This presentation examines representations of males and females in media and addresses what these images say about gender stereotypes and normative masculinity and femininity. Topics discussed include mixed media messages, violence in media, the hypersexualization of girls, and how social media is impacting on youth perceptions of what type of person they are supposed to be. Recommendations for building protective factors and positive media choices are provided.
Audience: All levels
Resources:
- Fourth R website
- Free Lesson Plans from the Fourth R and the RCMP (RCMP: Bullying & Cyber Bullying)
- Mental Health Research: www.camh.ca,
- Youth culture: Danah Boyd’s website
- Research and resources: Common Sense Media, MediaSmarts, Kaiser Family Foundation – Daily Media Use, PrevNet
- Video: Jonah Hill apologizes
- Positive Media: The Fun Theory, Kony 2012, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown
- Positive Music: Ariana Grande – Piano, Pharrell Williams – Happy, John Legend – All of Me
- Positive Role Models in Sport: You Can Play
- Site for teens dealing with sexting or exploitation: www.needhelpnow.ca
- CAMH – Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (loads of resources)
- Related OTF Connects session: Media Violence & Prevention in Education, Digital Harassment, Social Networking and Online Safety, Pop Culture Resources for Teaching the Digital Teen
About the presenters:
Shanna Burns is the Centre Manager at the CAMH Centre for Prevention Science. She has been part of the CAMH-CPS team for the past 9 years, primarily working in the area of curriculum and program development, writing and implementation. She has written lessons and units of study for the Fourth R program and has also been contracted to write on topics such as media literacy, bullying, cyber bullying, and online safety. As a Fourth R Master Trainer, she has conducted trainings and workshops at venues across North America. In addition, she has co-authored chapters and journal articles on topics such as cyber bullying, media violence, knowledge mobilization, and healthy relationships. Shanna received her Master of Education in Educational Psychology from Western University and is a certified teacher with the Thames Valley District School Board in London, ON.
Ryan Broll, B.A., M.A., is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Western Ontario and a Research Associate at the CAMH Centre for Prevention Science in London, Ontario. Ryan’s doctoral research examines stakeholder’s responses to cyber bullying. He has co-authored research papers and book chapters in the areas of cyber bullying, media violence, policing, parenting, and domestic violence and has presented his research findings internationally. He also frequently presents on topics including media violence, cyber bullying, digital harassment and online safety to students, parents and professionals.