MEDIA LITERACY AS A TOOL FOR OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES IN TEACHING THE CONTEMPORARY HISTORY OF ASIAN AND AFRICAN COUNTRIES IN HIGHER EDUCATION

Abstract

The article addresses the issue of developing critical thinking and media competence among higher education students in the context of teaching the course Contemporary History of Asian and African Countries.

The aim of the study is to substantiate a methodology for applying media literacy tools to deconstruct persistent historical and cultural stereotypes about countries of the Asian–African region, particularly notions of their «backwardness», «traditionalism», and inherent conflict-proneness, which are actively reproduced in mass culture and the media.

The relevance of the research is determined by the need to overcome Eurocentric narratives and the «exoticization» of the East, which are reinforced through the uncritical consumption of news and visual media content. The article analyses the specific features of students’ perceptions of historical processes in Asian and African countries as part of the so-called Global South and identifies key biases that hinder the formation of a holistic and scientifically grounded historical worldview.

The research methodology is based on an interdisciplinary approach combining methods of historical analysis, media studies, and pedagogy. The study employs pedagogical observation, reflective analysis of students’ learning outcomes, and case studies grounded in real media practices to develop practical educational exercises. In particular, the article describes algorithms for the comparative analysis of news coverage by different media agencies (Western, national, and regional), techniques for deconstructing visual fakes and manipulative practices in photojournalism, as well as methods for verifying information about political conflicts in Asian and African countries. Special attention is given to the use of algorithmic information output analysis and generative artificial intelligence responses as tools for identifying stereotypical patterns in the representation of countries of the Global South. This approach aims to overcome the limitations imposed by linguistic and algorithmic information bubbles by ensuring a multiperspectival analytical framework. The proposed set of exercises is designed to reduce the level of stereotypical judgments and to enhance the quality of students’ scholarly argumentation when working with media sources.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in the development and theoretical justification of a model for integrating media literacy components directly into the content of the professional course Contemporary History of Asian and African Countries, as opposed to the traditional practice of teaching media literacy as a separate discipline. The article proposes a typology of historical stereotypes about Eastern and African countries characteristic of the Ukrainian educational context and identifies effective tools for overcoming them in the learning process.

Conclusions. The study demonstrates that the integration of media education technologies into the teaching of the history of Asian and African countries contributes not only to a deeper understanding of factual material but also to the development of professional competencies among future history teachers, historians, and archaeologists. The application of the proposed methodologies enables a transformation in students’ perceptions of the studied regions from mythologized representations to scientifically grounded interpretations and fosters the development of critical skills for working with contested sources in the context of contemporary information wars.