Empowering Students to Deconstruct Race and Policing Reports

• In Event: Poster Session 1

Abstract

Many factors are believed to influence student perceptions of the police, including news stories and reports from seemingly reputable sources like Pew. As educators, we want our students to understand that media sources omit contextual factors which skew student perceptions of race and policing. With increased media focus on high profile policing incidents against Black adults, there has been renewed interest in student perceptions of the police as it relates to racial (in)justice. This poster will focus on new teaching methods that dissect Pew reports to better understand their influence on student perceptions of race and racism within policing. We offer initial qualitative evidence from student assignments to highlight the importance of teaching students why and how to critique media, like Pew reports.

Authors

• Brooke E. Mathna, Longwood University

• Crystal E. Peoples, College of William & Mary