SHU Faculty Collaborate on Media Textbook
Published text offers a new and thought-provoking look at media literacy education
Four faculty members in Sacred Heart University’s School of Communication, Media & the Arts (SCMA) have contributed to a newly released textbook, Media Literacy, Equity, and Justice published by Routledge.
Belinha De Abreu, an adjunct instructor at SCMA, edited the book, while three of her colleagues―James Castonguay, director of SCMA; Shanshan Wang, assistant professor; and Taciane Batista MA ’14, MA ’15, adjunct instructor―wrote segments of it.
“I have long admired Belinha’s work; she is an incredible media literacy advocate. It has been an honor to be part of this project,” Batista said.
Wang said she also was pleased to work with De Abreu, Castonguay and Batista “to expand the range of knowledge by combining their expertise.” She explained that “the genesis of the research I contributed to one chapter is based on my practice and research in virtual reality in SHU’s NeXReality Lab.”
The project took approximately two years from start to finish and was conceived during the height of the pandemic. According to De Abreu, one of the biggest challenges when crafting the book was ensuring there was a wide and global representation.
She wanted contributing authors who would engage with the topics thoughtfully and, having found them, she said she is pleased with the outcome. “The ideas were more than I could have hoped for, and this publication opens the door for future possible conversations, presentations and even more collaborative writing,” she said.
Offering a new and thought-provoking look at media literacy education, the book brings together a range of perspectives that address the past, present and future of media literacy, equity and justice. The chapters offer a careful examination of important topics, including artificial intelligence, authenticity, representation, climate change and activism. “Straddling media studies, literacy education and social justice education, the book comes at a time when the media’s role, as well as our media intake and perceptions, are being disrupted. As a result, questions of censorship, free speech and accountability abound, and nuance is often lost,” De Abreu said. “This book is an antidote to the challenges facing media literacy education.”
The volume has five themes: misinformation and disinformation; media representation, civic media, politics and policy; ecomedia literacy, education and equity; ethical quandaries and ideologies and emerging technologies. “Ideal for courses on media literacy and new literacies, this book furthers the conversation on the ways literacy and social justice are connected to educational communities in local and global contexts,” said De Abreu.
“SCMA is lucky to have Dr. De Abreu on our faculty given that she is a leading scholar in the field of media literacy,” said Castonguay, associate dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. “The idea for one of the chapters stemmed from Professor Wang's research and creative work. It is especially gratifying to see Professor Batista’s excellent essay in the volume given that she is also an SCMA alum.”
Visit the Routledge webpage to purchase Media Literacy, Equity, and Justice.