The Children Are Watching

When it comes to teaching about diversity, schools face a powerful competitor – the mass media. Analyzing both entertainment and news media, this important new book grapples with such issues as the ways that media frame diversity-related themes, transmit values concerning diversity, contribute to stereotypes, and influence thinking about topics like race, ethnicity, gender, religion, and sexual orientation. Cortés suggests ways that schools and parents can more effectively address the implications of this inevitable media multicultural curriculum. Both powerful and useful, this seminal work should be on every educator’s bookshelf.

Carlos Cortés is a Professor Emeritus of History at the University of California, Riverside. Since 1990 he has served on the summer faculty of the Harvard Institutes for Higher Education and is also on the faculty of the Summer Institute for Intercultural Communication.

“Once in a great while a book comes along that establishes the frame for other works to follow. With wisdom, humor, and an invaluable command of the relevant literature, Cortés deftly defines the questions and establishes the categories for inquiry around the many issues of how and what media teach about diversity. A major contribution to the intersection of media, education, and culture.”
- Elizabeth Thoman, President and Founder, Center for Media Literacy

“This groundbreaking book draws deeply from popular culture, research, and the author’s humane and engaging approach. For Cortés, diversity is a source of strength and joy. As America becomes the first genuine multicultural nation, this book is a must read.”
- Peter Cookson, Jr., Director, The Center for Educational Outreach and Innovation, Teachers College, Columbia University