|
Com 314: Mass Communication Theory |
SYLLABUS
Fall, 2003
3 credit hours
Dr. Janet McMullen
Updated: 10/27/2003
OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE:
This course is designed to give the student a basic understanding of the nature of mass communication and an overview of the various theoretical approaches to which try to explain the impact of mediated communication on the individual and the culture.
TEXTS:
Required Reading:
Baran, Stanley and Dennis K. Davis. Mass Communication Theory ,3rd ed. Thompson: 2002 (Required)
Recommended Reading: These books are excellent for book reviews and to supplement the course. They are also good for extra-credit reading (See extra credit options below in the syllabus.). The books stores have been asked to order in a limited number of copies of these titles, and they are all available on Amazon.com and other on-line services. See the reading list below, the reading list on the Dr. Mc's main web site http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jmcmulle/index.html or students may select books with the approval of the instructor.
Anderson, James A., and Timothy P. Meyer. Mediated Communication: A Social Perspective. Sage Publications (Newbury Park, 1988). Especially recommended, but out of print. A copy will be placed at the reserve desk in Collier Library.
Defleur, Melvin and Sandra Ball-Rokeach. Theories of Mass Communication. Pearson, 1989 (This book was previously used as a required text and it is a classic in the field. However, it is fairly expensive new, so I have listed it as recommended only this year. Many of my lecture notes come from this source, so it might be good investment, if you can get it used. )
Price, Monroe E. Parental Control of Television Broadcasting. ISBN 0-8058-39020x (34.50) LEA: 2002
Perry, David K. Theory and Research in Mass Communication. LEA : 2001, ISBN 0-8058-3938-0 paper $29.95
Zillman, Dolf. And Hans-Bernd Brosius. “Exemplification in Communication: The Influence of Case Reports on the Perception of Issues.” LEA :2000.
Berger, Arthur Asa. The Mass Com Murders. Rowman & Littlefield: 2002 Isbn: 0-7425-1721-7 ( I just read this book this morning [8-19-02], and it's a great introduction to mass com theory. It's written in the form of a murder mystery and captures most of the main ideas and some of the pitfalls in our field. It's short, easy, and for extra-credit reading only, but I recommend that you read it in the next week or so for maximum benefit. 10 extra credit points for this one.)
Fisch, Shalom M. and Rosemarie Truglio. “G” is for Growing: Thirty Years of Research on Children and Sesame Street.” LEA: 2001 ISBN 0-8058-3395 (paper) $24.95
Bryant, Jennings and J. Allison Bryant. Television and the American Family. 2nd ed. LEA: 2001. 0-858-3422-2 (paper)
Evra. Judith. Television and Child Development.2nd ed. LEA: 1997. 0-8058-2801 paper $27.50
Brown, Jane, Steele, Jeanne and Kim Walkch-Childers. Sexual Teens, Sexual Media: Investigating Media’s Influence on Adolescent Sexuality. LEA:2001.
Gunter, Barry. Media Sex: What are the Issues? LEA: 2001 ISBN: 0-8-58-4010-9 paper $32.50
Perse, Elizabeth. Media Effects and Society. LEA: 2001 ISBN 0-8-58-2505-3
Fox, Roy F. Harvesting Minds: How TV Commercials Control Kids. Praeger Pub. 1996
Fox., Roy. Media Speak: Three American Voices. Praeger 2001 ISBN: 0-275-96293-1
OPERATION OF THE COURSE:
Reading:
Reading assignments are published in the course calendar. Assigned chapters should be read at the beginning of the week they are assigned. The course calendar will be posted sometime next week.
Evaluation:
All assignments will be turned in at the beginning of class and will be considered late after that point.
Late papers will be penalized in the following ways:
Grades will be determined by the following
1. Tutorials: The student will write up to 5 short papers (2 pages double-spaced) valued at 100 points each. These papers will be designed to ascertain the student's understanding of basic concepts in the course. Students will be given the opportunity to rewrite the tutorial, if the professor thinks the student does not understand the concept in question. The initial grade (1-50pts)and the rewrite grade (1-50pts) will be added together to form the final tutorial grade. If the initial grade is 40 points or more, the student has the option of waiving the rewrite and doubling the initial grade for the final tutorial grade. Tutorials will be graded on understanding of the concept in question, clarity of thought and expression and appropriate use of the language. (value: five tutorials @ 100 pts each = 500 total tutorial points) Check out Dr. Mc's Guidelines for Writing a Tutorial at http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jmcmulle/tutguide.htm
2. Research Paper or Research Project Participation (value: 300 pts)
Paper: The student has the option of writing a research paper examining some area of mass media research and theory. The paper should be at least 10 pages in length, typed (double-spaced), free of mechanical errors and utilize APA style. The paper, as well as all other written assignments in the class, will be graded based on thoughtfulness, thoroughness, clarity, writing style and professional presentation. See a guidelines for writing term papers for Dr. Mc at http://fly.hiwaay.net/~jmcmulle/termpaper.htm
APA STYLE guidelines can be found at several places on the web: One good site which offers several links is : http://www.psychwww.com/resource/apacrib.htm .
A cite which deals with APA style for online citations is : http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/cite6.html
The UNIVERISTY OF NORTH ALABAMA has contracted with Turnitin.com to provide a plagiarism checking service. You will be expected to upload designated written work to the site before a grade will be recorded. For information about how to do that, see Instructions for Turnitin.com
Students agree that by taking this course all required papers mya be subject to submission for textual similarity review to turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the terms of use agreement posted on the Turnitin.com site.
Be aware that any work which is plagiarized will receive an "F" and should the plagiarism be intentional and/or blatant, the student may receive an "F" in the course. Students should be aware of university policy on this matter as well as the extremely serious consequences which can occur when one engages in plagiarism.
3. Exams: Exams will include objective items such as multiple choice, identify, fill-in, as well more subjective items such as short answer questions and essay questions. Students should expect that a significant portion of the exam will be comprised of essay questions. It is expected that essays will be clearly written, well organized, and will demonstrate proper use of the English language. It is expected that one or two exams and a non-comprehensive final will be given.
Exam 1 will occur at midterm and will cover all material to date.
Exam 2 Will predominantly cover all material presented since exam 1, however, because of the complexity of the concepts covered, the instructor can NOT guarantee that ONLY material presented since exam 1 will be relevant to exam . The instructor retains the right to have THREE exams if students prefer or if a third exam will enhance the mastery of the material. The instructor also reserves the right to administer this exam during a regular class meeting or during the final exam period. The date of the exam will be announced in ample time to prepare for the exam.
4. Weekly Assignments: From time to time, I may require you to visit a web site, view a video, or even watch some television and do a short related evaluation or assignment. These assignments will be designed to maximize your understanding of the lecture material.
EXTRA CREDIT
Extra credit may be earned by reading extra books relevant to the course and writing a 3 to 5 page book review or preparing a short, extra-credit mini-research paper. Extra credit work should be approved by the instructor PRIOR to beginning the work and papers must be typed and presented in a professional way.
Extra Credit options offered so far in Com 314:
Communication:
Students may call Dr. Mc at home if they are unable to reach her during the school day. However, such call should be made between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. It would be extremely unwise to disregard this schedule.
SPECIAL NOTE:
This class will be one of a very conceptual nature. You may not be used to thinking and studying in these terms. The tutorials should help you assess your progress in the class and make the adjustments which may be necessary. However, please feel free to contact me at any time regarding your questions and any concerns you may have. I want you to be successful in this class, and sometimes that takes personal direction. So please see me if you have a concern, and we'll work it out together.
Let's look forward to an interesting and exciting semester!
COURSE LINKS: During the course of the semester, links will be provided on the course web site. There you will find specific links related to this course, schedule, lecture notes, study guides, etc. as they are made available to you .
Note:
Course Schedule-- Fall 2003 While links are listed below, the schedule is the CURRENT link page for the summer course.
Introduction to Mass Com Theory
Guidelines for Writing Tutorials
Socialization Notes and Study Guide
Tutorial 3 Feedback
|
Special Dates to Remember: |
Meaning Construction Theories (See your text for information on this topic)
Media Systems Dependency Theory and Accommodation Theory
Effects of Sexual Content in Media
Additional Optional Reading Books you might want to consider:
Note from Dr. Mc
I may update this list through out the semester, so check back. I'll try to remember to put an ** in front of new additions to the list. I have also added a number of selections to our library, so check UNICAT. You can also do a search at Amazon or Barnes and Noble and find some really interesting titles. Be sure to have me approve any book review titles you select.
Copyright, 2003
Dr. Janet McMullen