Representing “U”: Popular Culture, Media, and Higher Education

From the magazines and newspapers of the mid-1800s to movies and apps of the twenty-first century, popular culture and media in the United States provide prolific representations of higher education. This report positions artifacts of popular culture as pedagogic texts able to (mis)educate viewers and consumers regarding the purpose, values, and people of higher education. It discusses scholarly literature across disciplines; examines a diverse array of cross-media artifacts; and reveals pedagogical messages embedded in popular culture texts to prompt thinking about the multiple ways higher education is represented to society through the media. and engaging, higher education professionals can use the findings to intentionally challenge the (mis)educating messages about higher education through programs, policies, and perspectives.