Wednesday, January 30, 2008

SESSION TWO: Understanding Mass Communication and Media

Diagram of the Shannon-Weaver communication model: "semantic noise" interferes with messages.

Before beginning our inquiry into the impact of mass communication upon society, we must answer a few key questions: 1) What is communication? 2) How does communication work? 3) What is mass communication, and how does it differ from other communciation types? 4) What is the mass media? Are "mass media" and "mass communication" synonymous? Investigating these questions will provide a clear, concise foundation for our further inquires into mass media effects and impacts.

While there are many theories that explain how communication occurs, the SMCR model condenses them all. It concisely outlines four (not altogether distinct) participants in the communication process: sender, message, channel and receiver. To complicate this model, however, we must understand how communicated messages are: encoded/decoded; framed (culturally/ideologically); and distributed (persuasion/coersion/force).

Another important distinction to recognize is the difference between what is communicated and how it is communicated. This is the difference between communication (message) and medium (channel). "Media" is plural for "medium." A medium is "an intervening substance through which something else is transmitted or carried on." Example substances include paint, film, sound waves, paper and ink, and the ones and zeros of Internet information. Thus, when we talk about "mass media," we actually mean all of the individual medium(s) that make up mass communications - movies, radio, television, newspapers, Internet blogs, but also eyes, ears, vocal chords, hair, clothes, etc. While each of these communicate messages from a sender to a receiver (transmission across space), they may also preserve communication experiences (ritual across time). Either way, the metaphor we use to understand how communication works will impact our criticisms and analyses.

FOR NEXT WEEK...

Writing: Journal 2 (see below)
Viewing (required):
Democratic and/or Republican primary debates
Project: Public issue annotated bibliography (min. 7 sources)
Reading (required):

- Journal Two - Select ONE of your seven bibliography sources. What is the main message of the source? Do you think this message is the one the sender intended? Is there any human and/or technological noise distorting your reception of this message?

Thursday, January 24, 2008

SESSION ONE: Introduction

Our first class lingered on introductions and a review of the syllabus and class requirements. To successfully complete this course, students must: 1) complete ten online journals; 2) write a 3 - 5 page campaign analysis; 3) draft and present a group public service campaign (life arts project); 4) analyze required readings and media samples; and 5) attend and participate in weekly class meetings. Students must have an email account and weekly Internet access.

To view the course syllabus, schedule and project requirements, select the desired post from the Blog Archive section of the sidebar. To access course resources or media, click on the desired link in the Media Resources section of the sidebar. To visit one of my previous course blogs, select the course from the Blogs for Education section.

FOR NEXT WEEK...

Writing: Journal 1 (see below)
Listening (recommended):
On the Media - NPR
Project: Public issue proposal (Journal 1 below)
Reading (required):

Weekly journals must be posted to this site. Simply review the question below; select the "Comments" link; type your response in the text box - MAKE SURE YOU HAVE SELECTED "Anonymous" - and click the "Login and Publish" button. And, voila, you're homework assignment is complete! Let's give it a try.

- Journal One - Briefly describe an important public issue. Why is this issue important to you? How does this issue impact society as a whole? How can you use mass communication to effect public opinion about this issue?

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

COURSE SYLLABUS

Click here for a PDF version of this document.

THE COLLEGE OF NEW ROCHELLE
SCHOOL OF NEW RESOURCES, DC 37 CAMPUS
COM406A – Mass Communication and Society
Spring 2008, Wednesdays 6:00-9:30 PM
Professor Jen Heuson

This seminar examines the interrelationship between media and the current social and political environment. Class discussions focus on the attitudes and values of a medium (film, television, radio and print), the content and style of information presented through particular media, and the impact of each media upon family, religion, education and political-economic institutions. Topics to be covered are: the power of the media to change values and attitudes, reinforce stereotypes, and mold public opinion; media as a mass market tool; commercial vs. alternative media; ethics of production; censorship; media as a political tool; bias in news; and future developments in communication (cable TV, federal subsidies). A Life Arts Project is required.

Course Objectives
  1. Compare and contrast communication types, emphasizing the techniques and purposes specific to mass communications. Identify how communication systems impact society.
  2. Identify media important to information societies. Define “mass media” and outline its impact upon cultural values, political-economic institutions and social organization.
  3. Understand foundational media theories. Analyze the relationship between a medium and its message, and identify media techniques used to inform, to persuade and to entertain.
  4. Outline the primary activities of media organizations, and understand their industrial structure. Evaluate the roles of media watchdogs and regulatory agencies upon media.
  5. Investigate ethical issues relevant to mass communications and public opinion.
  6. Analyze readings, media samples and course lectures through weekly online assignments.
  7. Draft a written evaluation of a public service campaign, examining its rhetorical devices.
  8. Create a public service campaign integrating mass media and persuasion techniques.
Course Requirements
  • Students are expected to finish ALL required reading and assignments. Students will complete weekly journal assignments online at: http://mcrochelle.blogspot.com/.
  • Students are expected to complete AND to present a Life Arts Project and a campaign analysis. All written work must be in proper APA style with an annotated bibliography.
  • Students are required to attend and to participate fully in every seminar. Arriving late and leaving early will count against your final participation grade.
  • Students are expected to attend all field trips, guest lectures and film screenings.
Required Text
Chomsky, N. (2002). Media control: The spectacular achievements of propaganda. (2nd ed.). New York: Seven Stories Press.

Additional Required Reading

All required articles will be available to students either online (through our course blog) or at the DC37 Campus library. For more details on required readings, please see the complete bibliography here. Articles can also be found in one of the following readers:

  • Durham, M. G. & Kellner, D. M. (Eds.). (2001). Media and cultural studies: Keyworks. Oxford: Blackwell.
  • Marris, P. & Thornham, S. (Eds.). (2000). Media studies: A reader. New York: NYU Press.
  • O’Sullivan, T. & Jewkes, Y. (Eds.). (1997). The media studies reader. New York: Arnold.

Grading

Weekly Online Journals 20%, Campaign Analysis 20%, Life Arts Project 40%, Life Arts Project Presentation 10%, Class Participation/Attendance 10%
  • Late assignments will be downgraded. The LAP will not be accepted late.
  • The final presentation cannot be rescheduled. Students MUST attend to pass this class.
  • Students who miss a class will be expected to complete the reading and view material screened for that week. Students will be allowed two excused absences. Each additional absence will result in a grade reduction of one letter regardless of reason.
  • Students who do not attend field trips, guest lectures or film screenings will be counted absent. Missing such events will count toward the allotted two absences.
  • Students are expected to be in the classroom when class begins, at the top of the hour, and to stay for the entire period. Students who leave early will be counted absent.
  • The use of cellular phones is prohibited in class.

SCHEDULE and ASSIGNMENTS

Click here for a PDF of the Course Schedule.

January 23rd

SESSION ONE: Introduction
Discuss course syllabus – objectives, schedule, assignments, grading and texts. Review writing and viewing requirements, and introduce online class journal. Introduce research paper and Life Arts Project.

January 30th
SESSION TWO: Understanding Mass Communication and Media
Review SMCR model. Discuss differences between mass communication and media. Introduce cultural approaches, examining communication tools thru cultural transitions.
- DUE SESSION 2 (1/30) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 1
Listening Suggestion: On the Media - NPR
Project homework: Public issue proposal (1/2 page).
Reading: A Cultural Approach to Communication – James Carey
How Communication Works – Wilbur Schramm

February 6th
SESSION THREE: Understanding Mass Media Construction
Evaluate modern media creation, analyzing the importance of mechanical reproduction to mass communication and looking at connections between media and messages.
- DUE SESSION 3 (2/6) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 2
Viewing Assignment: Democratic & Republican Debates
Project homework: Public issue annotated bibliography (7 sources in APA).
Reading: The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction – Walter Benjamin
The Medium is the Message – Marshall McLuhan

February 13th
SESSION FOUR: Understanding Mass Media Reception
Explore the role of media reception by looking at audience uses. Examine media spectacle, and look at reception differences in public and private spheres.
Screening: Dear Bill Gates. Dir. S Christman, 2006. (17min.)
- DUE SESSION 4 (2/13) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 3
Viewing Assignment: Growing Up Online: Frontline. 2007 (90min)
Project homework: Campaign analysis (3 pages).
Reading: Audience: The Uses We Make of Media – James Watson
What Makes Mainstream Media Mainstream - Noam Chomsky
The Commodity as Spectacle – Guy Debord

February 20th
SESSION FIVE: Dissecting Mass Media – Politics of Representation
Examine modes of representation unique to mass media. Analyze the significance of framing reality to the dissemination of ideology and the construction of power.
- DUE SESSION 5 (2/20) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 4
Viewing Suggestion: The Atomic Café. Dir. Rafferty, 1982. (88 min.)
Project homework: Public issue research (3 pages).
Reading: The Politics of Representation in Network Television – Herman Gray
Notes on the Construction of Reality in TV News Programs – David Chandler
The Precession of Simulacra – Jean Baudrillard

February 27th
SESSION SIX: Dissecting Mass Media – Art of Rhetoric
Review rhetorical techniques prevalent in mass media: visual, aural and textual. Distinguish dominant cultural narratives and the archetypes they present.
- DUE SESSION 6 (2/27) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 5
Viewing Assignment: The Living Room Candidate
Project homework: LAP worksheet.
Reading: Operation Margarine & Myth Today – Roland Barthes
The Lost World of Stereotypes – Martin Barker
Debbie Does Salad – Frederick Kaufman

March 5th
SESSION SEVEN: Building Modern Society – Public Service Campaigns
Investigate methods used to construct public opinion. Compare and contrast public service campaigns, dissecting their tropes and ideologies. Select LAP campaign topics.
- DUE SESSION 7 (3/5) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 6
Viewing Assignment: The Moving Image Archive
Project homework: LAP proposal (1/2 page). LAP contract (in class).
Reading: Communications and the Constitution of Modernity – Graham Murdock
The Public Sphere – Jurgen Habermas
Collective Opinion as Social Force – Irving Crespi

March 12th
SESSION EIGHT: Building Modern Society – Culture Wars
Introduce the culture industry, examining its theoretical value and applicability. Investigate connections between culture industries and global economic imperialism.
- DUE SESSION 8 (3/12) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 7
Viewing Assignment: Merchants of Cool: Frontline. Dir. B. Goodman, 2001. (60 min.)
Project homework: Submit blog design. Submit sample survey questions.
Reading: The Culture Industry: Enlightenment as Mass Deception – Horkheimer & Adorno

March 19th
SESSION NINE: The Uses of Mass Media – Propaganda, Politics and Power
Explore rhetorical tropes specific to political and/or ideological propaganda. Look at historical examples linking propaganda and public opinion to institutions of power.
- DUE SESSION 9 (3/19) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 8
Viewing Suggestion: Why We Fight. Dir. E Jarecki, 2005. (98 min.)
Project homework: Get blog online. Conduct surveys.
Reading: A Propaganda Model – Edward Herman and Noam Chomsky
Propaganda in Peace and War – L Gorman & D McLean

March 26th
SESSION TEN: The Uses of Mass Media – Industry and Consumer Culture
Evaluate links between industry and mass media, including the buying/selling of ideas and the construction of consumer cultures through product mass marketing.
- DUE SESSION 10 (3/26) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 9
Viewing Assignment: The Persuaders: Frontline. 2004. (90 min.)
Project homework: Submit PSA script.
Reading: The Mass Culture/Mass Society Hypothesis – Arthur Asa Berger
Unwrapping Use Value – Susan Willis

April 2nd
SESSION ELEVEN: The Uses of Mass Media – Agency and Social Change
Agency and Social Change (Guest Lecture)
Learn what it takes to use mass media as an agent for social organization and change.
- DUE SESSION 12 (4/2) -
Writing Assignment: Journal 10
Viewing Assignment: tba
Project homework: Shoot PSA script.
Reading: The Missing Dimensions: News Media and the Management of Change – Peter Golding
Culture, Media and Society: Agency & Structure, Continuity & Change – KE Rosengren

April 9th
SESSION TWELVE: The Uses of Mass Media – History and Human Rights
History and Human Rights (Guest Lecture)
Evaluate the impact mass media has upon historical documentation and human rights.
- DUE SESSION 12 (4/9) -
Viewing Assignment: tba
Project homework: Shoot PSA script.
Reading: The Developing World Under Electronic Seige – Herbert I. Schiller
Summary of Findings in Globalization of the Mass Media

NO CLASS - April 16th
SESSION THIRTEEN: Analyzing Media Critically
Mass Media Literacy (Field Trip)
Apply theories of representation and rhetoric to dissect current news propaganda.
- DUE SESSION 15 (4/30) -
Viewing Assignment: News War: Frontline. 2007. (270 min.)
Project homework: Draft LAP reactions. Complete blogs.
Reading: Disinformacracy – Howard Rheingold

NO CLASS - April 23rd
SESSION FOURTEEN: Analyzing Media Critically
The Age of Misinformation (Field Trip)
Apply theories of representation and rhetoric to dissect current news propaganda.
- DUE SESSION 15 (4/30) -
Viewing Assignment: Manufacturing Consent. Dir. Wintonick, 1993. (167 min.)
Project homework: Complete final LAP packet.
Reading: Media Control – Noam Chomsky

April 30th
SESSION FIFTEEN: The Impact of Mass Media on Society
Explore Rupert Murdoch’s ever-expanding media empire and its impact on society.
Screening: Outfoxed: Murdoch’s War on Journalism. Dir. Greenwald, 2004. (114 min.)
- DUE SESSION 15 (4/30) -
Project homework: Final LAP packet due.
Reading: Stealing Our Futures – Carla Brooks Johnston

May 7th
SESSION SIXTEEN: The Impact of Mass Media on Society
Explore the media climate during Senator McCarthy’s infamous Communist witch-hunts.
Screening: Good Night, and Good Luck. Dir. George Clooney, 2005. (93 min.)
- DUE SESSION 16 (5/7) -
Project homework: Prepare public LAP presentations.
Reading: The Medium and Its Conscience – Philip Lopate

May 14th
SESSION SEVENTEEN: The Impact of Mass Media on Society
Learn how films are rated and censored by the Motion Picture Assoc. of America.
Screening: This Film Is Not Yet Rated. Dir. Kirby Dick, 2006. (90 min.)
- DUE SESSION 17 (5/14) -
Project homework: Prepare public LAP presentations.
Reading: Mass Communication, Popular Taste and Organized Social Action – Lazersfeld & Merton

May 21st
SESSION EIGHTEEN: Public LAP Presentations
Produce and attend a public presentation of class life arts projects.

Screening material listed includes only full-length viewings. We will also examine numerous radio, magazine, news, television and film clips. Many segments will be screened in class, but you will sometimes be required to view media on your own.