Media affects most people and areas of life, not just the lives of adults but children and adolescents as well.  As responsive Disciples of Christ it is vital for Christians to study and seek to redeem media.  In this unit students will explore the positive and negative effects media has on society and how they are to use discernment within the realm of media.  Students will also discover how media is applied to and affects all subject areas:  history, math, language arts, science, health, Bible, and others.  Students will examine the history of media, how media works both technically and subliminally to appeal to viewers, and discuss how Christian’s should respond to the role of media in society.  Eighth graders will study this unit on media for approximately two weeks.

    As a Christian school it is vital for teachers to prepare students for real life situations.  Media confronts humans daily; therefore, students need to be knowledgeable and equipped.  As Christians, we believe our bodies are temples of God; therefore, our bodies demand respect and love.  Currently secular media does not fully do this, rather media is tainted by sin and is misused to demean women, promote immoral sex, encourage poor morals, and negatively influence consumers.  As Christians, teachers and students must monitor what goes into our minds and bodies in the form of media.  This is important because in Scripture we are to dwell on things from the Spirit and allow those fruits to come into our bodies so that our actions may be from the Spirit.   It is also important for Christians to examine how media has evolved into the role it has in society as well as what media would look like in a perfect world.  Christians must seek to redeem this aspect of creation for Christ.  As Christian teachers we believe media is not fully bad in itself and that it can be restored but only with the training and discernment of knowledgeable Christian citizens.

     There are several learning goals students should accomplish throughout this discovery of media.  First of all, students will be able to think critically about media’s effects on society and individuals.  Next, students will appreciate and understand the history of media and its development.  Thirdly, students will decide weather they believe media has a general positive or negative affect on culture—past and present.  In addition, students will discover positive uses and applications of media in today’s world.  Finally students will realize the gifts and abilities God gives people to use technology in such a powerful way.

    As Christian teachers our overall aim is that students rethink and examine their use of media.  As Christians in a secular world, God calls us to action.  The action students will take will include personal discernment of each individual’s use of media as well as taking communal action.  This communal action may be in terms of writing letters to various television stations regarding which shows they are airing, or a letter to the editor regarding an advertisement or magazine article.  We act upon what we know and understand.  Therefore, after discovering so much about the media the next step is action, on a personal and communal level.