SPC 185
Mass Media and Society
Winter 2007. MWF 12 noon -1:10 p.m. C 113.
Instructor: Dr. Steve Macek Office Hours: MWF 2-4pm;
Campus Phone: 630-637-5369 TH 10:30 a.m.-12 noon; and by
Home Phone: 630-718-0836 appointment.
E-mail: shmacek@noctrl.edu
Webpage: http://stephen.macek.faculty.noctrl.edu
Office: Pfeiffer Hall, Room 38
Course Description
The mass media are an inescapable feature of contemporary American society. Television, film, radio and other forms of mass communication dominate our leisure time. The media's endless flow of stories, discourses and images shape our understanding of world events, our values, our politics, our desires, even our sense of self. This course provides a comprehensive survey of the history, structure, and social impact of the major media (books, magazines, newspapers, popular music, radio, film, television and the internet). We will also consider the history and impact of media-dependent industries such as advertising. And we will pay special attention throughout to the media’s central role in our democratic civic culture. The ultimate goal of the course is prepare students to think critically about the media and its enormous influence on our lives as citizens.
Required Texts
Richard Campbell. Media and Culture: An Introduction to Mass Communication (New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007). 5th Edition. 2007 Update.
Robert McChesney & John Nichols. Tragedy and Farce: How the American Media Sell Wars, Spin Elections and Destroy Democracy ( NewPress, 2005).
In addition, you’ll be expected to read a few online articles and reports the links for which can be found on the webpage for this course at:
http://stephen.macek.faculty.noctrl.edu/Courses/SCT185.htm
Procedures, Requirements and Expectations
Course Format. This course combines lecture and discussion. I will give some prepared lectures and we will occasionally watch videos but much of our class time will be devoted to group discussion of course readings and particular media texts. Please note that my lectures usually supplement, rather than summarize, the readings. Sometimes I will go over the key points of the assigned readings; sometime I won’t even mention them. In either case, much of the information presented in the lectures will be new. So, if you miss class, please be sure to get the notes from a classmate. I will set aside time for structured group discussion almost every class meeting. For class discussion to flow well, you'll have to do the required reading, complete any required discussion-generating writing assignments and make an effort to participate. In class discussions, it will be my job to pose overarching questions, facilitate and keep the conversation flowing.
Take-Home Writing Assignments. In this course, you will be asked to complete two take-home writing assignments: a 4-6 page critical analysis of a film and a 4-6-page report on a media conglomerate. Take-home writing assignment sheets will be passed out at least a week before the due date. All writing assignments should be typed or printed in 12 point Times or New York font, double-spaced, have one-inch margins and be stapled together. They should also be relatively free of mechanical and grammatical error. If you write on a computer, be sure to back-up your work. Put your name, the date and the name of the class on all assignments. See the attached Guidelines and Standards for Written Work for more details about my grading criteria and expectations for your writing.
Electronic Submissions. If you like, you may submit your take-home assignments by e-mail. Electronic submissions should arrive in my in-box prior to the listed due date. Send them to me as attachments, preferably in the form of Microsoft Word files. Please don’t send Word Perfect files; for some reason, I can never open them
Exams. In addition to the writing assignments listed above, there will also be an in-class midterm and a comprehensive final exam during finals week. The midterm will be multiple choice, true/false and short answer questions; it will cover the readings and lectures for the first half of the term. The final exam will cover the readings and lectures for the entire course and will consist of two essays as well as a section of multiple choice questions. I will hold a voluntary review session prior to the final for students who are interested.
No Study Reading Quizzes. Finally, to motivate the class to keep up with the reading, there will be four “no study” reading quizzes scattered over the course of the term. These will consist of multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank and true-false questions about the readings, will be administered at the very beginning of class and will take up no more than 10 minutes of class time. Missed quizzes cannot be made up. However, students who have a documented, legitimate excuse for missing a quiz (doctor-confirmed illness, verifiable death in the family, college sports event or field trip for another class) will be given the option of doing extra credit to make up the missed points.
Class Participation and Attendance. It will be extremely difficult for you to do well in this course if you don't come to class. I expect you to attend class regularly, to participate in group activities, to be on time and to stay for the entire session. I also expect you to complete the short, non-graded discussion-generating writing assignments I give you. Your record of attendance, work on non-graded writing assignments and contributions to class discussion will determine 10% of your final grade. To receive a high score for your participation, you should not only do the reading for class but also come to class prepared to say something. It might help if you came equipped with a list of questions or a passage from the readings you'd like to discuss.
Grades. Your grade for the course will be based on the take-home writing assignments, the midterm, the final, the no study quizzes, and your attendance and class participation. The film review and conglomerate profile are each worth 20% of your final grade. The mid-term exam will count for 20% and the final 20%. The four no study quizzes together will count for 10% of your grade for the course. And class participation will count for 10%. To make it easier for me to calculate final grades, each assignment or grade component will receive both a letter grade and a corresponding point score. On my grading scale, an A is 93% to 100% of the possible points, 90 to 92% is an A-, 87% to 89% is a B+, 83% to 86% is a B, 80% to 82% is a B-, 77% to 79% is a C +, 73% to 76% is a C, 70% to 72% is a C-, 67% to 69% is a D+, 60% to 68% is a D and anything less than 59% is an F.
Below is a breakdown of the points for each assignment or final grade component:
4 no study quizzes @ 25 points= 100 points
1 film review @ 200 points= 200 points
1 in-class mid-term@ 200 points= 200 points
1 media conglomerate profile@ 200 points= 200 points
1 final exam @ 200 points= 200 points
Class attendance and participation 100 points
________________________________________________________________
1000 total points possible
To figure out how you are doing in the course at any time during the term, simply divide the points you've earned so far by the number of points you could've earned.
Late Work. The due dates for each of the writing assignments are clearly listed on the schedule below. Grades on late work will be lowered one letter grade for each week the assignment is overdue.
Course Schedule
Below is a projected schedule of the readings and assignments for the course. We may fall behind schedule from time to time and if we do I’ll make an effort to get us back on track. I encourage you to keep up with the reading even if we are behind schedule and to read ahead if your workload permits.
Week 1.
Monday, January 1. Happy new year.
Wednesday. January 3. Introductions: Why study the media?; Overview of the course.
Friday, January 5. Class survey results; critical approach to the media; the development of the American press.
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 1, “Mass Communication: A Critical Approach” and Chapter 8, “Newspapers and the Rise of Modern Journalism.”
Also: Bring your “media use” diaries with you to class.
Week 2.
Monday, Janaury 8. The news media and the ideal of objectivity; the future of newspapers and its implications for our democracy. Reading: Campbell, Chapter 14, “The Culture of Journalism: Values, Ethics and Democracy”
Also: Please bring your newspaper and newspaper analysis with you to class.
Wednesday, January 10. Muckrakers and other crusaders: The role of magazines in a democratic culture
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 9, “Magazines in the Age of Specialization”
Friday, January 12. The news media in wartime: too critical or not critical enough?
Movie: Independent Media in A Time of War
Note: I will be out of town at the National Conference for Media Reform (in Memphis) but a substitute will be in class to screen the film and pass out a short response sheet that I’d like you all to fill out. This will form the basis for our discussion in class on Monday.
Week 3.
Monday, Janaury 15.; Movies and the rise of Hollywood.
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 7, “Movies and the Impact of Images”
Wednesday, January 17. The elements of Hollywood film: star, director, genre & narrative.
Film Review Distributed
Friday, January 19. The case of Titanic.
Viewing Assignment: Watch Titanic, James Cameron director, in preparation for today’s class. There’s a tape available for viewing in the AV center at Oesterle library. You can also rent the DVD or tape at a video store and watch the film in the privacy of your own room.
Week 4.
Monday, Janaury 22. The recording industry; the MP3/file sharing debate.
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 3, “Sound Recording and Popular Music”; Charles Mann, “The year the music dies” (on-line at http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.02/dirge.html )
Also: Bring music collection surveys to class.
Wednesday, January 24. Voices in the air: the rise of the radio industry; The case of Orson Wells’ “War of the Worlds” broadcast.
Reading: Chapter 4, “Popular Radio and the Origin of Broadcasting”
Friday, January 26..
Radio today: Getting worse or more diverse?; The podcasting alternative
Reading: Future of Music Coalition,“Radio Deregulation: Has it Served Citizens and Musicians?” (on-line at www.futureofmusic.org/research/radiostudyexecsum.cfm)
Film Review Due.
Week 5.
Monday, January 29. The birth of the “Boob Tube”; Television and the mainstream audience
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 5, “Television and the Power of Visual Culture” and Chapter 6, “Cable and the Specialization of Television”
Wednesday, January 31. The impact of cable; the economics of TV production and distribution; how do TV executives decide which programs to air?
Friday, February 2. Trends in TV today: reality programming.
Watch: The reality show of your choice and come to class prepared to talk about it.
Week 6.
Monday, February 5. In-class Midterm.
Wednesday, February 7. The next wave: the rise of the Internet.
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 2, “Information and New Technology: Media at the Crossroads” ; Pew Internet and American Life Project, “How the Internet has Woven Itself into American Life” (online at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/Internet_Status_2005.pdf ).
Friday, February 9. How the Internet is changing politics, community, private life and personal identity. Happy Valentine’s Day. Pew Internet and American Life Project, “The State of Blogging” (online at http://www.pewinternet.org/pdfs/PIPblogging_data.pdf )and Heleine Olen, “The New Nanny Diaries are Online” New York Times, July 17, 2005 (to be distributed).
Week 7.
Monday, February 12. Now, a word from our sponsor…
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 11, “Advertising and Commercial Culture;”
Wednesday, February 14. Advertising’s cultural impact on women.
Screening: Killing Us Softly 3
Also: Bring examples of “gender advertisements” from consumer magazine (Vogue, GQ, Cosmo, Maxim, Rolling Stone etc.) to class.
Friday, February 16. No Class. Professor Macek at University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee giving a talk to their Urban Studies department.
Week 8.
Monday, February 19. The business of the media: corporate ownership, conglomeration, and hyper-commercialism.
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 13, “ Media Economics and the Global Marketplace”
Wednesday, February 21. Focus on the Disney empire.
Reading: “Letter to Shareholders”, “Studio Entertainment” and “Media Networks” sections of Disney’s 2002 Shareholders Report (online at http://disney.go.com/corporate/investors/financials/annual/2002/index.html )
Friday, February 23. Disney continued. 21st century shake-ups in the media industry.
Week 9.
Monday, February 26. Tragedy and farce: critiques of the media (from the left and the right).
Reading: McChesney and Nichols, “Preface: Tucker is a What?”; “Chapter 1: Tragedy and Farce”; “Chapter 2: The Crisis in Journalism” and FCC chair Michael Powell, “Markets and Consumer Welfare” (on-line at http://stephen.macek.faculty.noctrl.edu/Powell.pdf)
Wednesday, February 28, Are the media failing the American public?: Coverage of wars and elections.
Reading: McChesney and Nichols, “Chapter 3: Oh, What an Embedded War”, “Chapter 4: The Policing of the Primarie” and “Chapter 5: Media and the November Election”
Friday, March 2. Should the media be reformed?
Reading: McChesney and Nichols, “Chapter 6: Media for a People Who Mean to be Their Own Governors”.
Screening: Free Press/ Media Reform video
Week 10.
Monday, March 5. The First Amendment; the debate over “indecency” in music and over the airwaves.
Reading: Chapter 16, “Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression”
Media Conglomerate Report Due.
Wednesday, March 6. First Amendment continued; Media effects research.
Reading: Campbell, Chapter 15, “Media Effects and Cultural Approaches to Research;”
Friday, March 9. A case study in media effects research: is there a connection between pornography and violence against women ?
Screening: A Drug Called Pornography
Sunday, March 11, Review session; exact time and place to be determined.
Monday, March 12. 1-3 p.m.
Guidelines and Standards for Written Work
• All written work must be typed or printed in dark ink, double-spaced, stapled (not paper clipped) together, in 12 point Times or New York font with one inch margins and should have a title page. It must be responsive to all aspects of the assignment, including length, and should use the Modern Language Association (MLA) system of documentation and style.
• Written work should be relatively free of mechanical and grammatical error.
• Document every reference, including page numbers whenever possible. Refer to a writer’s manual if you need guidance about how to do this.
• Support claims not common knowledge with evidence and conclusions with argument. Take time to plan your papers and devote some time to rewriting them. Always keep a second copy of your work.
• Assume your reader has not taken this course. Define all terms whose definitions are controversial or obscure. Take time to explain the theories you are using. Include as much detail as you need to support your argument. Illustrations (diagrams, storyboards, photographs, photos of still frames, etc.) are always welcome.
• Avoid racist or sexist language and cliches.
• Grades: Failure to follow any of the above guidelines will result in a lower grade. Otherwise, here are my standards:
An "A" paper demonstrates that the writer has not only mastered the concepts of the course, but has applied them in an original, imaginative and incisive manner. The paper shows a command of the language that allows the writer to express ideas and observations clearly, effectively, in detail and with virtually no mechanical errors. The paper includes adequate documentation. "A"s are reserved for exceptional essays.
A "B" paper demonstrates that the writer has understood the concepts of the course and has applied them with some originality. The paper shows the writer can organize a coherent essay with few errors. The paper for the most part includes adequate documentation.
A "C" paper demonstrates that the writer has understood most of the concepts of the course but needs to pay more attention to reading or writing. Documentation is erratic.
A "D" paper demonstrates that the writer has only a minimal understanding of the concepts of the course. Significant gaps in the writer's comprehension indicate the need for more study. The paper shows the writer's basic compositional skills are below satisfactory. Documentation is unsatisfactory.
A "F" paper demonstrates that the writer has little, if any, understanding of the concepts of the course. Because of the writer's lack of skill or concern, the work includes gross errors as well as a lack of content. Documentation is negligible. The paper may also fail to address parts of the assignment.
A paper may combine characteristics of different levels of work. In that case, the grade will depend on the paper's overall demonstration of knowledge of the material and of college writing skills.
Please see me if you have questions about my standards or about any of your grades for the course.