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COMMUNICATIONS & SOCIETY

COM 107

SECTION 1

SPRING 2015

TUESDAY & THURSDAY, 12:30 1:50, RM 102, NEWHOUSE I


Professor: Dan Amernick
email:
dpamerni@syr.edu
Office:
458 Newhouse III
Cell phone:
301-785-5228 (emergencies only)
Office hours:
W 1-3 p.m.;
Th 3:30 5:30 p.m. and by appt.
Office mailbox: located in 317 Newhouse III

IA: Nathan McAlone


njmcalon@syr.edu
111 Newhouse I
T 2:30-4:30 p.m.
W 1-3 p.m.

Professor: Dr. Lawrence Mason, Jr.


email:
lmason@syr.edu
Office:
449 Newhouse III
Office Phone:
315-443-4015
Office hours:
T 2-3 p.m.;
W 1-3 p.m.;
Th 2-3 p.m. and by appt.
Office mailbox: located in 317 Newhouse III

To say that you are taking this introductory course at the most dramatic and tumultuous
period in the history of the media in the U.S. would be as hyperbolic as something out of
the mouth of The Simpsons Kent Brockman, sure. But there is no denying that it is a
major turning point for all media; when a new medium arrives to challenge the old
guard, those media have had to evolve in order to survive in the changing landscape.
This is true today as the "old" media, along with advertising and public relations, attempt
to adapt to the challenges brought on by the emergence of the Internet and mobile
devices. Its a new era for all media, and you have a front row seat.
Another development, augmented by the Internet, has been a shift over the past 50
years from mass media to niche media to personal media. The days of an All in the
Family getting 50 million viewers are long gone (no, you probably havent heard of that
show, but by semesters end, you will have). No longer are media messages only by a
small handful of large media conglomerates. You, the public, now have the means to
distribute your messages to audiences of all sizes. While the old media control over
the dissemination of messages hasnt vanished, these developments have undercut
their monopoly significantly.
And with that, the two major themes for this course are 1) the impact of digital
technology on the "old" media, and 2) the evolution of communication from mass to
personal. At the same time, we will be viewing these themes through the prism of the
ethics of communication practice, particularly in a multicultural environment.
The focus will be on developments in the United States, but underscoring these
developments are the global context in which our media operate. We will examine the
power of the media, and the limits to that power; what freedom of the press means;
media ownership and its structure; advertisings role in the commercial media system;
how of all the media are currently adjusting to the Internet; the nature of news and its

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complex relationship with the similar profession of public relations; and the role of the
media in the Civil Rights Movement.
By the end of this course, you will have a more critical understanding of mass medias
role in American society, and of the process of creating and distributing media
content. Additionally, COM 107 may provide you with a better idea of possible career
paths open to you in your time at the Newhouse School, and upon graduation. You will
also be both a more critical consumer and a more mindful producer of media content.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

By the end of this course, you should:

1. Learn the meaning of the First Amendments freedoms of speech and press;
2. Learn how news is defined, disseminated, supported, and debated;
3. Examine the role of the media in bringing about changes in race relations from the
1950s through today;
4. Develop an understanding of the business landscape in which the media operate,
historical and present day;
5. Understand the changes that have affected the old media in the last 40 years and
recognize the impact of the digital revolution;
6. Understand the complex relationship between and overlap between the public
relations industry and the news business;
7. Learn how advertising works, and how the ad industry is adapting to the digital
revolution;
8. Examine the challenges facing all the media over the next decade, emphasizing
how digital media are completely overhauling established norms;

TEXTS AND READINGS:

The required text for this class is:


Campbell, Martin & Fabos (2015) Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass
Communication (Ninth Edition). Boston: Bedford St Martins.
Be sure you buy the ninth edition, 2015 update, of the Campbell text.
This book has e-resources at
http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/mediaculture9eupdate/#t_920379
The specifics of these reading assignments are detailed in the week-by-week outline for
the course that appears near the end of this syllabus.
In addition, you are required to read a respected news source every week in order to
keep up on current events. I especially recommend the stories in the "Media &

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Advertising" subsection of the Business section on the New York Times on Mondays or
on their website. The printed newspaper is available for free this year around campus.
Please note: In order to get the most out of class discussions, you must read the
weeks required readings before you come to class that week. Given the amount of
reading for this class, you are better off keeping up on the readings and not letting them
go until the week before the exams.

COURSE WEBSITE:

blackboard.syr.edu

Check this frequently, as I will be adding material throughout the semester and you can
access your grades. You will need your Syracuse login and password to access the
site. This site also has links to resources on the web that will be helpful for the paper.

ATTENDANCE & PROFESSIONALISM:

I dont take attendance,


but it is highly recommended that you attend class everyday. Some of the material
discussed in class is not in the readings, and class discussions will help your
understanding of the multilayered and complex issues addressed in the course. If that
doesnt sell you on attending lecture everyday, heres one; students who attend class
regularly and pay attention tend to do better on exams than those who dont.
Professionalism refers to the degree to which you conduct yourself in a professional
manner. Think of the classroom as a professional environment, and therefore any
interactions with your professor, including in a lecture situation or over email, should be
professional and respectful in nature. Texting, checking Facebook, or other activities
not connected to class are considered unprofessional and rude, and starting an email
with Hey is also not considered very professional. These types of behaviors impact
your credibility; get in the habit now of thinking about your professional interactions.
There is one session outside of class for which attendance is mandatory and will be
part of your grade. Please plan your travel accordingly! You will get credit toward
your final grade in the course if you attend this event (which requires signing in).
The required session is:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY SESSION:

You are required to attend a special


workshop designed by the Newhouse School to acquaint you with issues of academic
integrity. It should answer most of your questions about what is appropriate and
inappropriate in the presentation of work that you present as your own. We will offer
multiple sessions, but you will only have to attend ONE of these sessions. The times
and locations are as follows. On a related note, please read the Academic Integrity
Policy material near the end of this syllabus as well. DATES TO BE ANNOUNCED.

1-PAGE PAPER:

Due January 27

For this assignment, I want you to watch Generation Like, an episode of the highly
acclaimed television journalism program Frontline. It is only about an hour long, and
you can view it for free online at following link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/generation-like/
After you have watched the program, I would like you to write up a short, one-page
response to the following two questions: What surprised you the most about this
program, and why did it surprise you?
Please answer these two questions as clearly and concisely as you can in only a single
page of text. Also be sure to focus on your grammar, spelling and word usage so that
this is as excellent an example of writing as you are able to produce. It should be clear,
clean, concise, creative and compelling.
I am going to use this assignment as a diagnostic tool to assess your writing, but it is
also as much about following directions as it is about your writing. You must follow the
following format guidelines:
Your name should be at the top of the page. I do not need a date, or the section
number, or the course number, or a clever title. Just put your name at the top.
Your one-pager must be only one page long. I will not even bother grading any
one-pager that has even a single word on page two.
Your one-pager should be typed and double-spaced. Do not use spacing that is
less than double-spaced.
Your one-pager should use a normal font like Times New Roman or Arial, and
normal one-inch margins. Do not stretch or shrink your margins.
A hard copy of the paper must be turned in on the due date. No email
submissions will be accepted.
Failure to follow any of these format guidelines will result in a zero for the paper. The
paper is worth 50 points total, or 5% of your total grade for the class, and will be graded
based on how well it is written as well as how well it answers the two questions. This
assumes, of course, that you have followed the above guidelines.
The paper is due on Tuesday, January 27 at the start of class. No email submissions
will be accepted. Papers handed in on the same day but after the start of class will
automatically lose 10 points, and papers turned in after the due date will lose 25 points
for every day they are late. If a student cannot be in class that day, and cannot get a
friend or classmate to turn in their work for them, only documented excuses due to
illness or approved university business (i.e. on a sports team) will be considered, and
documentation cannot come from parents.
This is worth 50 points, or 5% of your grade.

Commented [DPA1]: This assignment was key to


developing a baseline for the students in terms of
understanding the expectations of the class. As mentioned in
the syllabus, the students were being graded not just on their
writing, but on following directions. Those who didnt
follow directions were given the chance to rewrite the
assignment in a timely manner in order to improve their
scores.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT:

Due February 26

Note: Please read all the directions for the writing assignment.
Analysis of an assertion of media effects in the popular press.
Assertion: (noun) a declaration, affirmation or claim open to challenge.
In the aftermath of the tragic murder of journalists and cartoonists at the French satire
magazine Charlie Hebdo, some news outlets decided not to publish reproductions of s
that magazines more offensive cartoons for fear of angering Muslims and potentially
bringing violence upon themselves. Others have suggested that the videos of ISIS
beheading Western citizens are effective propaganda and recruiting tools, and have
helped that organization attract young people from around the world to them. And with
record amounts of money spent on advertising during the 2014 midterm election
campaign, some people have wondered if wealthy corporations and individuals have too
much influence in our politics. In all three of these cases, people are making assertions
about the effects of mass media on audiences.
Do the media have strong effects on audiences? Under what circumstances do media
really affect audiences? Should we be concerned about media violence or violent video
games? Stereotyping? Sexual messages in TV shows? Is Facebook use leading
people to be overly dramatic or self-indulgent? Outside the university setting, much of
what we learn about mass media effects comes from the popular press. Political
figures, celebrities, journalists and average citizens often talk about "the media" and
their effects with a certainty that is usually unwarranted. Such assertions of media
effects are also often reported without comment or analysis. The goal of this
assignment is to have you analyze a significant assertion of media effects in the
popular press.
For this assignment, you will need to find an article in a reputable newspaper or
magazine, or its online equivalent, from the past four months (i.e. since Sept. 15) that
features any kind of assertion about media effects. The assertion can come from the
author of the article or from a person quoted in the story, and it need not even be the
main focus of the piece, but it must make some sort of claim that mass media content is
having some sort of an effect.
Once you have found an article that in some way contains an assertion of a media
effect, analyze the credibility of this assertion. Do you believe it? Does this make
sense to you? Why or why not? Be prepared to justify your analysis with logical
reasoning and supporting evidence. You must gather outside research to do this
assignment: You need to use at least eight (8) sources, none of which can be any of
the textbooks required for class (that means dont rely on the Campbell text!), nor
textbooks from other college classes. There is a lot of scholarship on the effects of
mass media, so you should not have any trouble finding appropriate research.
Where to find research on media effects? One helpful tool is Communication and Mass
Media Complete, a database available to you through Bird Librarys website. You can

Commented [DPA2]: This assignment was the


centerpiece of the Communications and Society course, as it
was worth 40% of their grade. The topic was agreed upon by
the entire COM department, and did prove to be a challenge
for the students; many had difficulty discerning the
difference between an assertion of media effects in the press
versus their own assertion of a media effect.
Despite the challenges presented, the students who consulted
with me based on the notes tended to have a better
understanding of what needed to be fixed to improve the
quality of their work. The entire class showed a stronger
grasp of the assignment during the rewrite process.

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also use other online databases, such as ComAbstracts, JSTOR, and PSYCHinfo, that
can help you find academic research about media effects. You are strongly encouraged
to use these resources to locate social science research about your topic.
In your paper, you should:
briefly describe the media effect being asserted and who said it
discuss the context in which the assertion was made, any evidence the source
used to support the assertion (if any), and any assumptions the source is making
about the audience
critically analyze the credibility of the assertion using existing research this
point is most important and should be a significant portion of your paper.
Offer a conclusion that links this particular assertion to larger questions of how
much we should believe what we see or hear in the media.
Given your experiences with mass media, do you think the assertion is a fair and
accurate one? Does the source have the appropriate credentials to be believable on
this topic, or are they trying to persuade the audience to further some agenda? Is there
any research that either supports or refutes this assertion? You must use
additional outside credible sources to support your analysis.
Format:
You paper should be between 1000 and 1200 words long, typed, double-spaced,
with normal margins and fonts. You are being given only 1000 - 1200 tightly
written and well-chosen words to complete this assignment; no more.
Include an Annotated Bibliography listing all the sources you used for this paper
as well as why they were beneficial for your analysis. You need only include a
couple sentences for each source. Neither the title page, the endnotes nor the
annotated bibliography count toward the word limit.
Your references must conform to the APA citation style (a handout for this will be
provided in class, or see the below websites).
Please include a word count for your paper on the bottom of the last page of your
assignment (most word processing programs feature a word count tool - highlight
the body of your paper before using this tool).
Include a photocopy or print-out of the article you found that contains the media
assertion, with the assertion highlighted.
First draft due on Thursday, February 26. I will grade the papers between that date
and Thursday, April 2, when I will return them with comments, line editing and a grade.
You will have the opportunity to rewrite the paper. Based on my comments, you will
rewrite the paper and make it much better. Students who received an A on the first
submission need not rewrite. Those who received an A- or a B+ may rewrite if they so
choose. It is not required. Those who received a B or below MUST rewrite. The
rewrite is due in class on Thursday, April 16. I will return the rewrite, with a second
grade, at the final exam.
The first draft of the paper is worth 250 points, or 25% of the final course grade. The
rewrite is worth 150 points, or 15% of the final course grade. If you do not rewrite, the

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grade on the first draft is also the grade for the second draft. In other words, if you get
an A on the first draft, 40% of the course grade is an A (I will scale up the points
accordingly). If you get an A- and choose not to rewrite, 40% of the course grade is an
A-. (Note that it is possible the rewrite will not produce a higher grade. It must be better
than the first submission.)
How the paper will be evaluated. The paper will be graded based on the clarity, logic
and originality of your analysis, the strength of the justifications you provide, and the
clarity of the writing. Proofread your work and write multiple drafts. Make sure the
paper is completely free of misspellings, typos, and errors in grammar, punctuation and
syntax. The paper should also be interesting to read, as should everything you write at
the Newhouse School.
We will be utilizing TurnItIn.com, which is a website that checks student work against a
sizable database of published works in order to detect possible duplications. You will
be required to upload an electronic copy of your paper to TurnItIn.com through our class
Blackboard site on or before the due date AS WELL AS turn in a printed copy to your
instructor.
Note: You will lose points needlessly if you fail to follow these directions or turn in your
assignment late.
References
You must provide complete citations for each source that you use in your written work-both within the body of your work and in the accompanying Works Cited page.
Remember, even if you are paraphrasing someone elses words (as opposed to using a
direct quote), you must still provide a citation. The Internet is not the public domain.
Material drawn from Internet sources must also be cited. Never make up quotations,
sources, facts, statistics, or any other material. Be prepared to provide sources for
every quotation or disputable fact. The following websites provide information on how
to correctly cite written, electronic, and broadcast sources using APA style (Note: the
3rd link includes information on ways to cite TV programs):
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts/research/r_apa.html
http://ia.juniata.edu/citation/apa/apa06.htm#lecture
http://www.apastyle.org/pubmanual.html

NEWHOUSE WRITING CONSULTANT:

Communication is about
information, persuasion, and provocation; effective communication often boils down to
good writing. Writing well takes courage, but it also takes practice. You must be willing
not only to show others your work and to take their criticism constructively, but also to
continue to write, and often.
Newhouse now offers writing consultations to first-year students enrolled in COM 107.
The consultant will meet with students in 30- or 60-minute appointments to help improve
all areas of writing from invention and planning to organization, tone, and style.
Kicia Sears is the current Newhouse consultant. She holds a masters degree in

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English from Syracuse University and teaches in the writing department as a
professional writing instructor. She also has experience in sports journalism and
screenplay development.
To set up an appointment*, please email Kicia Sears at kksears@syr.edu with a subject
line of APPOINTMENT REQUEST. Availability is limited surrounding project
deadlines. Therefore, students are encouraged to set up appointments at least a
week in advance of the desired appointment time.

LATE PAPERS: Deadlines are extremely important in all areas of professional


communication; no extensions will be granted except for documented illness or family
emergency. Technical difficulties (i.e. printer jams or hard-drive crashes) do not
constitute illnesses or family emergencies, so save your work frequently and know
where the nearest computer lab is located. Make sure you leave plenty of lead-time so
that if one of these problems arises, you will still be able to hand your work in on time.
Late papers will lose the equivalent of a full grade for every day they are late. I will NOT
accept papers via email - you must hand in a printed copy of your work in class.
Papers turned in on the correct day but after class will lose half a grade.

EXAMS: There will be three exams for this course:


The first exam will be given on Thursday, Feb. 12. It will cover all the lecture and
reading material assigned for the first third of the course. The exam will feature a
variety of question formats: multiple choice, true/false, and short answer. The first
exam is worth 100 points, or 10% of the final course grade.
The second exam will be given on Tuesday, Mar. 24. It will cover only the lecture and
reading material since the first exam. This exam is worth 150 points, or 15% of the final
course grade.
The final exam is scheduled for Tuesday, May 5 at 8 a.m. This is when the exam is
scheduled by the university; DO NOT ASK FOR AN ALTERNATE TIME, and schedule
your travel plans around this time. This exam will feature at least one essay question in
addition to the usual variety of question formats. The multiple-choice and short-answer
portions of the exam will cover only material since the second exam. The essay
question, however, will feature questions that cover the entire span of the course. The
final exam is worth 200 points, or 20% of your final course grade.
Make your travel plans around these exam times! Do NOT ask me for a change!
A note about in-class exams: You should not leave the exam room during the exam
until you are done, so make sure you use "the facilities" before you arrive for the exam.
You cannot show up late and begin an exam after someone has finished the exam and
left the room. Make-up exams will only be allowed for students who have documented
illnesses or family emergencies, or have cleared it with the professor ahead of time.
And turn OFF your cell phone during exams! No, you cant take a call, either!

Commented [DPA3]: The three exams, as mentioned here


in the syllabus, covered the three sections of the course.
Early material covering the history of mass communications,
and mass communication theory, proved to be the most
challenging for the students.
The second exam, covering Public Relations, Advertising,
and Magazines, showed substantial improvement, as many of
the students were considering further study in these areas.
Additionally, the emphasis on digital medias influence on
these industries proved to be a way to engage the students.
The final exam, covering Music, Videogames, Television
and Film showed the largest improvement in terms of
understanding the material, as reflected in the quality of their
answers to the short answer/essay questions. As consumers
of this media content taking full advantage of media
convergence, they found this material to be the most relevant
and interesting to their own experiences and possible career
path.

CURRENT EVENTS QUIZZES - There will be twelve current events


quizzes given throughout the semester. The purpose of the current events quizzes is to
encourage students to stay informed about major developments in the world, in the
nation, and in the media. Regular consumption of major news outlets should help with
this; thus, you might choose to read USA Today or The New York Times (especially on
Mondays for news concerning media industries), both available free of charge for
Newhouse students; check out news-related websites or smartphone apps, or watch
CNN (or MSNBC, or FOX).
At the end of the semester, I will drop your two lowest current events quiz scores.
Note: There are no make-ups for these quizzes; if you miss one, you miss it. In the
case of a documented illness or other valid reasons for missing class, I will replace the
missing score with the average of all your other quizzes. I will do this at the end of the
semester.
Current events quizzes will be given at the start of class and will take ten
minutes or so to complete. These quizzes are not going to be loaded with trick
questions this isnt Jeopardy. I will be asking only about major events relating to war,
politics, the economy, culture, sports, media, and so on. We will quickly go over the
quiz afterwards. You will not get the quizzes back (although the IA will hang onto them
for a while if you need to see one).
At the instructors discretion, other activities may be assigned to the class in lieu of a
current events quiz for the week. These will likely be completed online.
The total for all quizzes is worth 100 points, or 10% of the course grade.

EXTRA CREDIT:

Students may earn up to a maximum of 20 extra credit


points, which will be added to the overall point total at the end of the semester. Extra
credit is offered only at the discretion of the instructor, who cannot guarantee the
availability of many opportunities. Students can earn extra credit points only by
participating in the following activities:
1) Attending lectures by instructor-approved guest speakers on campus (who are
speaking about communications-related issues) and writing up a brief (2 page
double-spaced maximum) reaction to what you saw. Each write-up is worth up to 3
points and due within two class periods. Each reaction paper is graded on a
(worth 1 point), (2 points), + (3 points) basis.
2) Participating in an instructor-approved graduate student or faculty communication
research project. Verification of participation (from the researchers) is worth 6
points.

Commented [DPA4]: The current events quizzes


ultimately proved to be one of the more effective tools in
Communications & Society. The goal was to make sure the
students kept on top of news events, and these proved to be a
strong weekly assessment of their knowledge. As expected,
the students were caught off-guard by the early quizzes, but
quickly improved their overall knowledge of world, national,
and media news.

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GRADING:

Final grades will be based on the numerical scores earned from all
assignments and tests according to the following formula:

When

Percent
of
grade

What

Jan. 27

1 Page Paper due

Feb. 12

Total
points

Your score

5%

50

__________

Exam 1

10 %

100

__________

Feb. 26

Paper due

25 %

250

__________

Mar. 24

Exam 2

15 %

150

__________

Apr. 14

Rewrite due

15 %

150

__________

May 5, 8 a.m.

Final Exam

20 %

200

__________

various

Current events quizzes

10 %

100

__________

total 100 %

1000

__________

Grade
A
AB+
B
B-

Points
930 - 1000
900 - 929
870 - 899
830 - 869
800 - 829

Grade
C+
C
CD
F

Points
770 - 799
730 - 769
700 - 729
600 - 699
0 - 599

Grades will be assigned using the full range of the grading scale. As this is a class in a
communications school, spelling and grammar count. In order to earn an A on an
assignment, students need to go far beyond the basic requirements of the assignment:
An A is reserved for those works that are superior in their quality of writing, the rigor of
their analysis, and the strength of their arguments. Good works that come up a little
short in one of more of these areas will earn grades in the B range. Simply satisfying
the basics of an assignment is considered average work and will only earn a grade in
the C range. Grades of D or F are for works that have missed the point of the
assignment or are so poorly written that it is difficult to ascertain their meaning or
relevance to the course. If you are worried about your writing, consider buying a writers
guide at the bookstore or visiting the writing center on campus.

LAPTOP & CELL ETIQUETTE:

You may use laptops and tablets to take


class notes, but they should not be used for other purposes. Also, the official Laptops
and Tablets Seating Section will be back row only if laptops are used for purposes
other than taking notes, I will immediately install a No Laptops policy. Cell phones
should be silenced - game playing, text messaging, checking Facebook, and reading
the newspaper during class are considered unprofessional and will impact your
professionalism grade.

Commented [DPA5]: In retrospect, I would rethink the


laptop policy, perhaps requiring a no screen classroom.

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IMPORTANT POLICY STUFF:


RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCES:
SUs religious observances policy can be found at SUpolicies.syr.edu/emp_ben/religious_observance.htm
SU recognizes the diversity of faiths represented among the campus community and protects the rights of
students, faculty and staff to observe religious holy days according to their tradition. Students will be
provided an opportunity to make up any examination, study or work requirements that may be missed due
to a religious observance provided they notify the instructor before the end of the second week of classes.
Students who plan to observe a religious holiday this term must use the online notification process on
MySlice, available only the first two weeks of classes. Those notices will be available to faculty by
January 26.

PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES:


If you believe that you need accommodations for a disability, please contact the Office of Disability
Services (ODS), disabilityservices.syr.edu, located at 804 University Avenue, room 309 or call 315 443
4498 for an appointment to discuss your needs and the process for requesting accommodations. ODS is
responsible for coordinating disability-related accommodations and will issue students with documented
disabilities Accommodation Authorization Letters, as appropriate. Since accommodations may require
early planning and generally are not provided retroactively, please contact ODS as soon as possible.
Our community values diversity and seeks to promote meaningful access to educational opportunities for
all students. Syracuse University and the Newhouse faculty are committed to your success and to
supporting Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended and the Americans with Disabilities
Act (1990). This means that in general no individual who is otherwise qualified shall be excluded from
participation in, be denied benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity,
solely by reason of having a disability.
You are also welcome to contact your professor privately to discuss your academic needs although
faculty cannot arrange for disability-related accommodations.

POLICY ON ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:


The Newhouse School follows the Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy, which holds students
accountable for the integrity of the work they submit. Students should be familiar with the Policy
[http://academicintegrity.syr.edu/] and know they are responsible to learn about instructor and general
academic expectations with regard to proper citation of sources in written work. The policy also governs
the integrity of work submitted in exams and assignments, as well as the veracity of signatures on
attendance sheets and other verifications of participation in class activities.
The amended university policy sets a higher standard sanction for a first offense: course failure,
accompanied by the transcript notation, Violation of the Academic Integrity Policy. The standard
sanction for a first offense by a graduate or professional student is suspension or expulsion.
Please also note this additional Newhouse School Rule: It is not permissible for any student to
submit the same material, with substantially the same style, structure, or wording, to instructors in two or
more courses.

USE OF STUDENT WORK (FERPA):


The professor will use academic work that you complete this semester for educational purposes in this
course during this semester. Your registration and continued enrollment constitute your permission.
The professor may use academic work that you complete this semester in subsequent semesters for
educational purposes. Before using your work for that purpose, your professor is required to either get
your written permission or render the work anonymous by removing all your personal identification.

12

Spring 2015
Date

COM 107 Course Timeline


Topic

Reading

Jan 13

Introduction to course

Th

Jan 15

CEQ Why study media? Eras in communication;


Communication, media and culture; the uses and
gratifications approach

Camp. ch. 1

Free speech, the Libertarian Theory of the Press and


the First Amendment; what free speech means, and
what it doesnt mean

Camp. ch. 16

Jan 20

Th

Jan 22

CEQ Social Responsibility Theory of the Press; legal


restrictions on speech

Jan 27

1 page paper due The culture of journalism;


journalism and news; Objectivity, advocacy, and
credibility in journalism; financial pressures on
journalism

Camp. ch. 14

Th

Jan 29

CEQ Press effects: Agenda-setting and Framing

Camp. p.532533; p.537

Feb 3

Case study of journalisms role in democracy: the civil


rights movement

Roberts &
Klibanoff (BB)

Th

Feb 5

CEQ Guest Lecture: Social Media

Feb 10

Internet, digital media, digital culture, and a wideopen marketplace of ideas

Th

Feb 12

EXAM 1

Feb 17

Strategic communications and public relations; What


PR people do

Th

Feb 19

CEQ The tense relationship between public relations


and journalism; ethics and advocacy

Commented [DPA6]: An opportunity to get the students


familiar with syllabus and course expectations. With a class
of over 50 students, it was also important to briefly have
each one of them introduce themselves, and explain what
they hope to get out of the course.
Commented [DPA7]: The centerpiece of this session was
a group discussion on what the students are watching, and
how they were consuming it. Aside from covering the topic
at hand, this also was key in getting the students, early on, in
the habit of participating in the discussion.
Commented [DPA8]: This was a great experience for me,
as a teacher. As it happened, the Charlie Hebdo controversy
was currently in the headlines, on the day that the class was
supposed to discuss Libertarian Theory and the debate over
the limits of free speech. While there was a great deal of
history to go through, having the then-current situation with
Charlie Hebdo as springboard for discussion helped make
the topic accessible to the students.
Commented [DPA9]: This was a more challenging section
Social Responsibility Theory incorporated excerpts from
a documentary on War of the Worlds, which the students
didnt respond to. Would probably restructure the course to
combine the Libertarian/Social Responsibility lectures.
Commented [DPA10]: The most effective way to teach
the students about news in this lesson was to discuss the
seven conditions of newsworthiness, then to have them split
off into groups and select news articles based on this criteria,
explaining their choices.
Commented [DPA11]: This section could probably be
combined with the culture of journalism; the video interview
segment with McCombs probably didnt make the concepts
clear enough for the students.
Commented [DPA12]: One of the most important topics
in this section, benefitted greatly from viewing segments
from the PBS Eyes on the Prize documentary on Emmett
Till.

Camp. ch. 2

Camp. ch. 12

Commented [DPA13]: Having an expert guest lecturer (in


this instance, a candidate for an Assistant Professor position)
was a successful way to visit this particular topic.
Commented [DPA14]: To make this material more
relevant to the students, a focus on convergence was central
to this lecture. Students broke off into groups to discuss their
media consumption on different platforms.
Commented [DPA15]: The lecture, after an overview of
the role of PR practitioners, went into examples of famous
PR crises and how they were handled: Tylenol, Penn State.
Students were broken off into groups and assigned a
company/entity encountering their own PR fiasco, and
assigned to come up with a strategy/press release.
Commented [DPA16]: After learning about high profile
PR fiascos in the digital era, students were broken off into
groups and assigned to create a social media strategy for
different companies struggling with the perception of being
damaged brands such as Nintendo, and McDonalds.

13
T

Feb 24

The economics of the media system; the major media


conglomerates

Camp. ch. 13

Th

Feb 26

Paper due CEQ Advertising: bundling, television


ratings, and the old business model for media and
advertising

Camp. ch. 11

Mar 3

Google, new business models, and advertising in the


digital age

Th

Mar 5

CEQ Advertising creative and the commodification of


culture

Mar 10

Spring Break No Class

Th

Mar 12

Spring Break No Class

Mar 17

The newspaper industry and what happens when you


rely too heavily on print advertising

Camp. ch. 8

Th

Mar 19

CEQ Magazines in the digital age; is the iPad the


answer?

Camp. ch. 9

Mar 24

EXAM 2

Th

Mar 26

Visual Communication and Photojournalism

Mar 31

History of music industry and the birth of rock and roll

Th

Apr 2

CEQ The music business, iTunes and the importance


of intellectual property and copyright

Twitchell (BB)

Camp. ch 4,
reread p. 553

Candy Crush and the video game industry

Camp. ch. 3

Th

Apr 9

CEQ Broadcasting history and radio

Camp. ch 5

Apr 14

The radio industry in the age of Pandora

Th

Apr 16

CEQ Rewrite due The television business:


broadcast vs. cable; networks & stations; cable
networks; syndicators
Television: From mass to niche; binge viewing

Th

Apr 23

CEQ Making a television show

Commented [DPA19]: After a discussion about


advertising models in the digital age, students discussed their
own targeted advertising on their Facebook or Twitter feeds,
and whether it was relevant to their online browsing
experience.

Commented [DPA21]: Students learned about the


economic shifts facing the newspaper industry and the
challenges faced during the digital age.
Commented [DPA22]: A discussion of the Magazine
Industry in the digital age was capped off by a rare video
interview with one of the members of the Newhouse family,
of particular relevance and interest to students at the S.I.
Newhouse School for Public Communications.
Commented [DPA23]: Guest Lecturer Prof. Lawrence
Mason used personal stories and his own professional work
to explain the role of photography in mass communication.

Apr 7

Apr 21

Commented [DPA18]: Students were given a primer on


the Nielsen ratings system, and shown how the old business
model faces new challenges in the digital era. After viewing
examples of product placement, branded entertainment, and
sponsorship, students were assigned a product (Honda,
Xbox) and worked in groups to develop branded
entertainment or product placement.

Commented [DPA20]: Following a history of advertising


and examples of the hard sell vs. soft sell approach,
students worked in groups to develop campaigns for various
products using hard sell or soft sell.

Commented [DPA17]: Students were given a breakdown


of media ownership, focusing on key players such as Disney.
After learning about corporate synergy, students broke off
into groups to create their own examples of vertical
integration using the major media conglomerates.

Camp. ch. 6

Commented [DPA24]: With many of the students being


in Syracuse Universitys Bandier Program for the music
industry, I chose to spend an extra day giving a history of the
music industry, with a timeline of the different eras of music.
To make the lecture more exciting, music clips from every
era from the 1950s to present day were incorporated.
Commented [DPA25]: Keeping the focus on the music
industry, based on the interests of the students, the current
challenges of the music industry were discussed, including ...
Commented [DPA26]: Students were given a history of
video games, a discussion on issues facing the industry today
(violence, misogyny) as well as given an opportunity to try ...
Commented [DPA27]: Guest lecturer Prof. Rick Wright,
having spent many years in the radio broadcasting industry,
engaged the students in a discussion of the history of radio.
Commented [DPA28]: Students learned all about the
structure of broadcasting put into place by radio, as well as ...
Commented [DPA29]: Along with learning the broadcast
structure and business of television, students were given a ...
Commented [DPA30]: After learning about TV
programming in the digital era, students were assigned to ...
Commented [DPA31]: Using my experience as staff
writer on the sitcom The Nanny, I gave the students an indepth look at a typical production week in multi-camera ...

14
T

Apr 28

The film industry: Rise and Fall and Rise again

May 5

810am FINAL EXAM

Camp. ch. 7

MAKE TRAVEL PLANS ACCORDINGLY

NOTE: The instructor reserves the right to make changes to this timeline & the course.
Camp. = Campbell et al.s Media & Culture
Roberts & Klibanoff (BB) = a reading from G. Roberts and H. Klibanoffs book The Race Beat, available
on Blackboard as a PDF.
Twitchell (BB) = a reading from J. Twitchells book 20 Ads That Shook The World, available on
Blackboard as a PDF.
CEQ = Current Events Quiz

Commented [DPA32]: Students were given a history of


the movie industry, covering the rise, fall, and rise of
Hollywood, and the challenges faced in the digital era
(changes in technology, digital piracy).

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