Dr. Bill Yousman is an academic and teacher of media literacy. Currently, he is Associate Professor and Director of the Media Literacy and Digital Culture graduate program at Sacred Heart University.Dr. Yousman's work focuses on the role of media in the construction of ideology, in shaping perceptions of race, and its role in democracy. His scholarship includes critical analyses of media images of the prison industrial complex, ideology in the films of Spike Lee, the social impact of rap music and hip-hop culture.Dr. Yousman has published research in several media and communication journals and edited anthologies, and he has presented at regional, national, and international conferences.Dr. Yousman received his Ph.D. in Media Studies from the University of Massachusetts Amherst.