Critical Media Literacy Approaches to Violence Prevention: A Research Note

Sexual violence is a global phenomenon needing sustainable interventions. The article extends findings from media literacy scholars by exploring ways that critical media literacy (CML) pedagogies can be used to teach affirmative consent education for the purposes of violence prevention. The article is not a curriculum blue-print, as the pedagogies are still being piloted for adolescents in Ontario. However, the rationales for bridging consent education and critical media literacy apply transnationally. Engaging educators and students with critical analysis of media and creative media production is key to transformative learning about consent, within and beyond the classroom. The article ends by outlining methods that will be used to test the hypothesis that a CML approach rooted in social justice frameworks and best practices in violence prevention will improve the way affirmative consent is taught to adolescents.