Welcome to the English for Media Literacy MOOC!

You’re joining thousands of high beginner/low-intermediate English learners from around the world.
This course was developed by the University of Pennsylvania and adapted by FHI 360 for the American
English (AE) E-Teacher Program, a program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
from the U.S. government and implemented by FHI 360. We are excited to have you in the class and
look forward to your contributions to the learning community.

Course goals
English for Media Literacy is a self-paced massively-open online course (MOOC). This course was
designed for English learners at or approaching level B1 on the Common European Framework (CEFR).

During this course, you will:

· Build your English vocabulary and improve your reading skills
· Review basic concepts about media and media literacy
· Investigate the evolution of mass media and weigh the pros and cons of social media
· Explore the world of advertising and identify targeted marketing strategies
· Analyze sources and detect bias
· Explore diversity representation in media messages
· Practice your English with classmates around the world

Resources
This course has an orientation module and five content modules. A module is a collection of readings,
videos, discussion forums, surveys and quizzes. Each module should take you about 3-5 hours to
complete.

Take this course with you!

You can download and print all materials to study whenever and wherever you want.
You can also download videos to study offline.
All downloadable material can be found in the Module Resources Pages. *You must go online to
complete quizzes and participate in discussion groups.*

Course Schedule
The course runs for 12 weeks from October 21, 2019 to January 13, 2020. In order to complete the
modules, participants should work on and offline for 3-5 hours every week. This is a self-paced course
and assignments can be completed at any time before the close date on January 13, 2020.

© 2019 by FHI 360. EML MOOC Syllabus for the AE E-Teacher Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
How to pass this course:
There are six modules in the English for Media Literacy MOOC:
1. Orientation: Welcome to the American English E-Teacher Program
2. Introduction to Media Literacy
3. The Evolution of Media
4. Advertising
5. Bias in the Media
6. Diversity and the Media

Each module will have one or more quizzes. Participants who satisfactorily complete all of the required
quizzes with a score of 70% or above before the course close date will receive a digital badge and
certificate of participation. You must complete all quizzes to receive a digital badge and certificate of
participation.

Along with the quizzes, each module also has other opportunities to check your understanding and
practice your language skills. These tasks are not graded or required.

Discussions
The discussion forum is your opportunity to practice communicating and interacting in English. This is
the place to experiment with new language, ask questions, and explore new ideas with others who are
at a similar English level (High Beginner / Low Intermediate). Discussion posts are not graded.

If you have questions about course content, please post them in the Content Support Discussion to get
help from others in the course community. For technical support during the course, please reach out to
the AE E-Teacher team at elamooc@fhi360.orgThis MOOC is hosted by Canvas Network. Please take a
minute to read Canvas Network's Terms of Use. Good luck as you get started and we hope that you
enjoy the course!

Practice Quizzes
Reading is an important skill for media literacy. We will review helpful reading strategies in Module One.
In each module, one or more short articles have been included to help you practice these important
strategies. Each article is followed by a short practice quiz to help you check your skills. You will receive
a score upon completion of the quiz, but there is no minimum score requirement and your score will not
affect your ability to pass the course.

© 2019 by FHI 360. EML MOOC Syllabus for the AE E-Teacher Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Summary of Module Activities:
Orientation to the American English E-Teacher Program
This module provides a brief overview of the American English E-Teacher program. You will review how
to use the Canvas site, get tips on how to study online, review how to pass the course and receive
badges and certificates.

Lessons:
Lesson 1: The American English (AE) E-Teacher Program
Lesson 2: MOOCs vs GOCs
Lesson 3: Canvas User Orientation
Lesson 4a: Online Success Strategies
Lesson 4b: Avoiding Plagiarism
Lesson 4c: Discussion Tips for MOOCs
Lesson 5: Certificates and Badges
Lesson 6: Support during the MOOC

Quizzes*:
Orientation Quiz

*You must complete the Orientation Quiz with a passing score of at least 70% to proceed to
the next module.

Module One: Introduction to Media Literacy

In this module, you will explore the basic concepts of media studies and the connections between media
and society. we will identify the five questions to ask when analyzing media messages. We will explore
useful strategies to help you read and understand media messages more clearly.

Lessons:
Lesson One: Introduction to Media Studies
Lesson Two: Strategies for Reading in English
Lesson Three: Introduction to Media Analysis

Discussion Forum:
Introductions
How often do you see and hear media messages?

Quizzes*:
Lesson One Quiz
Lesson Two Quiz
Lesson Three Quiz
*You must score at least 70% on each quiz to proceed to the next module

© 2019 by FHI 360. EML MOOC Syllabus for the AE E-Teacher Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Module One Cont’d:

Practice Activities:
The following activities provide further opportunities for language practice. These are not
required activities and there is no minimum passing score.

Listening Practice: Interview with a Media Expert

Reading Practice: Can You Separate Fact from Fictions?
Reading Practice: Study Finds Most Americans Get Their News from Social Media

Module Two: The Evolution of Media

In Module Two, we will look at how media has changed over time. We will examine the positive and
negative aspects of social media and practice using language to express our opinions.

Lessons:
Lesson Four: The Evolution of the Media
Lesson Five: Comparative Adjectives
Lesson Six, Part One: Overcoming Bias, The Power of Social Media
Lesson Six, Part Two: The Reliability of Social Media

Discussion Forum:
Positive Aspects of Social Media
Negative Aspects of Social Media

Quizzes*:
Lesson Four Quiz
Lesson Five Quiz
Lesson Six Quiz
*You must score at least 70% on each quiz to proceed to the next module

Practice Activities:
The following activities provide further opportunities for language practice. These are not
required activities and there is no minimum passing score.

Reading Practice: Five Ways Social Media Helps Refugees

Reading Practice: “Real or Not? Snowboarder’s Video in Question”

© 2019 by FHI 360. EML MOOC Syllabus for the AE E-Teacher Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Module Three: Advertising and the Media
This module will focus on the world of advertising. Using the media analysis skills learned in Module 2,
we will look at how advertisers target specific audiences and the different techniques they use to sell
products. We will compare how advertising has changed over time. We will review how to use multiple
adjectives and intensifiers to strengthen descriptive language.

Lessons:
Lesson Seven: Advertising and the Media
Lesson Eight: Language Focus: Order of Adjectives
Lesson Nine: The Evolution of Advertising
Lesson Ten: Language Focus: Intensifiers (Normal vs. Strong Adjectives)
Lesson Eleven: Analyzing Advertising

Discussion Forum:
The Ethics of Social Media Advertising

Quizzes*:
Lesson Seven Quiz
Lesson Nine Quiz
Lesson Ten Quiz
*You must score at least 70% on each quiz to proceed to the next module.

Practice Activities:
The following activities provide further opportunities for language practice. These are not
required activities and there is no minimum passing score.

Listening Practice: Interview with an advertising expert

Reading Practice: Internet Ads Outpace Print for the First Time
Reading Practice: Advertisers Join the Search for Friends Online

© 2019 by FHI 360. EML MOOC Syllabus for the AE E-Teacher Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Module Four: Bias in the Media
In Module Four, we will take a closer look at how media messages are created and shared. We will learn
how to determine an author or publisher’s perspective on a given topic. We will learn about common
types of bias and identify language you can use to express your opinion.

Lessons:
Lesson Twelve: Analyzing Sources
Lesson Thirteen: Language Focus - Expressing Opinions Using Modal Verbs
Lesson Fourteen: Overcoming Media Bias
Lesson Fifteen: Connotation, Denotation, and Bias by Spin

Discussion Forum:
Who Pays for Media Messages?

Quizzes*:
Lesson Twelve Quiz
Lesson Thirteen Quiz
Lesson Fourteen Quiz
Lesson Fifteen Quiz
*You must score at least 70% on each quiz to proceed to the next module.

Practice Activities:
The following activities provide further opportunities for language practice. These are not
required activities and there is no minimum passing score.

Reading Practice: For the Press, Elections are a Test of Accountability

Reading Practice: Are Facebook’s Trending Topics Unfair?

© 2019 by FHI 360. EML MOOC Syllabus for the AE E-Teacher Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Module Five: Diversity in the Media
In the final module of the course we examine how media can affect the way individual and groups of
people view others. We will review adverbs of frequency and use them to talk about diversity gaps in
the media. We will also explore how the media can affect the individual. We will study how to use
transition words to connect key ideas and improve your audience’s understanding.

Lessons:
Lesson Sixteen: Diversity and the Media
Lesson Seventeen: Language Focus: Using Negatives (not, no, never, hardly ever)
Lesson Eighteen: Race, Ethnicity, and Culture in the Media
Lesson Nineteen: Women in the Media
Lesson Twenty: Language Focus: Transitions
Lesson Twenty-One: Diversity and Identity

Discussion Forum:
How are Different Groups Depicted in the Media?

Quizzes*:
Lesson Sixteen and Seventeen Quiz
Lesson Eighteen and Nineteen Quiz
*You must score at least 70% on each quiz to proceed to the next module.

Practice Activities
The following activities provide further opportunities for language practice. These are not
required activities and there is no minimum passing score.

Reading Practice: Minorities See Improvement, Demand More Diversity on US Television

Reading Practice: Native Americans Take Control of Their Story
Reading Practice: Social Media Highlights Sexism in Olympics Coverage

© 2019 by FHI 360. EML MOOC Syllabus for the AE E-Teacher Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Policies and procedures
In the virtual classroom, learning is generated from active participation in discussion forums and the free
exchange of ideas and experiences. Therefore, when communicating on the discussion board, it is
important to follow a set of core principles which will help us increase the quality of online discussions,
achieve group cohesion and maintain the community of practice:

1. This course is intended for high-beginner and low-intermediate participants (at or approaching
level B1 on the Common European Framework (CEFR)).

2. Try to be clear and direct. Make sure that your content title reflects the content of your post
and that your post is succinct and direct

3. Post relevant content. Only post content relevant to the “English for Media Literacy” Course.
Any other content which is found to be unsuitable or irrelevant will be deleted.

4. Make it easier for colleagues to read your comments. Put a blank space at the beginning of a
message and between paragraphs. Be brief and specific. This is especially important in Massively
Open Online Courses (MOOCs) which have thousands of participants. When writing a
contribution, try to keep between 50 and 100 words.

5. Be constructive. Respond to colleagues’ postings or comments in an encouraging and supportive

tone. Think before you write or respond. Any criticism should be constructive – if in doubt, think
about how you would feel reading a posting.

6. Be open to differences in opinion. Be open to other people’s opinions and try not to get
emotional if someone disagrees with you. Make your learning experience a constructive and
positive one by avoiding “flaming”. For example, CAPITAL LETTERS can be interpreted as
shouting. Words are powerful and can hurt; avoid anything which could be misinterpreted in
any way. Think before you push the “send” button.

7. Accept others. Accept your peers’ differences (e.g. cultural and language differences). You are
part of a community which means caring about your own progress and that of your colleagues’

8. Cite other people’s work. If you use a quote or reference in your post; make sure that you cite it
or provide a link to it.

9. No spamming. Please don’t send advertisements to your peers or use your peers’ emails in any
way other than how they intend it to be used.

© 2019 by FHI 360. EML MOOC Syllabus for the AE E-Teacher Program sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding
provided by the U.S. government and administered by FHI 360. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
License, except where noted. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/