When audiences consume or read media messages, they have no control over the content (text) of the message. Instead, they only control the meaning (subtext) that they make out of the message and how they would respond to it through making decisions or taking actions.
In the Deconstructing the Media Lesson Plan, students will be exposed to several gender stereotypes in television programs and will be able to examine persuasion techniques in advertisements. Both lectures will allow students to reflect on how they make meaning of popular media messages.