Teaching Media and Democracy with Interdisciplinary Case Studies

In this project, acase study approachin aMedia and Democracy coursehelped studentsapply interdisciplinary frameworksto real-world issues, fosteringcritical thinking, public engagement, and deeper understanding of media’s role in democracy. Author: Meeta Rani JHA, Continuing Lecturer in Media Studies Grant Type: Lecturer Teaching Fellows Program (LTF) Project Details: "Teaching Media and Democracy with Interdisciplinary Case Studies"

From the author: 

In today’s socially mediated world, where democracy faces substantial challenges and the crisis of democracy is often framed in normative terms by scholars, it is essential to teach students a contextual understanding of complex democratic problems. An interdisciplinary framework is valuable for teaching students to conduct contextual and critical analyses at the macro (societal), meso (institutional), and micro (personal) levels, thereby empowering them as critical citizens and highlighting the importance of public engagement. In my Media and Democracy course, my goal is to help students develop a nuanced understanding of the relationship between media and democracy, moving beyond traditional Media Studies topics such as media bias, misinformation, social media platform power, and media regulation. Instead, we also examine the backlash against feminism, anti-racism, the rise of misogynist movements, and the anti-immigrant and anti-woke propaganda carefully promoted by right-wing political and media institutions. Interdisciplinary case studies encourage students to integrate knowledge from diverse fields and foster cross-disciplinary thinking. However, students often struggle to deconstruct and synthesize the conceptual and theoretical language from multiple disciplines.

My Lecturer Teaching Fellowship project addresses the challenges of employing a multidisciplinary framework in a large Media and Democracy class by adopting a case study approach. By using a case study approach, I aim to spark student interest in real-world issues, fostering active learning where students analyze, discuss, and apply their knowledge to solve complex problems. This not only promotes critical thinking and problem-solving but also enhances their retention and understanding of course concepts and theories.

Case studies can encourage

1.multidisciplinary learning

2.public sociology and citizen engagement

3.application of knowledge to real-world democratic problems

4.critical thinking and a better grasp of concepts and theories

In the first part of the Media and Democracy course, I establish the foundation by teaching the history, concepts, and theoretical frameworks that students will later apply to case studies. This approach helps students connect theory to practice, making the material more relevant and impactful.

Case studies provide real-world applications, allowing students to link classroom learning to their own experiences and improve understanding of concepts and theories. For example, one student used the "Pandemic Inequality" case study to write a final paper on how COVID-19 affected his family and friends in the Latinx community. This student was able to integrate a contextual understanding of the concept of necropolitics. Other students used the case study "Social Movements Transforming Democracy" to write their final research paper, they chose to focus on either feminist and or anti-racist social movements to examine how these movements use media to create “Counterpublics” that expand democratic citizenship. Students were able to connect the importance of people and media in understanding the concept of “publics” and “counterpublics.”