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Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s College of Arts and Sciences has announced a new Digital Media Literacy Post-Baccalaureate Certificate within the Department of Mass Communications, which can be completed online in one summer. 

The program is designed for educators, librarians and media professionals who want to address questions about the impact of media in their work or curriculum. Interested students should apply by May 17. Summer classes begin May 31.

“As people spend more time online, and increasingly consume news and information through social media, the need for media literacy has become critical,” said Suman Mishra, PhD, professor and graduate program director in the Department of Mass Communications.  

Recognizing this need, Illinois became the first state to pass a media literacy bill in July 2021 that requires the inclusion of a unit of instruction on media literacy in public schools. Similar bills have been introduced in other states, including Missouri.

“The certificate will help educators and librarians develop a media literacy instructional plan for their students and patrons,” said Musonda Kapatamoyo, PhD, professor and chair in the Department of Mass Communications. 

“Media professionals will enhance their knowledge of the field and learn to produce work that is accurate, includes multiple viewpoints and representations, and is socially responsible,” Mishra added.

According to Kapatamoyo, all professors teaching the courses are trained media scholars who hold doctoral degrees in media and mass communications.

“Most people do not fully understand how the new media environment works,” Mishra said. “We are receiving enormous amounts of news and information through digital platforms, many of which are inaccurate, from unreliable sources and deliberately spreading disinformation.

“Thus, there is a need to educate people about how media operate, how it impacts individuals, how they can critically analyze and evaluate media messages they are receiving, how they can effectively create and communicate using a variety of new media tools, and overall, how they can become sophisticated consumers of media.” 

A post-baccalaureate certificate provides in-depth training that leads to a specific set of skills or knowledge, and confirms that a student has mastery of the content of a clearly defined sub-field of an academic major field of study. SIUE’s digital media literacy 9-credit-hour certificate program offers a variety of electives for students to choose from based on their interest. In addition, students have the option to count the credits toward the master’s in media studies degree program. 

For more information, visit: siue.edu/academics/graduate/degrees-and-programs/media-studies/specialization-digital-media-literacy.shtml 

Photo: (L-R) Suman Mishra, PhD, professor and graduate program director, and Musonda Kapatamoyo, PhD, professor and chair, both in the Department of Mass Communications.