Required Textbook/Course Readings:
1. Straubhaar, J., LaRose, R., and Davenport, L. (2009). Media now: Understanding media, culture, and technology, sixth
edition. Belmont, Wadsworth Cengage Learning.
2. Course readings available at Bush Library and on Blackboard.
Suggested Texts:
1. Stunk, William and White, E.B. The Elements of Style. New York: Longman, 2000.
2. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Sixth edition.
Objectives:
This course explores the theoretical frameworks that media studies scholars have developed to understand mass communication and media culture. The course offers an advanced consideration of media development in the United States. Students will also survey the major theoretical approaches media scholars use to understand mass communication mediums. Finally, students will conduct independent research on an original topic related to mass communication studies.
Goals:
· To become advanced critics of media culture and mass communication technologies
· To develop an historical appreciation for how the electronic media developed in the United States and how this history has helped shape both U.S. and global media environments
· To develop sensitivities for how introducing new media technologies into an environment can alter social, cultural, economic, and political landscapes
· To become acquainted with the major approaches, both historical and contemporary, to studying mass communication
· To conduct original scholarly research about issues of media culture and mass communication.
Academic Honesty:
Acts of academic dishonesty are unacceptable in this course. According to the Hamline University Undergraduate Bulletin and the Hamline University Undergraduate Academic Honor Code:
Every member of the Hamline University community—students, faculty, administrators, and staff—is responsible for upholding the highest standards of academic integrity at all times. The assumption that academic work is an honest reflection of one’s knowledge and skills is fundamental to the integrity of Hamline University and to the value of a Hamline diploma. If students at an institution of higher education develop a reputation for receiving grades based on honest work, GPAs and academic degrees held by all students from that institution are valued more highly. The faculty subscribe to standards of academic honesty in their research and teaching. Every person in the University is responsible for adhering to the principles of the Academic Honor Code.
Students will find the Hamline University Academic Honor Code for Undergraduate Students at: http://www.hamline.edu/shared/policies/cla_student/academic_honor.html. Students who engage in acts of academic dishonesty will receive no points on their assignment and a failing grade in the course. Citation:
Students will use the APA citation style. Students who fail to cite information from another source will be charged with academic plagiarism and given a failing grade on their assignment. Most bookstores have numerous guides that illustrate the proper way to follow this format (including the text listed under suggested materials). Students who are having trouble with citation should consult the instructor for help. Pleas of ignorance will not hold--this is fair warning!
Culture of Tolerance and Acceptance:
Due to the subject matter of this course, class discussions and lecture material will at times focus on personal perceptions, identities, and issues of personal politics. According to the Hamline University Undergraduate Bulletin:
Hamline University commits itself to inviting, supporting, and affirming cultural diversity on the campus. All university programs and practices, academic and co-curricular, shall be designed to create a learning environment in which cultural differences are valued.
In accordance with this policy, all students are expected to show consideration and tolerance for viewpoints that might differ from their own. Students are encouraged to exercise free speech rights and engage in critical and thoughtful discussion. The classroom is a safe place where every student should feel welcome to share insights and experiences. Racist, sexist, and homophobic language will not be tolerated. Students who do not help build a culture of tolerance and acceptance in the classroom will be asked to leave.
Attendance/Late Policy:
Success depends upon regular attendance, but there is not a formal attendance policy for this course. Attendance is only mandatory on presentation days. Students who fail to show up during presentations will receive a letter grade deduction on their assignment. It is your choice/responsibility to come to class. A significant portion of the course grade is comprised of homework, class activities, and quizzes. Absent students CANNOT complete class activities. Student athletes or individuals who participate in other university-sanctioned events should discuss absences related to these activities with the instructor as soon as possible.
Students who miss class should obtain notes/materials from a classmate. Do not ask the instructor, “Did we do anything important in class yesterday?” Important material and information will be covered every class period.
Under no circumstances is it appropriate to enter the classroom while a student is speaking. Never interrupt a presentation in progress!
Exam Policy:
Students who fail to show up for an exam will receive zero points. The final exam will be given at the assigned time per the university schedule.
Incomplete:
In accordance with university policy, an incomplete will be given only when a student who is otherwise earning a passing grade is unable to complete the course because of conditions beyond his or her control.
Grievance Procedure:
Occasionally, a student will be unsatisfied with some dimension of the course. In such cases, the students should provide the instructor with a written argument that documents the grievance. The instructor will offer a formal response within 48 hours. The instructor will advise the student about other avenues for complaint if an agreeable resolution is not met.
Learning Accommodations:
Any students who need special accommodations for learning, or who have particular needs, are invited to share these concerns or requests with the instructor as soon as possible. Please bring proper notification from the campus disabilities specialists.
Communication Studies 3320: Mass Communication
Communication Arts and Literature Licensure Addendum
This course addresses the following Licensure Standards for Communication Arts and Literature
| Assignment | Standards Addressed: 8710.4250 |
| Exams Research Projects Critique Articles | A13; B5a; B5b A13; B5a; B5b; B5d A4; B5a; B5d |
Subp. 3. Subject matter standard. A candidate for licensure as a teacher of communication arts and literature must complete a preparation program under subpart 2, item C, that must include the candidate's demonstration of the knowledge and skills in items A to C.
A. A teacher of communication arts and literature understands central concepts common to the teaching and learning of communication arts and literature content. The teacher must understand and apply:
(4) technological resources including software, databases, and networks that can be used to gather, synthesize, create, and communicate knowledge;
(13) the social, intellectual, and political importance and impact of communication
B. A teacher of communication arts and literature demonstrates understanding and skills essential to the teaching and learning of reading, writing, speaking, listening, media literacy, and literature. The teacher must demonstrate the:
(5) knowledge, skills, and ability to teach media literacy including:
(a) relationships among the elements of the communication process across various types of print and nonprint media;
(b) effects of the various types of electronic audiovisual media on the communication process;
(d) functional, aesthetic, and ethical values of media communication;
OTHER INFORMATION
Grade Concerns: Students concerned with their course grade should make an appointment to meet with the instructor. DO NOT wait until the last week of class to discuss concerns.
Formal Language: The same rules that govern the climate of the classroom apply to written and spoken work. Assignments that contain racist, sexist, and homophobic language will receive a failing grade
Material Conflict: At times information in lecture may be slightly different from the assigned readings. For purposes of exams, the information presented in lecture ALWAYS takes precedence.
Staple, paper clip, etc.: I will not accept papers without a staple or a paperclip. Papers that are not stapled have a tendency to get lost. Please purchase a stapler at your local drug store. They usually cost around a dollar.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS
72-Hour Essay (50 points): Students will be required to avoid all television programming for a 72-hour period. Students will use this time period to construct a reflection essay about the role of television in U.S. culture. Students will also give a brief presentation in class about the experience. Details will be provided in class. Papers will be one page in length.
Blogging and Writing (400 points): The majority of the written work in this class will build toward a final critical analysis project. Students will share their scholarship with a larger audience through the website blogger.com. This course meets the computer requirement as part of the Hamline plan, and this assignment offers students an opportunity to use computer technology for academic discussion and research.
First, each student will create an individual blog identity. As a blogger, the student will cover a topic of interest that relates to mass communication and communication theory. Students will be required to make weekly blog posts, conduct independent research, interact on the blogs of fellow class members, construct a critical bibliography, and create an individual critical analysis of a mediated text. Details of the assignment will be provided in class and the due dates will be spread throughout the semester. The point break down for the assignment includes:
Project proposal (25 points)
Weekly commentary (125 points)
Article review (50 points)
Bibliography (50 points)
Critical analysis and presentation (150 points)
Midterm (200 points): Students will take a midterm covering material from the first half of the semester.
Final Exam (200 points): A final will be given during the section’s assigned final exam time.
Class Activities (150 points): Students will complete class activities relevant to lecture material. Absent students will not be allowed to make-up activities.
Assignments and Grading:
72 Hour Essay 50 points Grade Allotment
Description of Grades:
A- Outstanding achievement relative to the necessary course requirements
B- Achievement slightly above necessary course requirements
C- Achievements meets all necessary course requirements
D- Achievement deserves credit despite failing to meet all necessary course requirements
F- Achievement is unsatisfactory and fails to meet course requirement
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