Lisa Tripp

I teach on a variety of topics related to communication and media, learning and education, and childhood and youth cultures. Below is information about some of the courses I have designed and taught. Some syllabi are also available to download.

Design and Production of Media Resources

Florida State University, Spring 2007-08

This class teaches methods for creating educational media resources to Masters level students from the College of Information. The focus is on the social dimensions of learning, and how media tools can be mobilized for collaborative learning environments. The class is taught entirely online and uses IM, blog, wiki, and other Web 2.0 tools for meeting, community bulding and collaboration.
Download Syllabus (pdf)

Multimedia in Pre-service Teaching

University of Southern California, Masters of Arts in Teaching, Summer/Fall 2005

I was a central collaborator in the design of an academic program to integrate multimedia literacy skills into pre-service teacher education. The program involved collaboration between the University of Southern California Institute for Multimedia Literacy (IML) and the Rossier School of Education. I consulted in the conceptualization of the program, the development of curriculum, and supervising the teaching assistants leading instruction. The program provides pre-service teachers with weekly lab sessions (over a six month period) in which they learn practical skills in multimedia production, critical analysis, communication, and instructional strategies. The syllabi for these labs reflect aspects of my approach to these topics.
Download syllabus (pdf)

Media Education for Children and Youth

UC San Diego, Summer 2003

I was the instructor for this seminar-style course that introduced students to major debates surrounding children and the media, and examined trends and strategies in K-12 “media literacy” education and community-based, youth produced media. The approach of the course emphasized the cultural significance and power of corporate media industries, as well as the active ways in which children and youth use media as resources for social, cultural, and political expression. Course assignments and activities included examining and developing curriculum and instructional strategies for using mass media and youth-produced media as resources for learning about diverse topics, including media representations of gender and race, trends in global media industries and advertising, and democratic and alternative media systems. This was an original course that I conceptualized and designed for the Department of Communication.
Download syllabus (pdf)

Practicum in Child Development: Language and Culture

UC San Diego, Spring 2003

I was the instructor for this seminar-style course that provided students with an intense experience in combining theory and practice in the study of child development, with a special emphasis on the role of language and culture in literacy, learning, and the politics of schooling. The course emphasized theories and research informed by cultural historical approaches to learning and development. In addition to participating in class, students were placed at field research sites affiliated with La Clase Magica (LCM), a research and educational activity serving predominantly children of Mexican origin or American Indian backgrounds. LCM integrated computer-mediated educational activities into learning settings that aimed to promote bilingualism, culturally relevant instruction, play, and collaboration. Undergraduate students in the course engaged in service learning. They acted as playful mentors and collaborators with children, while also learning to use ethnographic, participant observation research techniques as the foundation for evaluating theories of learning, communication, and development. This course was adapted from similar courses by Mike Cole and Olga Vasquez, and incorporated new elements based on my experience conducting research and guiding undergraduate students on related projects.
Download syllabus (pdf)

Children and the Media

UC San Diego, Fall 2002

I was the instructor for this lecture-style course that introduced students to major debates surrounding the role of media in the lives and development of children, addressing the interplay between media texts, audiences, media industries, social policy, and lived experience. We examined questions such as: How has the “child” become such a powerful symbolic icon in contemporary cultural discourse? How has the very notion of “childhood” changed historically? How is the interaction between children and media related to diverse social contexts: the family, school, entertainment industries, media technologies, and regulatory efforts of the government and parents? What rights do children have in a complex media environment? How can children access and use media as a tool for citizenship and cultural power? How can we successfully study children and their relationship to media? This course was adapted from similar courses taught by Tarleton Gillespie, Carol Padden, and Ellen Seiter, and incorporated new elements based on my research on youth media and media education.
Download syllabus (pdf)