Critical media literacy in secondary education; A workshop with a focus on gender and ethnicity in havo 5 'maatschappijwetenschappen; -class.

Abstract

Critical media literacy engages with critical thinking and critically asserting the media around us. In this thesis the focus has been especially on critically asserting the gendered and raced bodies in media. This critical education is important in secondary school to teach students how to properly engage with media and how to be less susceptible for its influential messages. Critical media literacy is already somewhat incorporated in 'maatschappijwetenschappen'-class, or 'societal sciences'-class. This curriculum will be renewed starting in 2016 however, and in this thesis, suggestions for this change are given. In this research a Dutch havo 5 class 'maatschappijwetenschappen' (secondary education) is given a workshop with tools to look at media critically, and in this case: a case study of documentary posters. The pupils' ability to form a critical opinion about the media images and messages is tested before and after they received these tools.