Communication 2101 Introduction to Mass Communication, Fall 2009

Professor: Dr. D.S. Petersen-Perlman
Office: 407 A.B. Anderson Hall
Phone: 726-7528 (direct line & 24 hour message line via voice mail)

http://www.d.umn.edu/~dpeters1/http://www.d.umn.edu/~dpeters1/
Email: dpeters1@d.umn.edu
Class Meeting: Mondays 11:00-11:50 a.m., 425 ABAH
Office Hours: Mondays and Wednesdays 1-3 p.m., and by appointment.

Class Alias: comm2101-1-f2009@d.umn.edu

Text: Vivian, John. The Media of Mass Communication. 9th Ed., Boston., MA: Pearson Education, 2010.

New York Times: I recommend you read the New York Times for class discussion and assignments. You may purchase your copy at the Kirby Information desk.

Course Description: Communication 2101 is an elective in the Communication major. This course also fulfills three credits of Liberal Education Category 8: Contemporary Social Issues and Analysis.

Class Goal: Students in Comm 2101 will become more critical users and students of the U.S. mass media.

Class Objectives: This class will introduce students to the history, structure and impact of the American mass media as well as concepts of American journalism such as freedom of expression, media as the fourth and fifth estates of government, and the quintessentially American journalistic principles of objectivity, balance and fairness.
* Students will learn about the history, structures and functions of the American media industries.
* Students will learn about the opportunities and limitations inherent in the American media complex.
* Students will learn about and question the image of the American media complex in other countries.
* Students will learn about the role of American media (both economic and political) in the international media marketplace.
* Students should question the power and potential harms and benefits generated by mediated images.
* Students will become familiar with the practices of journalism: education, preparation (research, contacts, etc.), methods (investigation, inquiry, evaluation, analysis), etc.
* Students will become critical readers/users of the mass media, particularly with regard to issues of accuracy, balance, objectivity, fairness and ethical journalistic practice.

I encourage students in this class to pursue issues associated with the mass media by way of out-of-class projects and assignments, independent writing, small group work and general class discussions.

I welcome your questions and contributions. In an effort to get to know you, I request that when you do make such comments that you preface your remarks by stating your name. I have found that a friendly climate, wherein we use each other's names, is much more conducive to lively discussions and exchanges of ideas. If time does not permit a question in class, please use my office hours or make an appointment. I also welcome alternative forms of participation (including short presentations, submissions of clippings and recordings on relevant topics, etc.)--all I ask is that you identify these contributions with your name, the class number and the date and source of your submission.

The class will promote open and exploratory learning by way of active learning strategies. Questions based on the readings and previous class experiences will spur class discussion. Our classes will be conducted in this fashion as much as possible. I want you to go beyond the class lectures, readings and assignments to using our questioning approach in everyday life. The out-of-class project and assignments, class discussions, quizzes and examinations in this class will promote the development and exercise of critical thinking skills. I want you to question “facts”, to challenge "authority" and to perceive the social construction of reality. I want you to take personal responsibility for your own learning.

The assignments, class discussions and examinations will help promote an informed citizenry.

Using the text: This book is carefully designed with you in mind; it is very user-friendly. You'll note that within each sub-section of the chapter a study preview helps orient your reading. Each chapter ends with a number of review questions to help you focus on the most important points from the material you've just read. There are numerous aids provided in the marginalia of the text. Your book identifies many websites which I hope you will visit. There are many other useful aids contained within the marginalia. Use them as you read. I recommend that you use these previews and review questions to guide your study sessions and in preparation for the tests. You are expected to read the entire chapter and are held accountable for that reading in your quizzes and examinations. Your understanding of these preview and review materials depends on a thorough reading. Additionally, the chapters contain information boxes highlighting media databanks, people, online information and much more. These boxes are worth reading.

The University system as a whole is committed to diversity. We will be addressing diversity issues related to media as we move through the semester. In the course of lecture, discussion and activities I intend to bring up other points of view, and I hope that you will too. I hope you will see the text and class sessions as complementary components of this class experience.

Quizzes and Examinations: We will have four regular quizzes worth a total of 32 % of your final grade (each quiz is worth 8 % of your grade). These quizzes will be held during class on assigned days. Quizzes will contain true/false, multiple choice, short answer, and fill-in-the-blank questions. The quizzes will cover the assigned readings. We will have a midterm scheduled during the eighth week of classes (October 26) worth 15 % of your final grade and a final exam worth 15 % of your final grade on December 21 from 12-1:55 p.m.

Exercises: On occasion we may use 5 to 10 minutes of class time for independent writing which will be submitted and recorded, but not graded. You must make a good faith effort to address the writing topic for the exercise in question.Completion of these writing exercises and participation in class discussions make up 8 % of your final grade. Your assessment on this portion of your final grade will be based on the number of exercises which you complete in good faith as well as those discussions in which you participate.

Explanation of grading: I use a standard grading scale:
A = 94-100; A- = 90-93; B+ = 87-89; B = 84-86; B- = 80-83; C+ = 77-79; C = 74-76; C- = 70-73; D = 67-69; D = 60-66; F = 59 and below.
If you do everything identified in the assignment description you will receive a C. If it is not acceptable it will receive a lower grade, depending on the problems contained within the submission. Basic acceptability means that you have met all of the requirements of the assignment. Non-acceptability means that you have not met the requirements of the assignment as articulated in the assignment description.

Submission Policies: All work must be completed by the beginning of the class on the assigned deadline. Failure to make a submission on the assigned date at the beginning of the class period will result in a zero for that submission--no late work will be accepted.

Out-of-Class project:

Students will analyze news coverage on the hard news topic (just one topic) of their choosing to follow over the semester and across mediums. See the Topics paragraph below for options from which you can select. Topics must be approved by me. Students will use fact check.org, unspun  and other Fact-check  features on CNN, NPR or other programs to evaluate the information contained within that coverage.  Focus on fact-checking/verification of the legitimacy/accuracy of the information. 

Write five small papers (each paper will analyze one story on the topic you've selected and which I've approved). At the end of the semester you will have written about five different stories on the chosen topic. These short papers will demonstrate your thoroughness of analysis, breadth of coverage and depth of understanding of the topic.

Look at how the information is presented. 

Is there an effort to "balance" points of view--is balance warranted/or do the facts suggest one side is more valid than the other? Support your claims with evidence from the story itself and the fact-checking you've done prior to writing the paper.

While perusing news coverage, check out extreme and mainstream perspectives--take note of differences and similarities in topics.

Who's interviewed, who's not? What points of view are missing?

What claims of "fact" are made? How are these claims supported? 

Distinguish between "news" sources and opinion sources. Identify "political" positions contained within the pieces selected.  Find a variety of perspectives to discuss in each of these small papers.

Suggested topics:
         Health care reform
         Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Israel/Palestine
         Unemployment/joblessness
         H1N1/Swine Flu or other Health crisis topics
         North Korea
         Climate Change
         Environmental issues:
         Economy: The Recession, Bailouts, Stimulus Package, etc.

Students will be graded on meeting the assignment, the thoroughness of the analysis they offer, and the insights they demonstrate.

The out-of class project is worth a total of 30 % of your final grade/120 grade points. The individual submissions for this project must be typed/word processed, proofread (in addition to spell checked and grammar checked), and of a professional caliber. Late work will not be accepted.

By examining this topic across media and over time you should start to observe some patterns. The goal of this assignment is that you will perceive the connections which exist between and among the various media outlets and the political system which governs us. I want you to have the experience of actually using the medium itself. It’s fine to surf the web for ideas, but I want you to read and peruse the ACTUAL, TANGIBLE magazines and newspapers, and to listen and watch actual television and radio programs, rather than using the web site as an intermediary. Do not submit web versions of articles!!! Be sure to include photocopies of the actual newspaper and magazine articles you have used for the newspaper and magazine submissions.

* By the end of the assignment you should be able to assess more thoughtfully your information processing style.
* You will become a critical reader/viewer/listener of the media.
* Awareness about the interrelationships between media and politics, as well as a more skeptical reception of mediated messages will allow you to become an active participant in our democratic government by making wise and informed voting decisions. Active citizenship is, after all, one of the primary goals behind the First Amendment.

The analysis will evaluate news stories and articles on the topic you’ve selected to follow from:
1. one television news program
2. one radio news program,
3. one newspaper,
4. one news/commentary magazine,
5. and one alternative media presentation.

Please note, at the end of the semester you will have submitted only one submission from a radio program, only one submission from a television program, only one submission from a newspaper, only one from a magazine, and only one from an alternative medium. This comes to a total of five submissions. Please do not misunderstand: I do NOT want one article summary from each medium every week.

For the printed materials (newspaper and magazine articles) you will attach a photocopy of the article from the actual (not web version) of the article. For the electronic media you will need to include in the bibliographic citation at the head of the paper the name of the reporter, the story title, the time of day the story aired, as well as the date the story aired, the program in which it aired, the network on which it aired. It might also be interesting to note where in the program the story appeared (first, second, etc.). We will review citational style in class.

Your entries should include some mainstream sources (such as CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, Time, New York Times) but at least one of those sources must come from alternative sources.

Alternative sources are those which represent an extreme point of view, or at least a point of view which is not frequently covered by the more centrist, mainstream media (such as a perspective from a foreign country). Examples of alternative media would include any partisan-based publication/program: Rush Limbaugh (on the conservative side), or a magazine like The American Spectator (from an ultra conservative point of view), or the Huffington Report or F.A.I.R (on the liberal side). Additionally, you might wish to consider ethnic or international publications and programs such as Jet, Ebony, "The World" (M-F at 7:00 p.m. on 100.5 F.M., WSCN), the C.B.C.'s "As it Happens" (10-11:00 p.m. week nights on 100.5 F.M., WSCN), or the B.B.C.'s “World Service” (11:00 p.m.-5:00 a.m. week nights on 100.5 F.M., WSCN). The reference librarian in charge of communication, Jodi Carlson, and I will be happy to offer more examples of these alternative sources as well as methods of gaining access to them.

Some of the sources you may wish to use may not be available at our library. If you wish to use a source we do not have on hand, consider using interlibrary loan. Be forewarned that interlibrary loan requires time, so I recommend tracking down the hard-to-reach sources at your earliest convenience.

I strongly encourage you to start listening to the radio on a daily basis. All News Radio is your best bet and we're lucky to have access to such a station in our market. Set your clock radio to 100.5 F.M. (WSCN), Minnesota Public Radio. "Morning Edition" runs from 5:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and 7:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. on the weekends. The news stories are repeated on the hour. "All Things Considered" runs from 3:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 4:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. on the weekends.

As for television news, your best bets are the 5:30 p.m. national news programs on ABC and NBC (6:00 p.m. for CBS in our market), CNN, and PBS's News Hour with Jim Lehrer (it's on PBS Channel 8, WDSE, broadcast, from 6-7 p.m. M-F). Consider watching ABC's Nightline, M—F 10:30 p.m. for more detailed examinations of the day's top stories. There are a plethora of Cable News channels from which you can select as well (CNN, ANC, etc.).

The sooner you take care of the radio and television stories the easier the assignment will become.

You will be conducting an analysis of the veracity of claims offered in the stories you review. Here is one site in particular that I think you will find helpful: http://www.factcheck.org/

The project as a whole is worth 30 % of your final grade (120 grade points) ; each submission is worth 6 % (24 grade points each).

I will make available Extra Credit opportunities if you attend and write a short paper about presentations on campus or in the community which I bring to your attention. These papers need only be about two pages long and should address concepts we’ve learned in class regarding journalistic coverage of public affairs. Each extra credit paper will be worth five points and you may write up to four such papers for a possible total of 20 extra credit points.

General Class Policies & Expectations:

Apply your very best writing and analysis to the completion of all assignments. Make sure ALL of your assignments are proofread, spell checked, and grammar checked.
Individuals who have any disability, either permanent or temporary, which might affect their ability to perform in this class, are encouraged to inform the instructor at the start of the semester. Adaptation of methods, materials, or testing may be made as required to provide for equitable participation.

You must complete the Out-of-class Project, the examinations and quizzes in order to receive a passing grade.

Makeup quizzes are possible, but only on the basis of advanced personal consultation, verified by e-mail, with the instructor. Makeup quizzes will have an alternative format to that distributed during the regularly scheduled time. In those cases when advanced warning is not possible, every effort should be made to contact the instructor at the earliest possible opportunity (note: my phone picks up messages 24 hours a day, every day and e-mail is almost always a reliable means of notification). Verifiable illnesses and family emergencies are willingly excused; weddings and trips to the Bahamas (or fill in your favorite vacation destination) are not. Incompletes are rarely given because they are rarely completed.

The University Bulletin outlines the policy on scholastic misconduct. Cheating on assignments, examinations, plagiarizing or any other "act which violates the rights of another student in academic work or that involves misrepresentation of your own work will result in a failing grade" for the work in question.

My goal is that you will attend every class session.

I expect that you will come to class on time and prepared.

I expect this class to be conducted in an open and respectful manner.

I expect that you will give the class session your full attention. This means putting away materials not germane to class (including newspapers and other textbooks, calendars, etc., turning off cell phones--NO TEXT MESSAGING, and ceasing use of headphones).

Assumptions and Ground Rules to Guide us in Class Discussion: The following is based in part on suggestions made by Lynn Weber Cannon in "Fostering Positive Race, Class, and Gender Dynamics in the Classroom.”

We can assume that discrimination exists in many forms (e.g. sexism, racism, classism, ageism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, ableism, etc..). Any critical understanding of these various -isms means that we need to recognize that we have been taught misinformation about our own group as well as about members of other groups. This is true for both dominant (e.g. white, male, upper class, heterosexual, able-bodied, etc.) and subordinate (e.g. people of color, women, poor, and working class, gay/lesbian, disabled, Jew, etc.) group members.

Based on these assumptions then, let's agree that we cannot be blamed for the misinformation we have learned, but we are responsible when we repeat misinformation after we have learned otherwise. People and groups are not to be blamed for their subordinate positions. Let's assume that people are always doing the best they can. Let's actively pursue information about our own groups and those of others. Let us share information about our own groups with other members of the class but never demean, devalue, or in any way put down people for their experiences. We each have an obligation to actively combat the myths and stereotypes about our own groups and other groups so that we can break down the walls which prohibit group cooperation and group gain. Let's create a safe atmosphere for open discussion.