Abstract
Are We Speaking the Same Language? Assessing the State of Media Literacy in U.S. Higher Education
sur veys the reported existence of media literacy education in U.S. universities. Looking at two national
sur veys that investigated the existence of media literacy programs and/or courses in the academy, this
paper shows how the ter m has been conceived in many different ways and across all academic depart-
ments. This has resulted in wide and varied adoptions of media literacy in U.S. higher education which,
the paper argues, has caused vague and somewhat disparate understandings of what media literacy edu-
cation is and how it functions in a university classroom. The paper concludes by asking three questions
about post-secondary media literacy education: Should media literacy develop definitional parameters
for the university? What differentiates media literacy from other media-related disciplines? What
should media literacy look like in the university? and offers suggestions for future inquiry into
post-secondary media literacy education that can enable dialog around media literacy frameworks for
higher education.
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