ABSTRACT
This chapter describes a variety of ways media educators can build bridges within the academy and to practitioners. Media educators have the opportunity and responsibility to teach a future generation about the power and impact of mediated communication. Communication models can be useful when organizing introductory courses. The minor, in some ways, is the distillation or essence of the major. It represents a mid-ground between those who want to dabble in the discipline, taking one or two courses, and those who are serious majors. Building bridges can take different forms, including close working relationships with other departments. Assemblies, banquet speakers and debates are three more outreach programs that can be used to keep media issues central on our campuses. The chapter describes how various programs have built bridges between educators and practitioners. Jeffrey McCall of Depauw University noted that “most laboratory/ experiential learning takes place outside the traditional course structure”.
