Fall 2010 – Race, Gender & Poverty
Representation of Prostitution in Six Canadian Newspapers: Race, Gender and Poverty
Student Researchers: Ali Kaywan, Alex Mackenzie, Caroline Messiha and Nadia Soeker
“This research paper reports on a news analysis of prostitution during the period of an Ontario Court Ruling which struck down the three major laws regarding prostitution. This paper focuses on the representation of poverty within the discourse of prostitution while discussing race and gender as forms of class analysis within the news.”
A Class Above: Unmasking the Super Rich in Canadian News Media
Student Researchers: Jillian Cambridge, Kate Brown and Dawn Moore
“It is a well-established truth that our news media dwell at the crossroad between Canadian citizens and powerful figureheads. At this intersection in the public sphere the most fundamental images and information are produced, which in effect become an essential component of the general public consciousness. At the same time, much research has brought light to the fact that we live with unrealistic ideas about ourselves – especially when it comes to class. A myth of a classless society has emerged, whereby class has largely disappeared from our news dialogue (Kumar, 2004, p.6). It is therefore essential to examine the few places that class does present itself in our media to determine whether or not its surrounding issues are directly and honestly addressed. Worrisome statistics explain the increasingly polarized categories of the poor and the rich in the highly concentrated Canadian media environment; it is essential to look through the glass ceiling at the country’s most powerful players: the super rich. How are these individuals represented within Canadian media? ”
Media Representations of Affordable Housing in Four Canadian Newspapers
Student Researchers: Pooja Pabari, Jill Pakulak and Toru Yokoi