DEPARTMENT OF MEDIA STUDIES

COURSE OUTLINE
BMS 302: Gender, Sex and Ethnicity in the Media
First Semester, 2009

Core Course for Media Students: No pre- or co-requisites

Credits: 2
Lecturer/Tutor: Dr. William Heuva
Office: 225: 010
Contact Numbers: Office: (355) 4103 (Cell: 74244843 – emergencies only)
E-Mail: william.heuva@mopipi.ub.bw or william.heuva@gmail.com

Course Synopsis
Gender, sex and ethnicity in the media is an introduction to how gender, sex and ethnicity,
class, minorities and the disadvantaged are represented in the media. The course enables
students to write without gender bias and to develop gender awareness and conceptual
framework for the analysis of gender and human rights issues.

Objectives
- To assist students to understand that the media does not always reflect reality.
- To help students appreciate the different ways or representing sex, gender, and
ethnicity.
- To assist students to write without, gender, sex, class and racial (ethnic) bias.

Expected outcome
At the completion of the course students should have gained sensitivity to gender and human
rights issues. Students also should be able to write stories without gender, sex or ethnicity
bias, using an integrated gender perspective language.

Course content (topics to be covered)

- Introduction: Conceptual analysis: sex and sex roles, gender, race, class, ethnicity,
socialisation, gender roles, masculinity, femininity, gender stereotyping,
empowerment of women, etc.
- Sex and Gender; Feminism; Post-Feminism and Feminism Today
- Social Inequality and Media Representation
(a) Media content and the real world
(b) Racial division and media content
(c) Ethnic division and media content
(d) Gender and media content
(e) Class and the media
(f) Sexual orientation and the media
- Decoding media and Social Position
(a) Gender, class and television
(b) Race (ethnicity), news and Meaning Making
(c) Gender, sex, class, race, ethnicity and the press
- State policies on women empowerment in developing countries
- Gender inequalities in access to education, social, economic and leadership
opportunities
- The SADC Protocol on Gender
- International instrument on Gender equality
- Gender awareness in project planning and implementation in developing countries

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 - The roles of NGOs in the promotion of gender issues
- The role of the African media in promoting human rights issues

Method of teaching
- Formal lectures
- Presentations by invited gender activities and others players within the state and civil
society
- Seminars, workshops, discussions and debates
- Students presentations

Assessment
50 percent coursework and 50 percent class exam

The coursework will be as follows:

Seminar presentation (throughout the semester) 20%
Essay (Major Assignment) 30%

Texts
Gallagher, M. (1981). Unequal Opportunities: The Case of Women and the Media. Paris:
UNESCO

O’Shaughnessy, M. and Stadler, J. (1999) (3rd Ed.). Media and Society: An Introduction
Part 5: Media and Identity: Representation, Impact and Influence, pp 325 – 408

Croteau, D. and Hoynes, W. (2003). (3rd Ed.). Media and Society: Industries, Images and
Audiences. London: Pine Forge Press

Sesanti, S. (2009). “Reclaiming space: African women’s use of the media as a platform to
contest patriarchal representations of African culture – womanists’ perspective”. In Critical
Arts, Volume 23, No. 2, July 2009, pp 209 – 223.

Recommended readings
Chafetz, J. S. (2006). (Ed.) Handbook of the Sociology of Gender. Springer
Biagi, S. et al (1997). Facing Difference: Race, Gender and Mass Media: London: Sage
Publications
Fergunson, R. (1999). Representing ‘Race’. London: Edward-Arnold
Benstock, S. (Ed.). (1987). Feminist Issues in Literary Scholarship. Bloomington: IUP
Brown, M. E. (1990). Television and Women’s Culture. Sydney: Currency
Campbell, C. P. (1995). Race, Myth and the News. London: Sage
Craig, S. (1992). Men, Masculinity and the Media. London: Sage
Creedon, P. (1994). Women, Media and Sport: Challenging Values: London: Sage
Dines, G. and Humez, J. (1994). Gender, Race and Class in the Media: a Text-Reader.
London: Sage
MacDonald, M. (1995). Representing Women. London: Edward Arnold
Van Dijk, T. (1991). Racism and the Press. London: Routledge

I will occasionally provide you with handouts containing some of the major readings and will
also place some reading in the Reserve side of the Library. You are furthermore required to
continuously take NOTES during lecturers. It is important that you must read newspapers,
watch television and listen to radio in order to familiarise yourself with gender, sex, class and
race/ethnicity in the media. Bring your findings to the class for discussion.