mexican-American studies in the state.
Some Facts About Frederick Douglass
President Trump praised abolitionist Frederick Douglass in his first remarks on Black History Month.