Davis A. Foulger, Ph. D.
Adjunct Associate Professor
Office:  Whitehead 404s

BROOKLYN COLLEGE
Department of Television and Radio
Introduction to Mass Media
TV/R 6.5 Section EM6 (Course Code B065)
Spring, 2006, Mon, 6:20 - 9 pm
320 Whitehead Hall

Semester Syllabus

Class Schedule and Assignments /Discussion Notes / Blackboard / Compact Syllabus (the class handout)

Course Description

This course is a survey of the history, industry practices, and controversies associated with the media of mass communication. We will, over the course of the semester, examine such mainstream mass media as books, newspapers, magazines, film, radio, recordings, and television. We will also take a look at the emerging mass media associated with the Internet, Cell Phones, and other convergent mass media infrastructures/interfaces. You will engage in analysis of news, entertainment, advertising and public relations strategies, as well as the impact of mass media, the legal issues that are associated with media use, and the ethical obligations of mass media practitioners.

Details: A series of reading assignments, lectures, discussions, and media presentations make up the course material. You are expected to read the assigned material before class and bring in any questions or items for discussion. Following that discussion, we will explore areas in class that are beyond the readings.

Required Texts

Additional Materials

Discussion Notes

My usual practice is to make my lecture/discussion notes directly available to the class via the Internet. I will frequently display those notes during class. You can print them out later. You may be able to print them out before class, but I don't guarantee that you will. I frequently change my discussion notes right up to the beginning of class (and sometimes during class). The version posted at the end of class can generally be considered to be reliable, but I occasionally modify them after class based on class discussions.

Learning Objectives

  1. Students should be able to discuss the origins of today's media industries, why they do what they do, and why those actions cause controversies.
  2. Students should be able to critically analyze the media they use in their own lives.
  3. Students should be able to relate current issues in media effects, media law, and media ethics to their historical precedents.

Outcomes Assessment

Your comprehension of reading assignments will be evaluated through three exams which will count for 60% of your course grade. Your synthesis of this material with our other class activities will be measured through the instructor's evaluation of your class participation (with 20% of your grade), and his evaluation of your term paper (worth 20% of your grade). There are extra credit opportunities. Details of how grades will be computed are shown below.

Blackboard Discussion Group

A class discussion group will be maintained on Blackboard. You can also use this group to exchange of any class-related information or questions, especially those questions you didn’t want to ask in class. Only class members can post to the forum or read messages on the forum. The most general path for accessing CUNY Blackboard is http://portal.cuny.edu. I have provided instructions, including shortcuts) for accessing Blackboard at http://evolutionarymedia.com/student.htm?BlackboardTutorial. Pointers to all of the online material for this class are available both from Blackboard and my Brooklyn student web site: http://davis.foulger.info/brooklyn.

Grading:

 WeightDescription
Exam 1 15% Objective testing, conducted one third of the way through the semester.
Exam 2 20% Objective testing, conducted two thirds of the way through the semester. Most questions will be from the second third of the course. Some will come from the first third of the course.
Exam 3 25% Objective testing, conducted at the end of the semester. Most questions will be from the last third of the course, but many questions will come from the first two thirds of the course.
Term Paper 20% A 5 to 15 page integration of what you've learned this semester.
Participation 20% This portion of the grade will be based on your observations (based on discussion and think assignments), preparation (doing the readings), and your ability to both ask good questions and participate in answering them. Think assignments count for have off your participation grade (10% of your overall grade).
  100% 
Extra Credit Up to 3% Adds up to 3 extra credit points (a third of a letter grade) on your overall grade.
Attendance Subtraction open Absences make your grade grow smaller.
Effort Bonus Up to 10%An optional addition, based on good and enthusiastic participation, interest in subject matter, etc. There is no guarantee I will give any of these points to anyone.

Exams

Exams in this course are objective and computer-graded, based on your comprehension of the text. There will be three one-hour exams. Test questions deal with very specific text material that will be easily recalled if the text was read carefully and understood. You cannot memorize test material—it’s not that kind of test. You are not expected to recall all the material dealt with in the test, but those who have read the assignments will get the highest scores, and those who have not read the assignments will get the lowest. All grades are therefore curved at the end of the semester so we will have a normal distribution of A’s, B’s and so on. Make-up tests are available for documented emergencies, but they are more difficult than the originals, and we don’t review for them, so they are not recommended if at all avoidable. Sample tests are available in the reserve room of the library, on the DVD that comes with the book, and on the Web site (www.mhhe.com/rodman).

Term Paper and Journal Entries

Your required term paper for this course will consist of a journal based on your reactions to 8 of the 11 class meetings leading up to the due date of May 14th. This will be your opportunity to synthesize classroom activities with your reading and your own experience. You might think of these journal entries as reaction papers to individual class sessions and the content involved. The best papers will include research into topics that caught your curiosity.

Your grade will depend on the level of thought and analysis you put into each journal entry, and the care that you put into your writing. Your paper should be well developed and grammatically perfect, so speak to the Writing Center in Boylan Hall if you need help in that area. Like your test scores, all term paper grades are curved at the end of the semester.

Each of your 8 journal entries should have a separate heading identifying the class date and topic under discussion. Your term paper should include a well thought-out introduction at the beginning of the paper and conclusion at the end of the paper that ties all of your entries together and unifies your paper with an overall theme. There is no page count requirement--you should simply write enough to cover each class session in an honest, intelligent way, without filler but developing your thoughts in a thorough and well-organized way. It’s conceivable that you could have a very long entry for one class date and a relatively short one for another. The typical paper, however, will use from one-half page to two pages for each of the 8 journal entries. With introduction and conclusion, therefore, the typical paper will be between 5 and 18 pages long.

You should do each journal entry immediately after reading the chapter and attending the class session, and then edit and compile them at the end of the semester. Then you need only compose your introduction and conclusion, and the assignment will be complete. Your paper should be double-spaced with one-inch margins all around, in Times New Roman 12 point font.

Participation

Participation will be evaluated based on in class participation, evident effort, and your completion of two types of ungraded assignment that will be due for most classes: questions (10; one for each class for which readings are due), and think assignments (up to 10; assigned only for classes for which readings are due).

Think assignments entail doing a small assignment involving thought or observation, but usually with the restriction that the output of the assignment (your answer or observation) must fit on one side of a 3x5 card. I don't grade these assignments. Simply turning them in on time nets the points so long as you appear to have taken the assignment seriously. Index Card Assignments will frequently be used in the course of class discussions.

Questions: You should bring two questions to class each day based on the readings. Write them on one side of an index card. A portion of every class will be devoted to a conversation in which we discuss the answers to your questions.

Questions and Think Assignments should be written on different index cards. Be sure to write your name on the front of your card. Questions and Think Assignments will only be accepted on the day they are due.

Extra Credit

You can earn up to 3 extra credit points by taking a field trip to see a taping of a television program, such as The Daily Show or TRL, and submitting a brief reaction paper along with proof of attendance, such as a ticket stub or souvenir. You could also go to the Museum of Television and Radio or the Museum of the Moving Image. Other opportunities for extra credit may be announced in class or on the e-group.

Course Rules

  1. Attendance is required. Punctuality is much desired.
  2. Complete reading assignments prior to coming to class. Be prepared to discuss readings.
  3. Write in your own words. Reference the ideas you use to the original sources. Plagiarism and cheating will are unacceptable.
  4. Papers should be printed out for submission. Double space your papers and print them out using standard 11 point fonts (Ariel, Times Roman, and Courier are all acceptable). I will notice attempts to pad the length of your papers with oversized fonts and lines spacing and count it against you.
  5. Unexcused late papers will be penalized 1/2 of a letter grade if one period late and one full grade thereafter.

Attendance Policy

Attendance is mandatory. The Brooklyn College Bulletin states that "Students are expected to attend all scheduled sessions of every class for which they register. Students late for class may be excluded from the room. An instructor may consider attendance and class participation in determining course grade." While I am unlikely to lock the door, I will take account of missed class time in computing grades. You should not, as a general note, ask me for "permission" to miss class. While I will try to be understanding of documented emergencies, the basic reality (which has more to do with your ability to learn when you aren't in class than anything else) is that absences make your grade grow smaller.

Plagiarism and Cheating:

I have caught a number of students attempting to pass off other people's work as their own. Such behavior is unacceptable in any classroom, and I won't accept it in mine. My usual practice will be to zero any assignment on which a student has been found to be cheating and consult with the department chair on what other actions may be appropriate

Examples of cheating include:

Bottom line: Write in your own words and reference the ideas you use to the sources you read them in.

Late Assignments:

It is your responsibility to ensure that all assignments are submitted by the due date. I will reduce the grade on an assignment by one half letter grade if one period late and one full grade thereafter. As a general rule, it is always best to turn in assignments on time, but not turning in an assignment at all is far worse than turning them in late. A letter grade penalty is far less onerous than a zero.

Good Advice

  1. Keep a copy of any assignment you submit, just in case the original gets lost.
  2. Write your name on the front of any assignment you submit, including questions, think assignments, and papers.
  3. Assuming you work on a computer, maintain backups of your paper in a reliable and convenient format. USB flash drives work on just about all computers now, can be readily obtained for less than $20.00, and are much less likely to fail than diskettes. Assume the worst. Maintain two backups.
  4. If at any time you find yourself confused or have questions, especially in terms of the writing assignments, please ask me (either in class or in private) for help. One person's question may help countless others in class. If you can't meet me during my office hours, we can probably find another time.
  5. Please speak with me confidentially if you have a disabling condition that may require some accommodation in class.
  6. Brooklyn College's Learning Center (in Boylan) is an excellent resource if you have any issues working through the writing process. They can help you develop writing strategies for any stage in the process: from planning, to drafting, to editing, to reflecting.

Disabling Conditions

Students who have a disabling condition which might interfere with their ability to successfully complete this course are encouraged to speak to me confidentially. I will be happy to cooperate in identifying alternate means of demonstrating such mastery where there is a demonstrable need.

Bottom line: I'm here to help.

Questions, Problems and Incomplete's:

If you have a question I encourage you to ask it in class. There are no stupid questions; only answers that didn't need to be. If you don't know the answer to a question it is likely someone else is curious as well. Please ask. The worst that can happen is that I defer my answer to a meeting after class or during office hours.

If you have a problem in the class I encourage you to contact me as quickly as possible. Several means of contact are listed at the top of my Brooklyn College home page, including telephone, e-mail, and instant messenger. I also maintain regular office hours. Note, in particular, that I will not grant an incomplete for the course unless you talk to me about it in advance or I am aware of conditions which would make it impossible for you to do so.