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MENTAL HEALTH
ISSUES IN THE MEDIA (COMM 2211.51)
Wednesdays, 6:00 to 8:30 p.m.
Spring
2007
This course will identify and evaluate common,
media-promoted perceptions of mental health, addressing how images perpetuated
by film, print and broadcast media influence families, the healthcare industry,
the political establishment and others responsible for the wellness of
individuals with mental illness. The course is suitable for communication
majors and others, such as nursing and psychology majors, who are interested in
media or mental health concerns.
The following books may be purchased at the bookstore:
Morris, G. Mental Health Issues and the Media
(Routledge)
Carter, R. Helping Someone with Mental Illness (Times
Books)
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the end of the semester, students should be able to:
REQUIREMENTS
This course will follow the
lecture/discussion format, with a heavy emphasis on discussion. Students should complete weekly reading
assignments prior to the next class meeting.
Attendance will be taken and counts toward class participation. Papers
must be double-spaced.
Paper 1
(two pages, due Feb. 14) 5 percent
Paper 2
(six pages, due March 21) 30
percent
Final
examination (May 2) 40 percent
Class
participation 25
percent
Extra credit opportunities
will be available during the course of the semester.
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES, DISCUSSIONS AND
Week 1 (Jan. 24): Introduction
to Mental Health Issues in the Media
Assigned readings – Morris, Chapters 1 and 2
Discussion: Why are we here? We’ll look at the history of
mental health and its treatment in the media. A review of language and how
words, more than anything, have shaped coverage and, ultimately, the stories. How
are people with mental illness portrayed in T.V., film, literature and the
Internet?
Week 2 (Jan. 31): Shaping
the Message
Assigned readings – Morris, Chapter 3; Carter, Chapter 1
Discussion: We’ll look more specifically at what drives the media
when it covers a story involving mental illness. When the newspaper covers a
murder case involving a person with mental illness (or a film, T.V. program or
book with a similar plot or subject matter), what is the goal? And, in such a
case, what does the mental health profession expect? We’ll discuss the
different theories behind the mental health/media relationship, and how the
relationship is more dysfunctional than cohesive.
Week 3 (Feb. 7): Stigma
Assigned readings – Carter, Chapter 2/Viewing of “Me, Myself
and Irene”
Discussion: We’ll
review the above movie and discuss how stigma played a role in the plotline. Do
people find the movie’s portrayals of mental illness to be particularly
attractive or humorous? Could the movie have taken a different approach, and
still be successful?
Week 4 (Feb. 14): Stigma
(Part II)
Assigned readings – Morris, Chapter 4
Paper 1 is due
Discussion: We’ll look at how stigma is pervasive in all
forms of media – even in a society that’s becoming more politically correct.
How is stigma any different from, or similar to prejudice? Have other groups –
racial, religious, ethnic or otherwise – dealt with similar issues? Can stigma
be subtle?
Week 5 (Feb. 21): Changing
the Message (Selling Mental Health)
Assigned readings - Morris, Chapter 5; Carter, Chapter 9
Discussion: How do we defy stigma? Is that possible? A look
at how education – in both subtle and explicit ways – has changed the face of
mental health for the better. Long ago, nearly all people with mental illness
were portrayed in the media as wild and out-of-control, and exhibiting only
violent and murderous tendencies. Now, prominent people, such as Brooke
Shields, have gone public with their own mental illness as a way to promote
understanding. Has it worked? Who is holding up that change?
Week 6 (Feb. 28): Loons
and Loud People (The Bill O’Reilly Phenomenon)
Assigned readings – Morris, Chapter 7
Discussion: We’ll look more specifically at the news media
and its history of mental health portrayals. Despite efforts to better promote
mental health understanding, many of the old stereotypes still find their way
to the printed page and the screen. We’ll look at headlines/teasers, and how
the news media relies – more than any other medium – on language to send its
message.
Week 7 (March 7): The
Cuckoo’s Nest (The Impact of Film)
No readings
Discussion: We’ll look more specifically at film and its
history of mental health portrayals. We’ll discuss how film is, perhaps, more
reliant on images than other media. What are good/bad examples of mental health
depictions in film? We’ll look at how even the finest directors, such as Alfred
Hitchcock, may have used stigma to sell their stories to the movie-going
public.
Week 8 (March 21): Looking
Back/Forward – Guest speaker: Richard Codey, state Senate president
Assignment: Chapter 6
Paper 2 is due
Discussion: A review of what we’ve discussed so far, and
additional discussion on how recent forms of stigma and media perceptions have
shaped the current state of mental health.
Week 9 (March 28): Psycho
Killer (Literature)
Assigned readings – Morris, Chapter 8
Discussion: In murder mysteries, how often is the killer
portrayed as someone who is totally sane? Literature has made a living out of
vilifying, or even glorifying, the “psycho killer.” We’ll look at how even the
finest writers have used mental illness to sell their stories to the public.
Week 10 (April 4): Starved
for Creativity (T.V. and Jerry! Jerry! Jerry!)
Assigned readings – Morris, Chapter 9
Discussion: We’ll look at sitcoms and reality T.V. and how –
similar to literature – a person with mental illness is often portrayed on
television as the villain. We’ll look at how T.V. is different from literature,
relying more on comedy in its portrayals of mental illness. We’ll also look at
the impact of T.V. and how it is, perhaps, more influential than any other
medium.
Week 11 (April 11): The
Uncorked Bottle (The Internet)
Assigned readings – Morris, Chapter 10
Discussion: We’ll discuss how the Internet is either
perpetuating the old stereotypes of mental illness, or changing them by
offering better access to counseling, support groups and mental health
professionals.
Week 12 (April 18) – What
Can We Do?
Assigned readings – Carter, Chapter 10/Discussion and review
Discussion: We’ll discuss the problems with mental health
coverage and what can be done to alter the media’s ambition for “blood, guts
and glory.” Can the media find a more sensitive approach to mental illness
while still meeting its goals and ambitions?
Week 13 (April 25) – Where
We Are
Review for Final
Discussion: A review and discussion of the semester’s
material.
Week 14 (May 2) – Final
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY POLICY
Plagiarism (i.e., passing someone
else’s words and ideas off as your own or failure to properly quote or cite
sources used for papers) will NOT be tolerated.
The MINIMUM penalty for plagiarism will be failure for the assignment. In particularly serious cases, a student may
be failed for the entire course, placed on academic probation, or even
suspended. Regulations concerning
plagiarism are included in the student handbook, which can be found on the web
at: http://www.fdu/edu/studentlife/academocregs.html. If you have any questions regarding the
handling of textual material from sources or any doubts as to what plagiarism
entails or how to properly acknowledge source materials, please see me BEFORE
submitting an assignment. Ignorance of
these regulations will NOT be accepted as an excuse for violations of the
university academic integrity policy.