Media Studies 1000---Introduction to Media Studies
Department of Communication, Media & Journalism
Fall 2013—Gainesville State College/University of North Georgia
General Information
Professor: Dr. Preston Coleman, Associate Professor of Communication, Media & Journalism
Office: 104, Oconee Campus
Contact: pcoleman@gsc.edu; preston.coleman@ung.edu 706-310-6294
Faculty web page: https://web.gsc.edu/fs/pcoleman/homepage.asp
Office Hours: 2-4 MW
1:30-3:30 TTh
by appointment as needed
Text and Materials
Campbell, R., Martin, C., and Fabos, B. (2013) Media Essentials: A Brief Introduction, 2nd edition
Course Description
A survey of the historical development and cultural roles of the various mass media, including print, radio, film, television, and the Internet.
Course Outcomes
After completion of the course, students will be able to demonstrate:
1. Knowledge of the basic history of mass media, including technological, economic, and governmental aspects
2. Knowledge of key concepts, practices, and socio-cultural trends related to mass media
3. The ability to analyze and understand media content as a critical consumer
4. A deeper understanding of the role and power of media in influencing individuals, society, subcultures, and the democratic process
Course Calendar
A detailed course schedule is provided below. Key dates this semester include:
Jan. 21 MLK Birthday, no class
Feb. 28
Midpoint of semester
March 11-15 Spring Break, no classes
April 29
Last Day of Classes
April 30-May 2 Final Exams
Course Policies
All students are responsible for knowing and abiding by the following policies; be sure you've read and understood these policies, as there will be no exceptions made.
1. NO LATE WORK WILL BE ACCEPTED IN THIS CLASS.
No late written assignments will be accepted for any reason. Failure to turn in a written assignment in person and in class will result in a 0. No assignments will be accepted via email. Written assignments may be turned in early, no more than two class periods before they're due.
No makeup exams will be offered. Failure to take an exam when scheduled without informing the professor before the scheduled time with a documented excused absence will result in a 0. If you inform the professor before the exam and have documentation of an excused absence, a makeup assignment may be given at the discretion of the professor.
2. In cases of documented excused absences in which the professor is informed before the scheduled time of an exam or assignment, appropriate makeup work for full or partial credit will be offered at the discretion of the professor. Acceptable documentation includes doctor’s notes, death notices/obituaries, and court summons.
3. ATTENDANCE POLICY Students who are not in class when the roll is called will be considered absent. Students may be absent from two classes per semester in classes that meet twice a week without penalty. After 2 absences, each subsequent absence will trigger a deduction from the student's final grade as follows: absence #3: -1; absence #4: -2; absence #5: -3; absence #6: -4, and so on. Six total absences will cause the deduction of 10 points from the student's final grade (1+2+3+4); seven absences, 15 points; eight absences, 21 points; nine absences, 27 points; ten absences, 35 points, and so on. These deductions are in addition to any missed work. Note that ten absences will make it virtually impossible to pass the class, and that after six total absences, students will lose a full letter grade from their final grade.
4. Reading assignments should be completed prior to the class in which they will be discussed; do not read or do homework for other classes while in this class.
5. Plagiarism and cheating will not be tolerated. If you are caught plagiarizing, or cheating on a test, you will receive a 0 on that assignment/test and will be subject to further disciplinary action, including failing the course. Wholesale plagiarism will automatically result in an F in the class. There are no exceptions to this policy.
6. Cell phones and pagers must be turned off (or set to vibrate) at all times during class. No digital device may be visible to the student during exams. Laptops are acceptable, but only for taking notes---don't use class time for checking Facebook or doing homework for other classes. Do not send or receive text messages during class. Students who violate this policy repeatedly will be asked to leave the classroom.
7. Behavior that is disruptive or disrespectful will result in a verbal warning and possible ejection from the classroom. If the behavior continues, the student will be subject to disciplinary procedures as outlined in the Gainesville State College Student Handbook.
8. Due to federal privacy laws, I will not discuss grades via email or telephone without written permission. No exceptions to this policy will be made. For more information regarding the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, see: http://www.gsc.edu/admin/ferpa/ You are responsible for keeping track of your grades and for keeping all of your graded assignments.
Grading
Grading will be on a 1000-point scale as follows:
Research Papers (2) 100 points each
Critical Papers (2) 100 points each
Position Papers (2) 100 points each
Midterm Exam 200
Final Exam 200_
1000
Final grades will be assigned as follows:
A 900-1000
B 800-899
C 700-799
D 600-699
F 0-599
W Withdrew from class prior to midpoint of semester, no grade assigned
WF Withdrew from class after midpoint of semester, grade of F assigned
MW Military Withdrawal
I Incomplete
A grade of "Incomplete" will be given only in extreme circumstances beyond the student's control.
Supplemental Course Information
Students are responsible for the following college-wide policies (also available at https://web.gsc.edu/sci/):
Inclement weather
Please check the following radio and TV stations for announcements of closings: WSB-TV Atlanta, FOX 5-TV Atlanta, WXIA-TV Atlanta, WNEG-TV 32, Toccoa, WSB-Radio Group, Atlanta: B98.5FM, News Radio 680 AM, Jazz Flavors 104.1, 95.5 FM; WGST-Radio Atlanta - 640 AM and 105.7 FM, Radio Center, Gainesville: WDUN-550AM, WGGA 1240 AM, Magic 102.9 FM, Southern Broadcasting, Athens/Gainesville: WLET 106.1 FM, 103.7 FM, 102.1 FM, 1340 AM, 960 AM; WJJC 1270 AM, Commerce, WCON 99.3 FM and 1450 AM, Cornelia. TV and radio stations only announce if the college is closed, not if it is open. Information on closing is also available at 678-717-3639 (Gainesville Campus), 706-310-6201 (Oconee Campus), and http://www.gsc.edu/.
Students with disabilities
Gainesville State College welcomes otherwise qualified students with disabilities. Disability Services attempts to accommodate these students in every reasonable way, by providing academic and support services that ensure equal access to all programs and activities.
Students who need special accommodations and services must register with Disability Services and submit supporting documentation. If it is determined that a student is eligible for special services, Accommodations Memos, provided by Disability Services, must be presented to his/her instructors. It is the student’s choice as to whether he/she uses these accommodations and he/she is responsible for making arrangements with instructors.
To register with Disability Services, please contact the Coordinator of Disability Services at 678-717-3855 (Gainesville Campus) or at 706-310-6204 (Oconee Campus).
Academic dishonesty
The Student Conduct Code in the Gainesville State College Student Handbook states that plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited. Penalties and due process procedures are discussed in this section of the handbook.
Official GSC email policy
As of January 1, 2005, Gainesville State College officially recognized the use of the College assigned e-mail account as a mechanism for official communication within the College. The College has the right to expect that such communications will be read in a timely fashion. Official e-mail communications are intended only to meet the academic and administrative needs of the campus community. As steward of this process, the Office of Information Technology is responsible for directing the use of all students, faculty, and staff official e-mail.
Smoking policy
Gainesville State College does not allow the use of any tobacco products in the buildings or on the grounds of the institution. This policy applies to the Gainesville and Oconee campuses.
Plagiarism
Accidental or intentional--will be dealt with in accordance with the Student Conduct Code in the Gainesville State College Student Handbook. Plagiarism will be grounds for failing the assignment and perhaps the course. The MLA Handbook defines plagiarism as follows.
The most blatant form of plagiarism is to repeat as your own someone else's sentences, more or less verbatim. . . . Other forms of plagiarism include repeating someone else's particularly apt phrase without appropriate acknowledgment, paraphrasing another person's argument as your own, and presenting another's line of thinking . . . as though it were your own. (sec 1.6)
This course may use plagiarism prevention technology. Students may be given the option of submitting papers online through a plagiarism prevention service or having the papers submitted by the instructor. The papers may be retained by the service for the sole purpose of checking for plagiarized content in future student submissions.
Copyright
Both Federal and State laws forbid the unlawful duplication of copyrighted computer software or other reproductions of copyrighted material. In accordance with these policies, Gainesville State College expressly forbids the copying of such materials supplied by or used in the College. Unlawful duplication of copyrighted materials by a user may result in disciplinary action by the College under the Student Conduct Code (Non-Academic Infractions--Prohibitions, Theft), and/or possible criminal action by the owner of the copyright.
Course withdrawal process
It is the responsibility of the student to withdraw from a course. Students who wish to withdraw from a course without academic penalty (to receive a W) must do so prior to the midpoint of the session. Course withdrawals after the midpoint result in a grade of "WF" (withdraw failing) unless otherwise approved by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. To drop a course or to withdraw from all courses, the student may complete the "Request Withdrawal" form on Banner Web. When Learning Support (LS) students request to withdraw from a LS course using Banner, their request must be approved by the LS department unless the student is completely withdrawing from the College. The student will be notified via email if there is a problem with his or her request. Students may also complete a course withdrawal form or a complete withdrawal form in the Registrar's Office in Dunlap Mathis, Room 106, on the Gainesville campus or in the Main Office, Administration Bldg., on the Oconee campus.
COURSE SCHEDULE
Media Studies 1000
Fall 2013
Week 1 January 7, 9
Course introduction—syllabus, schedule, policies; professor bio
Reading assignment:
From faculty web page (https://web.gsc.edu/fs/pcoleman/homepage.asp),
read "Defining Communication and Medium of Communication"
Define communication, medium, culture, society, and mass
Brief history of media of communication; sample ancient and unusual media
Week 2 January 14, 16
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 1—Mass Communication: A Critical Approach
Chapter 16---Social Scientific and Cultural Approaches to
Media research
Discuss approaches to studying media, social effects of media, historical trends
in media
Discuss architecture and oral storytelling in ancient world
Discuss oral/written/electronic eras of communication
Week 3 January 23 (No Class Jan. 21)
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 2—Books and the Power of Print
Discuss transition from oral to literate culture; Homer, Socrates, Jesus
Discuss impact of written language, printing press
Discuss evolution of books and book markets, books in the digital age
Research Paper #1 DUE Jan. 23
Week 4 January 28, 30
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 3—Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism
Chapter 4—Magazines and the Age of Specialization
Discuss journalism, journalistic ethics, types and history of newspapers
Discuss mass audiences and targeted audiences, history of magazines
Wrap-up history of print media
Week 5 February 4, 6
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 5—Sound Recording and Popular Music
Chapter 6---Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting
Discuss the development of sound recording and broadcast technologies; the
social role of music, music and identity; radio and the segmented audience
Research Paper #2 DUE Feb. 6
Week 6 February 11, 13
Reading assignment:
Chapter 7---Movies and the Impact of Images
Chapter 8---Television, Cable, and Specialization in Visual Culture
Discuss the development of photography and moving pictures; socio-cultural effects of movies; the star system and the influence of fame/infamy
Discuss the socio-cultural effects of television; the difference between broadcasting and narrowcasting, cable and the segmented audience; mass media audiences; television as primary symbolic environment
Week 7 February 18, 20
Reading assignment:
Chapter 9---The Internet and New Technologies: The Media Converge
Chapter 10---Electronic Gaming and the Media Playground
Discuss the history of the Internet and media convergence; social effects of the Internet
Critical Essay #1 DUE Feb. 20
Week 8 February 25, 27
Wrap-up history of electronic media
Review for midterm exam
MIDTERM EXAM Wed. Feb. 27
Week 9 March 4, 6
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 11---Advertising and Commercial Culture
Chapter 12---Public Relations and Framing the Message
Discuss the economic role and socio-cultural effects of advertising; positive
and negative aspects of commercial media systems; propaganda and public
relations
Week 10 March 11, 13
SPRING BREAK__No Classes
Week 11 March 18, 20
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 13---The Culture of Journalism: Values, Ethics, and Democracy
Discuss journalism's role in democratic republic; changes brought about by new
media
Position Paper #1 DUE March 20
Week 12 March 25, 27
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 14---Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression
Discuss historical roots of First Amendment; limits on freedom of expression; legal controls in print media vs. electronic media
Week 13 April 1, 3
Reading Assignment:
Chapter 15—Media Economics and the Global Marketplace
Discuss economic globalization and McLuhan’s concept of a “global village”;
positive and negative consequences of globalization
Position Paper #2 DUE April 3
Week 14 April 8, 10
Analyze The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon
Discuss role of rock music in social change, individual identity formation
Discuss aesthetic aspects of rock music; what is rock music?
Week 15 April 15, 17
Analyze television sitcom openings from 1950's-80's
Discuss role of television in social change, perception of social groups
Critical Essay#2 DUE April 17
Week 16 April 22, 25
Discuss issues in contemporary media
Week 17 April 29, May 1
Course wrap-up
Review for final exam
FINAL EXAM Wed., May 1, 3:15-5:15