Television and the Developing Child

Instructor:  Yuuko Uchikoshi, School of Education

Description: Many children, even as young as 3 to 5-year-olds spend 19-20 hours every week in front of the television.  In this Freshman Seminar, we will explore the role of television in educating and socializing children.  We will document the developing child’s patterns of use and understanding of media, as well as review research on informal learning and the role of television in shaping perceptions of individual identity and social issues.

Format: Two hours per week for lecture and discussion. One portion of each weekly seminar may include viewing children’s television programming.  In addition to participating actively in weekly discussions based on readings or television shows, you will be required to complete three small projects: (1) investigation of children’s programming; (2) interview of a child about television; and (3) final group presentation on a topic that interests the group. Grading:Grades will be based on student participation in discussions and the above three projects.

About the Instructor: Yuuko Uchikoshi is an Assistant Professor in the School of Education.  She received her doctoral degree from Harvard University where her dissertation was on how educational television can assist in the language and literacy development of young English language learners.  Currently she is examining the language and literacy development of Cantonese-English bilinguals and Spanish-English bilinguals.