Module 1 Discussion: Media, Myths, and Mental Health Facts Assignment

STEP 1: Choose a movie, song, recent news story, or other relevant media source that showcases a person or fictional character with a mental health disorder.

STEP 2: When watching, reading, or listening to the media of your choice, consider the following questions: How is their issue addressed (if at all)? Is the disorder itself sensationalized in any way? What are some ways in which the media you’ve chosen has perpetuated a stereotype or myth (if any), and what are some ways it has demonstrated the condition accurately (if any)? Write a short summary of the source you chose (including the title and what it’s about) and your response to the above questions (approximately 2-3 paragraphs).

STEP 3: Create a simple infographic showing “myth” vs “fact” regarding the mental health condition that is addressed in the media source you’ve chosen. This can be done using a program of your choice, such as Easelly, Canva, PiktoChart, or even a PowerPoint slide. Include appropriate citations and references in your poster. See this example of an infographic on social anxiety:

A chart comparing myths and facts about social anxiety. The first myth is that few people have social anxiety. The fact is between two and thirteen percent of the population is thought to have social anxiety. The second myth is that social anxiety only happens during public speaking. The fact is that social anxiety occurs in nearly all social events and gatherings regardless of whether the person is "in the spotlight". The third myth is that social anxiety and shyness is the same. The fact is that people who are shy experience some social anxiety, but people with social anxiety disorder don't always act shy. The last myth is that social anxiety is just "nervousness" and the person can get over it. In reality, social anxiety goes beyond simple "nervousness" and often causes physical reactions. Proper treatment is needed to alleviate symptoms.

Myth versus Fact: Social anxiety

STEP 4: Submit your response and your infographic into the discussion forum.

Grading Rubric

Criteria Excellent Proficient Needs Improvement Points
Finds appropriate media resource that addresses (or at the very least demonstrates) someone with a mental health issue and writes a summary of the source. Provides a coherent summary of the media source (describes the source and what it’s about). Does not provide enough detail in the summary (less than a paragraph, missing information such as title of source or what the movie/song/news source covered). Did not find a media source that addressed a mental health issue and/or had significant information missing from the summary (or no summary). __/5
Completes an appropriate summary of responses to the questions listed in the assignment. Provides a coherent summary not less than 2 paragraphs and not to exceed 3, that answers the questions and addresses additional information as necessary. Does not provide a coherent summary – writing either exceeds limit or is less than the required length. Contains some grammatical errors that distract from the content. Does not respond to questions, writing is disorganized, unclear, or incoherent. Contains numerous grammatical errors. __/5
Includes correct APA citations on both the short writing response and in the infographic (as appropriate/necessary). Provides accurate in-text citations AND a reference page for the summary – includes properly cited reference for media source obtained. Also provides a reference section at the bottom of the Infograph. Does not fully provide accurate in-text citations AND a reference page for the sources used Missing citations for the summary portion and/or the Infograph. __/5
Presentation (Infograph) Excellent use of visual graphics to convey important points related to the topic. Some use of visuals to display information, but layout is confusing or without clear connections.

And/or contains some grammatical errors that distract from content.

 No attempt at presenting information in a creative manner. Project lacks visual cohesion. (Or Infograph is missing entirely). __/5
Total: __/20