Dr. Sara DiazWGST 280: Gender, Sexuality, and Popular CultureGonzaga University

Class & Race Privilege in Media

PRIVILEGERace & Class

Class Inequalities

Race Matters in Class Matters

Class Inequalities

In groups:• According to Holtzman and Sharpe what

are some of the factors that contribute to income inequality in the US? Identify 4.

Class in Media

• Textual Analysis: How have working class people been represented in television?

• Political Economy: According to Bartsch, why have representations changed so little in the past 60 years?• Media consolidation• Advertising aimed at middle class

Privilege & Media Effects

• How does the media obscure the actual class inequalities that exist in the US?

• For those who are middle class, what are the benefits of seeing so many people who are like themselves represented on TV?

•What might the effects be on people who are working class or poor?

The American Dream

• Look at the definitions of the American Dream on MM 145.•How do gender, class, and race play

out in representations of the “American Dream” and the “good life”?• In what ways does media reinforce the

myth of the American Dream?