Professional Documents
Culture Documents
COM 107
SECTION 1
SPRING 2015
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:
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;
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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.
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.
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
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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
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.
EXTRA CREDIT:
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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
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
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.
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Spring 2015
Date
Reading
Jan 13
Introduction to course
Th
Jan 15
Camp. ch. 1
Camp. ch. 16
Jan 20
Th
Jan 22
Jan 27
Camp. ch. 14
Th
Jan 29
Feb 3
Roberts &
Klibanoff (BB)
Th
Feb 5
Feb 10
Th
Feb 12
EXAM 1
Feb 17
Th
Feb 19
Camp. ch. 2
Camp. ch. 12
13
T
Feb 24
Camp. ch. 13
Th
Feb 26
Camp. ch. 11
Mar 3
Th
Mar 5
Mar 10
Th
Mar 12
Mar 17
Camp. ch. 8
Th
Mar 19
Camp. ch. 9
Mar 24
EXAM 2
Th
Mar 26
Mar 31
Th
Apr 2
Twitchell (BB)
Camp. ch 4,
reread p. 553
Camp. ch. 3
Th
Apr 9
Camp. ch 5
Apr 14
Th
Apr 16
Th
Apr 23
Apr 7
Apr 21
Camp. ch. 6
14
T
Apr 28
May 5
Camp. ch. 7
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