Have you ever watched television?  Listened to the radio?  Read a book, magazine or newspaper?  Attended a movie?  Purchased an item you saw on TV?  Surfed the web? If so, then this course is for you.  We will be talking about some of your favorite things - the mass media.  Chances are, unless you are a hermit, you are regularly exposed to mass-mediated communications.  If you have ever wondered how they came to be, or what their impact is on our lives, you have come to the right place.  Also, you are lucky; more is happening in mass communications now than ever before -new technologies, changing markets, changing government regulations, increased media criticism from the public and from the industry itself.  If you leave here at the end of the semester and no longer take the media for granted, then I will have done my job.  The incredible impact the media has on our lives and society is amazing and even a little scary.  Sit back, and we'll figure out why.

Course Description: Course is designed to introduce the student to the various mass media.  The course explores the history and role of the media in American culture and provides media literacy and criticism skills. 

Course Objectives:  1. Develop skills in analysis and critical thinking by examining mass communication from the perspectives of consumer and producer; 2. Learn about the history of mass communication in the United States and, to a lesser extent, the world; 3. Understand ethical issues in mass communication; 4. Understand the role of mass communication in the democratic process (Athe 4^th estate@); 5. Understand the role of the media in development and perpetuation of ethnic/gender stereotypes and culture; 6. Develop oral and written communication skills.

This course is a required course for all Communication majors.  

Text: Media and culture: An introduction to mass communication, 4th ed. by Richard Campbell. Required for all students and available in the bookstore (online at http://shop.efollett.com/htmlroot/storehome/volunteerstatecommunitycollege655.html)

 Attendance: Ten percent of your grade is class participation.  You will be allowed only 3 un-excused absences for the semester.  After the third unexcused absence, 10 points will be deducted from your grade for each additional un-excused absence.  Excessive un-excused absences can result in course failure.  (Excused absences have no impact on your grade.)  Attendance is required in this course.

Course Format:  The class will be a "hybrid".  There will be some lecture, some discussion, some videos, and some class activities.  It will help if all of you make an effort to regularly "tune in" to one or more of the media we will be discussing.  Watch the news, read a decent daily newspaper (paper or web), subscribe to a magazine, go to the movies.  We will integrate your media experiences into the class.  Some material discussed in this course may be controversial.  Such discussions will not necessarily reflect my personal views, or those of the class.  Finally, there is a great deal of information in the text which you will be responsible for.  We will usually focus on one or two major topics from each chapter in class discussions, but quizzes will cover the entire chapter.

Overview:  This course will be divided into 5 major sections or units.  The first will focus on media and culture, especially in the present time.  We will next turn to “Sounds and Images”, the development of audio and video media.  The third unit is “Words and Pictures” which focuses on printed media.  Next we look at “The Business of Mass Media” and finally ”Democratic Expression and the Mass Media”.  We will examine the history of the media and the influence of media on our lives and culture.

Assignments/Evaluation:

Your grade will be based on a total of 1000 possible points you can earn for the course.

900-1000 points = A;  800-899 points = B;  700-799 points = C;   600-699 points = D;  0-599 points = F;   W = Withdrawal

1.  Weekly Quizzes:        300 points total

There will be no exams as such in this course.  Rather there will be 10 weekly quizzes, with each quiz worth 30 points.  Each quiz will be taken twice –once for practice and once for a grade.  The practice quiz will be taken online at the course website and your grade will be forwarded to me via E-Mail.  This quiz will be timed so you can’t use your book.  We will then take a similar quiz in class.  I will demonstrate the online quiz program in class prior to the first weekly quiz.  (Not all weeks will have a quiz.)  50 bonus points will be awarded to those students whose grades increase 50 points or more total from the practice to the graded quizzes IF AND ONLY IF you score 60% or higher on average on the practice quizzes.  If you don’t take the online quiz, you can’t take the in-class quiz.    To access quizzes:  Select “Online Quizzes” the COM 110 website or click on “Campbell text student site on my course page.  (Or go there directly at:  http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/mediaculture/) Then when the site appears, just select the chapter from the menu and the select “Assessment Quiz 1”

2.  Short Paper:             150 points

2-3 page paper on a topic to be assigned.  You will have several choices, but all topics will include use of the 4 steps of critical analysis outlined in Chapter 1 of the text (p. 28-29).  See paper writing guidelines handout/web page for guidance.

3.  Short Written Assignments:         150 points

-         Media Log assignment  (50 points)

-         Current Events in the Media Team Assignment  (50 points)

After the roster is stabilized, you will be assigned a partner and a date.  See handout/web page for details.

-         In-Class Written exercise  (50 points)

Note:  All written work not completed in class must be typed or (preferably) word-processed.  The college offers several student computer labs with modern equipment and laser printers.  Use them!  Hand-written work will be reduced by one full letter grade.  Non-legible written work may result in additional deductions.

4.  Research Project:        300 points total

-Written report (200 points) 

-Oral review with multi-media/Audio/Video presentational aid   (100 points)

The research project is just that, a project where you will conduct research on some aspect of the mass media or media effects.  You will receive more detailed information about this project later.  The final written report will be a minimum of 7 pages long.  An oral presentation of the results to the class will be approximately 5-10 minutes long and include the use of some presentational aid.  (Group projects are encouraged, but the scope of the project and the final product will be larger.  See me.) Non-written projects (e.g. developing a set of PSAs or a WWW home page) are acceptable, but in most cases will require a companion written explanation or analysis.
Proposal

5.  Class Participation:    100 points

Participation is based on two criteria: your actual physical presence in the classroom (50 points) and relevant participation in discussion and activities (50 points).  After three un-excused absences, your class participation grade will drop 10 points with each additional un-excused absence.

Note to computer users:  Any written work may be turned in to me electronically via E-Mail as an attachment in doc, wpd, .txt, or rtf formats.  Assignments must be in my mailbox before the start of the class they are due.  Electronic documents must be spell-checked and formatted in the same way as a paper document.  I have developed a home page for this course and the Department of Communication has a course page for COM 110.  The textbook also has a web page.  All provide access to the quizzes.

Notes:

All students will be required to check their Vol State e-mail accounts regularly in this course.

Academic Honesty:  Don't plagiarize!  Plagiarism is defined as taking another person's ideas, thoughts, words, music, quotes or answers without citing or crediting them.  This is not only prohibited in my class but is against the rules of the College.  Academic dishonesty will result in a grade of "F" on the relevant assignment.

Americans with Disabilities Act/EOAA Statement:

- It is the student’s responsibility to self identify with the Office of Disability Services in order to receive accommodation. Only those students with appropriate documentation will receive services. Disability Services is located in the basement of the Wood Campus Center room 122.

-Volunteer State Community College is an equal opportunity/ affirmative action educational institution.  No person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefit of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of the College because of race, color national origin, age or handicap.
 

General Criteria for All Written Work

(Research and Writing Guidelines)

Prof. Leonard Assante

Volunteer State Community College

[Note: See specific criteria on individual assignment sheets as well.]

1.  Typed, double-spaced 12 point font.

2.  8.5" by 11" white, typing or photocopier/laser printer paper.

3.  Dark ribbon if typed, near or letter quality printing.  (Recommend laser printers.)

4.  Bound by paper clip or staple in upper left corner.

5.  A cover page which must include:

-interesting title (centered on top third of page)

-your name, course name, my name, date (all centered on bottom third of page)

6.  One inch margins all around.

7.  All pages (except cover page) are numbered.

8.  Perfect grammar, style and spelling.

9.  An INTRODUCTION that includes:

-interesting sentences that draw the reader into the paper

-thesis or purpose statement

-preview, explaining what will be discussed and in what order

10.  A well-developed BODY that includes:

-support and evidence for all claims (sources cited in appropriate format)

-well-developed transitions between ideas

-clear, interesting and original ideas and insights

11.  A CONCLUSION that includes:

-complete summary of all major points covered in paper

-insightful commentary concerning the thesis, purpose, study or nature of the assignment

12.  Clear, dynamic, formal writing that includes:

-active (not passive) voice

-absence of clichés or colloquialisms

-absence of contractions

-vivid and concise language

13.  Bibliographic citations that conform to MLA or APA style manual on a separate page headed “Bibliography”.  (See additional information below.)

14.  Quotations, when used are integrated into the student=s own sentences and refer to appropriate page numbers [e.g., According to Jones (1998), “students are more mature today than they were in the fifties@ (p.16).]

15.  All terms and concepts are defined and explained.

16.  Examples are vivid, concise, interesting, and illuminate the idea being discussed.

17.  Analysis indicates a clear grasp on the issues addressed and provides insightful commentary.  (A mere review without your analysis is not sufficient.)

18.  Students avoid generalizing subjective experiences to other

19.  Have fun!  Humor (in moderation) can be effective.
 

Use of the Internet for Research

(This applies to traditional sources as well)

In general, there are five basic criteria when evaluating the utility of any source.  These also apply to Internet sources (web pages).  As communicators, you are expected to provide accurate, expert, un-biased, current and complete information to your listeners. Internet resources should be no different.  Use the following guidelines:

1.  Accuracy:

Does the page have a bibliography or list of sources?

Is the page free of errors in spelling, grammar and/or typing?

What is the purpose of the document? 

2.  Authority:

Who is the author/organization sponsoring the page?

Are the author=s qualifications provided?

Does the organization provide a phone number and mailing address?

Is the organization listed in the Encyclopedia of Organizations?  (VSCC library has a copy.)  If so, what=s the purpose and scope of the organization?

What does the URL indicate?  (.gov, .edu, .com, .net)

Is any of the information protected by copyright?  Who holds the copyright?

3.  Objectivity:

Is the information provided fact or opinion?

Are opinions backed up with supporting evidence?

Is the site advertising-free?  If there are ads., are they separate from the content?

Why was the page written and for whom?

4.  Currency:

Is a date provided on the page?  Does it show the last revision date?

Is the information kept up to date if it needs to be?

Are the links up to date?  (No dead links.)

5.  Coverage:

Is there any indication of the scope of the content?

Is the page “under construction”? (Is it updated/expanded/checked regularly?)

If there is a print version, is the entire work on the web or just a portion?

The more you can answer these questions with a “yes”, the more reliable the source.  Remember, use common sense and strive to inform your audience.