I Churned Butter Once or Twice: Using Service Learning and Journaling to Start a Dialogue between Media Ethics Students and the Amish

• In Event: Communication Activism Scholarship: Examples from Emerging Scholars

Abstract

Historically, marginalization by media has been considered an effect of both the journalism and entertainment industries ignoring certain segments of the population. However, it is difficult to be sure whether some groups, such as the Amish, who shun technology are marginalized affectively or by choice. To address this issue, students enrolled in an undergraduate media law and ethics course at a residential liberal arts college in northeast Ohio spent an intensive 3-week semester analyzing media texts for instances of marginalization and debated their ethical implications. Students also collected and shared media artifacts about the Amish, a population that resides fewer than 10 miles from the campus. The experience culminated with a trip to an Amish farm cooperative of several families to assist with chores. The day of service concluded with a dialogue between students and one farmer, who shared his impressions of media portrayals. This conversation allowed students to dispel some of the media myths about the Amish to which they had been exposed, enabling them to see the benefits of both accurate media reporting and interpersonal dialogue with the Amish, and to express them in thoughtful journal entries. This paper examines some of the common themes that students expressed in their journal entries (Merriam, 2002), thereby demonstrating the power of dialogue to change people’s perceptions and encourage more critical analysis of the media.

Author

• Audrey Wagstaff, Kent State University