Media Literacy & Civic Engagement in the Digital Age: Welcome and Opening Remarks from Dr. Srivi Ramasubramanian

Course description, goals, tips for success, and about the key assignments in this course.

Dr. Srividya Ramasubramanian is an Associate Professor of Communication at Texas A&M University. She has published and taught several courses on positive media psychology, gender and racial stereotyping, and cultural diversity. Her recent projects look at global media as a tool for promoting positive human values and the relevance of Eastern philosophies to the study of technology and intergroup harmony. She is also co-founder and Executive Director of Media Rise, a global alliance for creative professionals, educators, and concerned citizens who are committed to using media with wisdom, compassion, and responsibility towards a peaceful world.

We hear a lot about how media is used to divide us, but what if it could bring us together? Media scholar Dr. Srivi Ramasubramanian gives an intriguing talk as to the power of media to reduce our biases. Watch and see the power of television and film to unite rather than divide. Srividya “Srivi” Ramasubramanian is an award-winning professor, media psychologist, diversity educator, and nonprofit co-founder. Over the last 15 years, she has studied about media stereotyping, cultural diversity, and positive storytelling. Her research examines how race and gender portrayals in popular culture shape everyday attitudes. Her work shows that media narratives can serve as powerful tools to reduce implicit biases and promote positive intergroup relations. Her contributions were recognized with the Outstanding Researcher of the Year by the National Association for Media Literacy Education in 2017. Srivi Ramasubramanian is Associate Professor of Communication and Associate Dean for Climate & Inclusion at Texas A&M University. She is also Co-founder of Media Rise, a global alliance for media educators, creative media professionals, activists, and artists committed to promoting meaningful media. Her work has been featured in the Huffington Post, National Public Radio, Dall This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx

Critical Media Effects Framework by Srividya Ramasubramanian and Omotayo Banjo; Power, Intersectionality, Context and Agency. Presented for the National Communication Association (NCA) 2020. Paper published now as: Ramasubramanian, S. & Banjo, O. (2020). Critical media effects framework: Bridging critical cultural communication and media effects through power, intersectionality, context, and agency, Journal of Communication, 70(3), 379–400, doi: 10.1093/joc/jqaa014 See www.drsrivi.com/publications for more information