MUNCIE, Ind.-Ball State University's best teachers are encouraging students from different disciplines to participate in "dream courses" on the American West, the media and the world in the 21st century.

Recipients of Ball State's 2002 Excellence in Teaching Awards are Mathew Fisher, English; Melinda Messineo, sociology; and Christopher Thompson, history.

The blue-ribbon teachers are nominated by undergraduate students and selected based on classroom observation and ideas for an original course. The teaching professors receive a merit award and funds to develop their dream course.

Fisher's dream course is "Writing the American West." The goal is to explore how visions of the mythic American West have been portrayed in writing, film and other creative endeavors.

"Simply put, our understanding of the American West is an essential part of the story we tell about what it is to be an American-and we tell the story over and over again," Fisher said.

Students will read a wide range of classic and popular texts about the American West.  These readings will be supplemented with various movies that treat different aspects of the theme.  Also explored will be other non-traditional cultural artifacts of the period including: barroom ballads, advertisements, newspapers and popular sideshows.

Messineo will teach "MTV, HBO, MP3, and YOU!  Media and the Making of the Next Generation (a.k.a. Sociology of the Media and Popular Culture)"

The course explores, describes and analyzes the media globally using the tools and insights from media scholars in
literary criticism, psychology, communications, cultural anthropology, and sociology.

Participants will examine images from the late 19th century to the present using a variety of theoretical frameworks with some emphasis placed on the portrayal of race, class, and gender within the media.

"We will also examine our own relationships to the media and reflect on how we can be engaged in the process," Messineo said.

Thompson will teach "Looking Back to the Future: A History of the 21st Century." Reading assignments will expose students to a variety of perspectives about the future and help them identify critical challenges facing humanity.

"As a teacher of History 150 and History 152, I feel a special responsibility to foster a curiosity about and an understanding of the new world in which we live," Thompson said. "I also embrace this opportunity to rethink how best to teach students about how the past has shaped our contemporary world."

Having identified a number of critical issues, the class will present its findings at the annual Student History Conference and publish its final report on the Web.

(Note to Editors: For more information about this story, contact Anthony Barker at (765) 285-5731 or tonybarker@bsu.edu.)