This course examines children's relationship to media in its historic, economic, political, and social contexts. It begins by reviewing theories of child development as they inform children's relationship with and understanding of media. Next, it considers the political and economic forces that shape the landscape of children’s media. Against this backdrop, the course examines research on the effects of media on children's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. Class time consists of lectures, screenings, and visits from professionals working in the field. Students in this course produce a proposal or prototype for an educational children’s media property as their final project.

Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Analyze and evaluate the forces that shape the creation of cultural products for children.
• Explain children’s place in the broader economic and political context of media systems.
• Explain the meaning of media content to children of different ages, stages, cultures, and contexts.
• Appraise how children’s media connections and experiences are bound in their social relationships with family, friends, and other influential individuals.