In my blog this week, I took issue with Hobb’s “The Seven Great Debates in the Media Literacy Movement,” specifically her third issue– “Should media literacy have a pop culture bias?”

I felt that Hobbs was really oversimplifying the two sides with her breakdown of this argument. For no, she simply has “The understanding that information is socially constructed is the major contribution of media literacy – and this can be learned through the analysis of classic works of literature and film just as well (or better) than through a close examination of Beavis and Butthead.”

For yes, “Vote yes if you think that media literacy is part of the move against the belief that the canon of Great Western Works is inherently more meaningful and speak more powerfully to the human condition than The Simpsons or Star Trek.”

Okay, call me crazy, but why does it have to be this black and white? Why does it have be no media or all media? Why can’t media like the Simpsons and Star Trek be used to peak student interest before slowing easing them in to the “canon of Great Western Works” of which she speaks so highly?

My main issue with her black and white split of the debate lines is the popularity of tropes, character types and plot lines throughout literature. It’s entirely possible (and probable) that The Simpsons got some of their plot lines from the “canon of Great Western Works.” Shouldn’t the students be afforded the opportunity to see those famous plot lines or characters, but in a manner that’s relevant to them? After all, the canon may be interesting and brilliant, but if it’s completely irrelevant to a student, why should they care?

While I’m definitely not saying that Beavis & Butthead is a complete and total replacement for Beowulf or something equally whole-hog and mildly crazy, I’m simply stating the obvious– for every Emma, there’s a Clueless. For every Pride & Prejudice, a Bridget Jones’ Diary. For Twelfth Night, She’s the Man. And so on and so forth, exhaustively. After all, these plot lines had to come from somewhere!

While the movies should not be a replacement for the main text, it can’t hurt to establish relevance and peak interest with the students before beginning on a large and scary piece of canon. While media shouldn’t be used as the whole curriculum, it can be a powerful tool to peak interest and connect with the student, and I feel that Hobbs’ split of the debate sides really omitted that complex portion of the argument.