"Creating Awareness": the first course organized by the University of the Holy Cross is on line

Ten video lessons to analyze the relationship between the family and the mass media in the light of the most popular contents: movies, TV-series, video games, social networks, news, and stories. The first online course on Family and Media, organized by the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross and Familyandmedia, can now be accessed. The objective, say the promoters, is "to raise adequate awareness among parents, family associations, teachers, and educators, but also young people and students, and suggesting the right way to responsibly cultivate our rapport with the media."

The course is directed in a particular way to parents, teachers, and educators, and managers of family associations, but it is open to anyone who would like to delve into the subject of the complex but always contemporary relationship between family, society, and the world of the communication media.

The video classes are presented by professors with expertise in social communication, with an educative viewpoint and with a practical approach. Some of the issues that will be dealt with are the representation of the family in the news, the relationship between the family and the new media, the web as a medium of communication and education for the young, the ethical nature of video games and "their positive value,"—the organizers explain—because "they put choices before us that stimulate the mind to always seek the best solutions in the face of difficulties."

Finally, there will also be workshops, with practical exercises, that suggest how to use films, TV-series, and social networks in the best possible way to present the values of the person and the family in an effective way.