Test Post-Why this class?

I have two very succinct reasons as to why I am taking this class: Erin is AWESOME and this class can greatly increase my knowledge in an area that directly influences the Vision that I created during Leadershape.

Studying how the media portrays gender is important because viewers internalize what they see into their belief systems.  Without going too much further into the realms of psychology, it is my belief that much of what people see gets put into memory, which then gets revisited when asked about that topic at a later time. And then through the availability heuristic, what is most readily available about the topic, one recalls and believes it as truth.  Relating this back to media, if one sees many negative portrayals of women, then the mind will absorb it and refer back to that memory later which could have effects on one's actions.  The influence of the media is a riveting subject because of its many consequences not only on our opinions but also our actions.