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SYLLABUS (GREEN SHEET) - REVISED 10/29 Mass Comm 210: Fall 2009 Media and Social Issues Thursday 6:00-8:45 p.m. DBH 107 |
Dr. Richard Craig, Associate Professor Office: DBH 108; 924-3240 E-mail: profcraig@profcraig.com Office Hours: Tuesday 11:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. and by appointment |
Class home page: http://www.profcraig.com/210f09.html
SYLLABUS SUPPLEMENT:
You are required to read all information on this syllabus and
on the syllabus supplement, which lists policies that apply to
all my classes. A copy should be attached to this document;
if it is missing or you need another copy, it is available on
the Web at http://www.profcraig.com/syllsup.html.
CONTENT:
This course provides a broad overview of the popular, professional and academic
literature in mass communication. The readings are designed to provide a
limited, basic introduction to the literature of the field in terms of social
issues. The purpose of the course is to provide graduate students with a
foundation on which to draw for studies in mass communication.
TEXTS:
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th Edition.
Everett Rogers, A History of Communication Study.
Clifford Christians et al, Media Ethics: Cases & Moral Reasoning,
8th Edition.
Clint Wilson et al, Racism, Sexism, and the Media, 3rd Edition.
David Gauntlett, Media, Gender and Identity: An Introduction, 2nd Edition.
Ben Bagdikian, The New Media Monopoly.
W. Russell Neuman, The Future of the Mass Audience
Erik Bucy, Living in the Information Age, 2nd Edition
Textbooks are available at the Spartan Bookstore. Please note that other outside readings (most often handouts or Web articles) may be assigned periodically throughout the semester, and that you will be responsible for these readings in addition to the texts.
LAPTOPS:
This course is part of the SJSU Laptop Initiative, which means that all
students are required to have a laptop computer and bring it to class.
Many assignments will depend on this, so if you don't already have a laptop,
you'll need to get one ASAP. It can be either a PC or Mac.
A wireless
card is also recommended to take advantage of the building's wireless
network. The Spartan Bookstore has laptops available at student rates, and
both Microsoft Office and the Adobe programs available. For more
information on the Laptop Initiative, go to the SJSU
Laptop Initiative Web site. Check
out this article on Apple's Web site about our participation in the project.
STRUCTURE:
MC210 is a graduate seminar. Graduate students are expected to think
critically and to contribute to the body of knowledge in the various sub-fields
of mass communications. In a seminar the instructor tries to minimize
lecturing and maximize the contribution of students. Students are expected
to complete their assignments and readings before the date listed, and to
be prepared to contribute to an informed discussion. Students should ask
questions about the readings and what they are hearing from the instructor, and
challenge that material when appropriate.
Assignments are weighted as follows:
| Seminar paper | 40 percent |
| Written critiques | 20 percent |
| In-class presentations | 20 percent |
| Class participation | 20 percent |
See syllabus supplement for other grading policies.
WRITTEN CRITIQUES AND IN-CLASS PRESENTATIONS:
Each seminar participant is required to write four critiques as part of the
seminar grade. The critiques must be limited to 500-750 words.
You may write no more than one critique per book, and you must write about the
entire book, not just the chapter(s) we cover in class. You do not
have to turn in your written critique of a book on the same night we discuss
it. You may turn in critiques on any night that the seminar meets; in
fact, you're encouraged to turn them in soon after completing the reading in
question.
Don't just summarize the readings -- discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and
how they relate to current events.
The final deadline for the first two
critiques is Oct. 15, the date we discuss paper topics; the deadline for the last two is
Dec. 3, the night of the first final presentations.
Seminar participants are expected to read and discuss each week's readings. In addition, one or two seminar participants per week will be designated as discussant(s), and will prepare a presentation and lead class discussions on that topic. Often students will prepare a Powerpoint presentation or other visual representation to use in front of class, but this is not required; if you opt not to prepare a visual presentation, bringing handouts for the group with an outline of your main points is a good idea.
Presentations should be designed to last roughly 15 minutes, with another 15-30 minutes for questions and discussion. Don't just read written critiques aloud, and don't read long sections of the assigned reading aloud. On nights when you're not the discussant, you should be prepared to ask four or five questions about the reading. Whenever possible, the discussion should also cover how current events relate to the reading topic.
Important note: If, for any reason, you cannot attend class on the evening you are scheduled as a discussant, you must arrange for someone else to cover your assigned reading, or you will receive a failing grade for that night's work.
SEMINAR ABSTRACT AND SEMINAR PAPER:
You are required to write a 500-word abstract of your seminar paper. The
abstract should provide a summary of the major points made in your paper. Since
academic papers often require an abstract, this is to prepare you for that
process, which forces you to boil down your paper into its most important
points. You will turn in the abstract at the end of the semester along
with your finished paper.
The final seminar paper will be a 15-20 page discussion and analysis and/or
review of the relevant literature in a narrowly defined area of mass
communication. This is not a review of the research on a given
academic question; rather, it is a look at a current problem, issue, development
or debate from somewhere within the field of communication. The idea is to
apply some of the knowledge you gain along the way to a real-world situation or
concept.
You will be expected to have settled on at least a general
topic and be able to discuss it in class by Oct. 15. The paper will
require both a bibliography and footnotes/endnotes; at least 50 percent of the
bibliography should come from academic journals. You will receive a
detailed handout about the seminar paper within the first few class
sessions.
In addition to writing the paper, you will present it to the class in a 5-7 minute oral presentation. The last two weeks of class are set aside for these presentations.
See syllabus supplement for information about deadlines, academic honesty and any other issues not covered here.
STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
As the introductory theory class for graduate students in our Mass
Communications program, this is where students are first exposed to the history
of communication research - its concepts, theorists and precursors. With this in
mind, by the end of the semester you will be expected to:
SCHEDULE: (Subject to change, with notice):
Subject matter of each day's class is in plain type, assigned
readings are italicized. Readings are subject to change and are
frequently supplemented with handouts and/or Web assignments.
You are expected to complete each day's assigned readings before
coming to class.
|
|
Activity |
| Aug. 27 |
Introduction and overview Assignment of weekly discussants |
| Sept. 3 |
History of communication study I Reading: Rogers, Part I (Preface, Chapters 1-4) |
| Sept. 10 |
History of communication study II Reading: Rogers, Part II (Chapters 5-11) |
| Sept. 17 |
Minority issues across media Reading: Wilson, complete |
| Sept. 24 |
Normative mass media theory: Ethics I Reading: Christians, Parts 1 and 2 (Chapters 1-9) |
| Oct. 1 |
Normative mass media theory: Ethics II Reading: Christians, Parts 3 and 4 (Chapters 10-17) |
| Oct. 8 |
Gender issues Reading: Gauntlett, complete |
| Oct. 15 |
Media monopolies Reading: Bagdikian, complete Seminar paper topics due -- individual presentations and discussion First two critiques due |
| Oct. 22 |
New media I Reading: Neuman, complete |
| Oct. 29 |
New media II Reading: Bucy, Parts 1,2 and 3 (Chapters 1-6) |
| Nov. 5 |
New media III Reading: Bucy, Parts 4,5 and 6 (Chapters 7-12) |
| Nov. 12 | FURLOUGH DAY - NO CLASS |
| Nov. 19 |
Current issues in the media I Reading: Handouts, Web assignments |
| Nov. 26 | THANKSGIVING - NO CLASS |
| Dec. 3 |
Seminar paper due; Seminar paper abstracts due; Last two
critiques due Current issues in the media II Reading: Handouts, Web assignments |