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Media Savvy Becoming Digitally Literate

Analytical Thinking
Critical Thinking

Course Description

Clickbait. Deepfakes. Disinformation. Bias. Hoaxes. Fake news. The media shapes what an individual knows about their community and the world, and being savvy about the news is essential to making decisions. This course enhances the ability to discern between news and misinformation through critical examination of how we access, analyze, verify, and create media messages. We will look closely at the critical role news organizations play in informing us and its significance for our democracy.

Athena Title

Media Savvy Becoming Digitally

Equivalent Courses

Not open to students with credit in JRLC 3600

Non-Traditional Format

This course will be taught 95% or more online.

Semester Course Offered

Offered every year.

Grading System

A - F (Traditional)

Student Learning Outcomes

  • Students will identify and understand the typology of misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation.
  • Students will identify concepts like filter bubble, homophily, confirmation bias, echo chambers, as well as bots, trolls, and sock puppets on various digital platforms.
  • Students will use tools to practice digital fact-checking.
  • Students will employ a codified digital verification process for news and digital journalistic content.
  • Students will understand how journalists work by fact-checking journalistic stories and reflecting on effectiveness of the effort.
  • Students will participate in a newsroom simulation to employ conceptual knowledge and tools gained from course.

Topical Outline

  • Nature and types of misinformation in the digital age Digital fact-checking tools and processes Role of news organizations and journalists in age of “fake news” Project-based debunking of disinformation and crafting credible, transparent media messages

Institutional Competencies

Analytical Thinking

The ability to reason, interpret, analyze, and solve problems from a wide array of authentic contexts.


Critical Thinking

The ability to pursue and comprehensively evaluate information before accepting or establishing a conclusion, decision, or action.


Syllabus

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