New Media 11

This course is designed to equip students with the critical skills necessary to thrive in our media-saturated world. While maintaining a focus on critical analysis and composition, and continuing to engage with classic literature–a cornerstone of the WPGA English program–this course expands the definition of "text" to include multimodal forms such as film, podcasts, video essays, social media, video games, and news media. Students will examine crucial 21st-century topics like echo chambers, fake news, privacy, and the complex relationship between media and reality, while making connections to the worlds envisioned by writers such as Plato, Shakespeare, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell. By critically analyzing and creatively producing different forms of information, students will learn how the medium often influences the message. Most importantly, they will develop vital media literacy and digital citizenship skills, ultimately empowering them to become critical readers, viewers and creators who understand how to manipulate media, instead of being manipulated by it. This course satisfies the Language Arts 11 requirement. Students who find success in this course will be well-prepared for any grade 12 English course including AP Language and Composition and AP Literature and Composition (but will still need departmental approval).