480.604 Media Effects

This course surveys major theories about mass media, focusing on those theories that have empirical support. The course covers readings on how media affect what people think about, how people underestimate the effect of media on themselves, and how media affect what we see as the causes and solutions to social problems. The course also explores subliminal advertising, violence on television, the media's role in dividing and uniting society, and the role of commercialization on news production. Other topics include diffusion of innovations, cultivation theory, and the hostile media effect.

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