Sexual Assault and Media Representation

Reflection Paper 1: Sexual Assault and Media Representation 

Over the past two weeks, we have reviewed foundational information about sexual assault. We have also discussed perpetrators and sexual assault on college campuses.

Beyond the information we have reviewed in the course, there are ongoing conversations about sexual assault with diverse perspectives represented in the mainstream media.

For this reflection paper, you will:

Expand on discussion board conversations by reflecting on how sexual assault is represented in the media (news articles, social media, music, tv, movies, etc.) 

You have two options for the media content you will analyze in this assignment:

Option 1: Identify a written or social media source (e.g., online news articles, Tweets, Facebook posts, Reddit posts, TikToks) and discuss at least two examples from that media source (you may mix media platforms; for example, you may write about a news article and a TikTok). If you choose this option, please include links to the posts.

Option 2: Identify a visual or audio media source (e.g., song, movies, TV shows [an episode, a season, or a show in general]) and discuss at least one example from that media source. If you choose this option, please include links to the posts or enough information that I can find the song/TV show/movie.

• Discuss the dominant perspectives about sexual assault that you see in the content itself. In doing so, you should discuss:
• The characterization of the “victim/survivor” and “perpetrator,” as well as whether the victim/survivor or perpetrator are given a voice in the content.

Whether the content includes any rape myths (for some common rape myths, )

• A reflection upon your emotional response to consuming the content. Your emotional reaction (or lack thereof) is important, and I encourage you to see your emotions as something that can provide you with insight and understanding throughout the course.