SYLLABUS: MASC 1100 (Spring '07)
Syllabus for MASC 1100: Mass Media and Society
Spring 2007, 10:00-11:40 TTh, HS 102 (Class ends March 29 except for final exam)
Instructor: Louise Mengelkoch Grad Asst: Katie Carter
Lmengelkoch@bemidjistate.edu kudracarter@hotmail.com
Office Hrs.: TTh 1-5 & by appointment Office Hrs.: By Appointment
Office: Bg 214 Office: Bg 214
Phone: 755-3358 Phone: 755-3358
Overview:
"According to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, in 1999 the average American spent 3,405 hours -- the equivalent of 142 days or 85 40-hour work weeks -- consuming mass media messages."
Annual Editions: Mass Media 05/06
“Given the accelerated rate of media expansion and fragmentation, some industry executives have begun wondering whether we could reach a point where there simply is too much media. Not necessarily too much from a marketplace point of view, but from the perspective of consumers who might become oversaturated with the number of media options available. So far, that doesn't seem to be the case. According to a wide variety of studies, the more media that's available to them, the more time consumers spend with media.”
(From an e-mail news update sent to your instructor)
*********************
The mass media are the means used to communicate messages to large numbers of connected, interdependent people, which we call society. The interplay between this communication and the recipients of these messages is complex. There was a time when this process was considered to be a one-way street: that is, there was little or no feedback from society to the media, or if so, the effect was minimal.
We know now that is not the case, and the situation has become even more dynamic, even volatile, given the continuing emergence of new technologies and our ability to process feedback and respond to it. For example, the 24-hour news cycle, along with the sophisticated techniques used in polling and other audience analysis has created a faster and faster looping process that can be both overwhelming and frustrating to the deliberative process necessary for a democracy.
You all have had a lot of experience with the mass media, whether you realize it or not. What you may not have, however, is a broader framework for understanding how and why it affects you and everyone else the way it does. With that in mind, we will be exploring the answers to the following questions through readings, discussion and our own research:
*How is each of us individually being affected by these thousands of hours of messages?
*How is our society being affected by these same messages?
*How, if at all, can we control these effects?
*What, if any, power do we have to affect the media promulgating these messages?
*If we do have any power to affect the media, to what end do we want to use that power?
Required texts and supplies:
*At Ground Zero: 25 Stories From Young Reporters Who Were There, ed. by Chris Bull and Sam Erman, Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2002, ISBN: 1-56025-427-0
*The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects, by Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore, 1967 (re-published by Gingko Press in 2001), ISBN: 1-58423-070-3
*M-F subscription to the New York Times (available through campus bookstore). Sign up immediately.
Please check the COURSE BLOG on a regular basis (www.masc1100.blogspot.com). This is where we will post your syllabus, any PowerPoint presentations used in class, quiz assignments, any changes to our schedule and other important information, including extra-credit opportunities.
The New York Times:
You will often be assigned a quiz question about something in a recent edition of the Times. If you miss class, check the blog, because I will post any quiz questions there.
Jan. 23, 25, 30; Feb. 1, 6:
Living With Media (or Without Media) -- That is the Choice
Topics for discussion: the meaning of literacy, media violence, children and the media, McLuhan’s theory of electronic media and its effects on us, other social issues related to entertainment media
*Media avoidance exercise: Try to avoid as much mass media as possible for any three consecutive days before Feb. 1. You will write about the experience in class Feb. 1.
*Read: The Medium is the Massage, by Marshall McLuhan. Be prepared for quiz Feb. Jan. 30.
Feb. 8, 13, 15, 20:
Covering (or not covering) the News
Topics for discussion: the definitions of news, tabloid news, investigative reporting, political coverage, international reporting, war reporting, TV news vs. print vs. radio, news you need vs. news you want, why you should care
*Read: assigned stories in Bull and Erman
Feb. 22 and 27:
Players and Guides: who owns what and how it affects you
Topics for discussion: media ownership, regulatory policy, legal rulings and ethical guidelines
March 1 and 6:
Alternative Media -- Is there a way around the corporate stranglehold?
Topics for discussion: Definition of alternative media, origins, cultural and societal significance, examples. This could open up a whole new world to you! Stay tuned.
*Read and view alternative media sources as assigned.
March 12-16: Spring Break
March 8, 20, 22: A Word From Our Sponsor
Topics for discussion: financial backers, advertising, media content
March 27: The Shape of Things to Come: What are your predictions?
Topics for discussion: new media technologies, changing landscape of mass media form, consumption and regulation, where we fit in.
Final Research Paper due Monday, May 14 by noon. Please drop off either at my office (Bg 214) or in my mailbox in Bg 201. We will not accept e-mailed papers.
This paper should be a reflection on the questions addressed in this course:
*How is each of us individually being affected by these thousands of hours of messages?
*How is our society being affected by these same messages?
*How, if at all, can we control these effects?
*What, if any, power do we have to affect the media promulgating these messages?
*If we do have any power to affect the media, to what end do we want to use that power?
You should pick a topic, and then try to answer these questions using the assigned readings, including the New York Times. (Please do NOT discard your newspapers as you use them!) For example, you should choose a specific kind of message (i.e., advertising, horror films, news, reality TV, etc.) Then discuss the effects; then discuss how you as an individual and how society can control these effects. Please use APA style and include a page listing all your references. You are expected to use AT LEAST 25 different sources. For example, you might reference 8 different essays in the Gorham textbook, 4 references from the other two books we read in class, and 13 different articles or ads or photos from the New York Times. Minimum length: 2000 words.
Final exam time: Thursday, May 10 at 10 a.m.
Attendance is of the utmost importance. Every day in class you will have a short quiz. It might be on assigned readings, a response to a class presentation or film, or some other kind of reflection. The quiz may be given at the beginning of class, in the middle or at the end. Each day I will tell you what material will be covered in the quiz question for the next class. If you keep up with the readings you should have no problem. We will discuss which sections of the New York Times it is important to read each day.
If you come late to class you will not have time to take the beginning-of-class writing assignment. If you leave class early you will not have time to take the end-of-the-class writing assignment. In other words, punctuality and attendance and keeping up with the daily work is most of your grade. There is no way to make up this work outside of class, unless you are absent because of a school-sponsored activity or a medical or family emergency. Documentation must be provided in order to make up points in such cases. If you know you will have trouble with attendance, I suggest you drop the course.
You will have a number of opportunities for extra credit points. They may be announced in class or posted to my webpage. You may earn up to a total of 5 extra credit points for the semester.
Grading:
91-100 points = A
81-90 points = B
71-80 points = C
61-70 points = D
Fewer than 61 points = F
Possible Points to be Earned:
Daily quiz and/or reflection questions 60 points
Final Research Paper 25 points
Final 15 points
Upon request, this document can be made available in alternative formats. Please contact the Department of Mass Communication at 755-2915 for assistance.
A WORD ABOUT SLEEP-DEPRIVATION, HANDWRITING, ETIQUETTE:
I do not allow sleeping during class time. If I see you sleeping, I will ask you to leave. This is college, and you do not receive credit for seat time. Enough said. You will be writing a lot in class. This means with a pen and paper. If I can’t read your handwriting, you will not receive credit for the great answers you give. If you have terrible handwriting, consider purchasing a copy of Handwriting for Dummies (I’m assuming there is such a book1) and start practicing. Also, please don’t hand in notebook paper with ragged edges, and do not write in pencil. No need to double-space. You may also write on both sides of the paper.
If you arrive late to class or if you need to leave early, please try to enter and leave the room with as little disruption as possible. It would be greatly appreciated.
Spring 2007, 10:00-11:40 TTh, HS 102 (Class ends March 29 except for final exam)
Instructor: Louise Mengelkoch Grad Asst: Katie Carter
Lmengelkoch@bemidjistate.edu kudracarter@hotmail.com
Office Hrs.: TTh 1-5 & by appointment Office Hrs.: By Appointment
Office: Bg 214 Office: Bg 214
Phone: 755-3358 Phone: 755-3358
Overview:
"According to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce, in 1999 the average American spent 3,405 hours -- the equivalent of 142 days or 85 40-hour work weeks -- consuming mass media messages."
Annual Editions: Mass Media 05/06
“Given the accelerated rate of media expansion and fragmentation, some industry executives have begun wondering whether we could reach a point where there simply is too much media. Not necessarily too much from a marketplace point of view, but from the perspective of consumers who might become oversaturated with the number of media options available. So far, that doesn't seem to be the case. According to a wide variety of studies, the more media that's available to them, the more time consumers spend with media.”
(From an e-mail news update sent to your instructor)
*********************
The mass media are the means used to communicate messages to large numbers of connected, interdependent people, which we call society. The interplay between this communication and the recipients of these messages is complex. There was a time when this process was considered to be a one-way street: that is, there was little or no feedback from society to the media, or if so, the effect was minimal.
We know now that is not the case, and the situation has become even more dynamic, even volatile, given the continuing emergence of new technologies and our ability to process feedback and respond to it. For example, the 24-hour news cycle, along with the sophisticated techniques used in polling and other audience analysis has created a faster and faster looping process that can be both overwhelming and frustrating to the deliberative process necessary for a democracy.
You all have had a lot of experience with the mass media, whether you realize it or not. What you may not have, however, is a broader framework for understanding how and why it affects you and everyone else the way it does. With that in mind, we will be exploring the answers to the following questions through readings, discussion and our own research:
*How is each of us individually being affected by these thousands of hours of messages?
*How is our society being affected by these same messages?
*How, if at all, can we control these effects?
*What, if any, power do we have to affect the media promulgating these messages?
*If we do have any power to affect the media, to what end do we want to use that power?
Required texts and supplies:
*At Ground Zero: 25 Stories From Young Reporters Who Were There, ed. by Chris Bull and Sam Erman, Thunder’s Mouth Press, 2002, ISBN: 1-56025-427-0
*The Medium is the Massage: An Inventory of Effects, by Marshall McLuhan and Quentin Fiore, 1967 (re-published by Gingko Press in 2001), ISBN: 1-58423-070-3
*M-F subscription to the New York Times (available through campus bookstore). Sign up immediately.
Please check the COURSE BLOG on a regular basis (www.masc1100.blogspot.com). This is where we will post your syllabus, any PowerPoint presentations used in class, quiz assignments, any changes to our schedule and other important information, including extra-credit opportunities.
The New York Times:
You will often be assigned a quiz question about something in a recent edition of the Times. If you miss class, check the blog, because I will post any quiz questions there.
Jan. 23, 25, 30; Feb. 1, 6:
Living With Media (or Without Media) -- That is the Choice
Topics for discussion: the meaning of literacy, media violence, children and the media, McLuhan’s theory of electronic media and its effects on us, other social issues related to entertainment media
*Media avoidance exercise: Try to avoid as much mass media as possible for any three consecutive days before Feb. 1. You will write about the experience in class Feb. 1.
*Read: The Medium is the Massage, by Marshall McLuhan. Be prepared for quiz Feb. Jan. 30.
Feb. 8, 13, 15, 20:
Covering (or not covering) the News
Topics for discussion: the definitions of news, tabloid news, investigative reporting, political coverage, international reporting, war reporting, TV news vs. print vs. radio, news you need vs. news you want, why you should care
*Read: assigned stories in Bull and Erman
Feb. 22 and 27:
Players and Guides: who owns what and how it affects you
Topics for discussion: media ownership, regulatory policy, legal rulings and ethical guidelines
March 1 and 6:
Alternative Media -- Is there a way around the corporate stranglehold?
Topics for discussion: Definition of alternative media, origins, cultural and societal significance, examples. This could open up a whole new world to you! Stay tuned.
*Read and view alternative media sources as assigned.
March 12-16: Spring Break
March 8, 20, 22: A Word From Our Sponsor
Topics for discussion: financial backers, advertising, media content
March 27: The Shape of Things to Come: What are your predictions?
Topics for discussion: new media technologies, changing landscape of mass media form, consumption and regulation, where we fit in.
Final Research Paper due Monday, May 14 by noon. Please drop off either at my office (Bg 214) or in my mailbox in Bg 201. We will not accept e-mailed papers.
This paper should be a reflection on the questions addressed in this course:
*How is each of us individually being affected by these thousands of hours of messages?
*How is our society being affected by these same messages?
*How, if at all, can we control these effects?
*What, if any, power do we have to affect the media promulgating these messages?
*If we do have any power to affect the media, to what end do we want to use that power?
You should pick a topic, and then try to answer these questions using the assigned readings, including the New York Times. (Please do NOT discard your newspapers as you use them!) For example, you should choose a specific kind of message (i.e., advertising, horror films, news, reality TV, etc.) Then discuss the effects; then discuss how you as an individual and how society can control these effects. Please use APA style and include a page listing all your references. You are expected to use AT LEAST 25 different sources. For example, you might reference 8 different essays in the Gorham textbook, 4 references from the other two books we read in class, and 13 different articles or ads or photos from the New York Times. Minimum length: 2000 words.
Final exam time: Thursday, May 10 at 10 a.m.
Attendance is of the utmost importance. Every day in class you will have a short quiz. It might be on assigned readings, a response to a class presentation or film, or some other kind of reflection. The quiz may be given at the beginning of class, in the middle or at the end. Each day I will tell you what material will be covered in the quiz question for the next class. If you keep up with the readings you should have no problem. We will discuss which sections of the New York Times it is important to read each day.
If you come late to class you will not have time to take the beginning-of-class writing assignment. If you leave class early you will not have time to take the end-of-the-class writing assignment. In other words, punctuality and attendance and keeping up with the daily work is most of your grade. There is no way to make up this work outside of class, unless you are absent because of a school-sponsored activity or a medical or family emergency. Documentation must be provided in order to make up points in such cases. If you know you will have trouble with attendance, I suggest you drop the course.
You will have a number of opportunities for extra credit points. They may be announced in class or posted to my webpage. You may earn up to a total of 5 extra credit points for the semester.
Grading:
91-100 points = A
81-90 points = B
71-80 points = C
61-70 points = D
Fewer than 61 points = F
Possible Points to be Earned:
Daily quiz and/or reflection questions 60 points
Final Research Paper 25 points
Final 15 points
Upon request, this document can be made available in alternative formats. Please contact the Department of Mass Communication at 755-2915 for assistance.
A WORD ABOUT SLEEP-DEPRIVATION, HANDWRITING, ETIQUETTE:
I do not allow sleeping during class time. If I see you sleeping, I will ask you to leave. This is college, and you do not receive credit for seat time. Enough said. You will be writing a lot in class. This means with a pen and paper. If I can’t read your handwriting, you will not receive credit for the great answers you give. If you have terrible handwriting, consider purchasing a copy of Handwriting for Dummies (I’m assuming there is such a book1) and start practicing. Also, please don’t hand in notebook paper with ragged edges, and do not write in pencil. No need to double-space. You may also write on both sides of the paper.
If you arrive late to class or if you need to leave early, please try to enter and leave the room with as little disruption as possible. It would be greatly appreciated.
posted by Louise Mengelkoch at 7:00 PM
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