Sunday, May 11, 2008

SESSION EIGHTEEN: Public Presentations

A PUBLIC AWARENESS BLOWOUT
Presented by Professor Jen’s Mass Communication & Society Class


Wednesday, May 21st, 2008
6.30 – 8pm
College of New Rochelle
DC37 Campus
Room 13


Each one of us has the power to change the world through media activism. Tonight, we will show you what we have done to make a difference in the world around us. Through research, surveys, videos and blogs, we have created FIVE campaigns dealing with real issues that effect us all. Please join us in taking a stand against ignorance and apathy.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

SESSION SEVENTEEN: No Class May 14th.

Due to the death of my beloved grandmother, class will be cancelled on Wednesday, May 14th.
Our Public Awareness BlowOUT is rescheduled for May 21st.

Thank you for your support and understanding.
Professor Jen

Harvey Kenneth and LaJean Solms Reyner
2005


Harvey Kenneth and LaJean Solms Reyner
1955

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Session Fifteen: Using Media to Inspire


FIELD TRIP: St. Luke's School, 487 Hudson, NY, 10014
Click here for a map.

Tonight, we are honored to visit Ms. Kim Allen, teacher and activist, at St. Luke's School in the West Village. Ms. Allen will present on ways to use new media to inspire empathy and activism in students.

St. Luke's is a locked community. You MUST arrive by 6.30pm to be admitted to the presentation. Please contact me if you are lost: 917-232-8023.

USING MEDIA TO INSPIRE
6-6.30: Arrive at St. Luke's
6.30-6.45: Collect LAP binders
6.45-7.45: Presentation by Ms. Allen
7.45-8: Q & A with Ms. Allen
8-8.15: Q's for Jen

Reading, Watching & Acting:
- RESPONSE - Take a moment to ask Ms. Allen a question or to respond to her presentation.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Session Fourteen: The Age of Misinformation

Dear Mass Communication & Society students; I hope everyone is nearing completion of their final LAP binder. I will collect binders from Campaign Managers on April 30th. Below is a slightly revised Campaign Checklist reflecting the changes we discussed in class on April 9th. We will be meeting at St. Luke's School on April 30th (more info to follow), so be sure to bring your binder and all owed materials with you. I will have a 3-ring hole punch if anyone needs it.
All late assignments MUST be to me NO LATER THAN April 30th!
- Session 15 -

Project: Complete all campaign materials.
Reading: Disinformacracy - H. Rheingold

    - Extra Credit - Attend the Daydream Believers lecture sponsored by the Center for Communication on Thursday, April 24th, 6.30pm thru 8pm. See details here.


    Click on the image below for a printable view of the revised campaign checklist.

    Wednesday, April 16, 2008

    SESSION THIRTEEN: Mass Media Literacy

    No class. In lieu of tonight's session, please complete shooting of your public service announcement. Contact me via email if you have any questions or concerns.

    - Session 14 -

    Writing: na
    Viewing: Manufacturing Consent, 1992.
    Project: Complete PSA, blog & surveys.
    Reading: Media Control - Chomsky
    - Extra Credit - Attend The Age of Google lecture sponsored by the Center for Communication on Thursday, April 17th, 6pm thru 8pm. See details here.

    Wednesday, April 09, 2008

    SESSION TWELVE: History and Human Rights

    President Bush surrounded by reporters - NYTimes (2007).

    We will use tonight's session as our final in-class work day. LAP groups meet to finalize their campaigns, set shooting schedules and revise survey and online content. Campaign managers must turn in the final LAP binders NO LATER THAN the start of class on April 30th. Late work will not be accepted.

    - DUE SESSION 13 (04/16) -

    Writing Assignment: na
    Viewing Suggestion: News War (Frontline), 2007.
    Project homework: Shoot PSA. Get blog online.
    Reading: Media Control - Noam Chomsky (text)

    - EXTRA CREDIT - View News War. React to the documentary by explaining at least two current dilemmas in the news industry today. Can these dilemmas be resolved? How?

    Wednesday, April 02, 2008

    SESSION ELEVEN: Agency and Social Change

    Tonight, we welcomed a special guest presentation by the Women's Press Collective. WPC's volunteer coordinator Lisa Daniels led the evening. The talk focused on grassroots media and on the past and present work of WPC. While media bashing is common in our course, tonight we learned that the power of media can be used for good; it can offer agency, leading to social change and empowerment.

    - DUE SESSION 12 (04/09) -


    Writing Assignment: na
    Viewing Suggestion: Zapruder Film (1963)
    Project homework:
    Shoot PSA. Get blog online.
    Reading:
    Infamous Zapruder footage of JFK assassination - Nov. 23, 1963

    Wednesday, March 26, 2008

    SESSION TEN: Industry and Consumer Culture

    from The Media's New Aesthetic - Adbusters

    We now hit the halfway mark of our investigation into mass communications. In tonight's session, we attempt to connect the many loose ends we've untangled throughout the previous weeks by asking three key questions: 1) What is mass culture? 2) What is mass society? and 3) How is mass culture/society created? The answers to these questions arise from arranging our previous readings into a (semi) coherent argument. Ultimately, our course argument looks something like this: 1. (mass) communication is (mass) culture. 2. (mass) culture is (mass) society. 3. Thus, (mass) society is (mass) communication.

    - DUE SESSION 11 (04/02) -


    Writing Assignment: Journal 10
    Viewing Suggestion: Why We Fight. Dir. E Jarecki, 2005. (98 min.)
    Project homework: Work on blog and PSA.
    Reading:
    - JOURNAL 10 - Select any theory, concept or criticism from one of the articles listed above. Apply the selected idea to a mass communication you encountered this week. How does the theory you selected attempt to explain the communication process? What criticisms does it offer of your experience? Is it accurate? Why or why not?

    Wednesday, March 19, 2008

    SESSION NINE: Propaganda, Politics and Power

    Tonight, we focused our lesson on a dissection of contemporary propaganda. We attempted to answer the following questions: 1) What is propaganda? 2) Who or what is responsible for propaganda? and 3) What techniques promote propaganda?

    Our investigation focused upon understanding The Propaganda Model put forward by politico-cultural theorists Chomsky and Herman. Propaganda is the "deliberate, systematic attempt to shape perceptions, manipulate cognitions, and direct behavior to achieve a response that furthers the desired intent of the propagandist" (Propaganda and Persuasion). Propaganda can involve direct channels, such as poltical campaigns, or indirect channels, like movies and soft drinks. Effective mass propaganda promotes culture war by adding rhetoric and bread-and-circus rule to culture industries. The result is a society lacking critical power.


    - DUE SESSION 10 (3/26) -

    Writing Assignment: Journal 9
    Viewing Assignment (required): The Persuaders: Frontline, 2004.
    Project homework: Submit PSA script.
    Reading:
    - JOURNAL 9 - After viewing The Persuaders, select one product, idea or entertainment you purchased in the last week. React to your purchase by answering the following:
    • What culture or lifestyle did the product/idea promote?
    • What rhetorical strategies persuaded you to buy the product/idea?
    • Who or what sold you the product/idea?
    • How does the product/idea participate in propaganda?

    Wednesday, March 12, 2008

    SESSION EIGHT: The Culture Industry


    Now that we have thoroughly dissected the SMCR model by applying it to mass communications, we move on to reconnect the parts into a synthetic whole we call culture. While humans have many definitions for culture, our discussion focused on understanding two key questions: 1) What is a culture industry? and 2) What is a culture war?

    Culture industry
    is a concept developed by cultural theoriests Adorno and Horkheimer to replace outdated notions of mass and popular culture. For Adorno and Horkheimer, modern culture is intimately connected to industrialization; cultural products, like industrial products, are standardized and singular. The singularity of culture (also called cultural hegemony) serves to "ensure the obedience of the masses to the market" (Wikipedia). This Bread-and-Circus form of rule started in ancient times, when Roman lords determined that masses with enough food and entertainment would never revolt.

    Culture wars rely upon cultural hegemony to abuse power.

    - DUE SESSION 9 (3/19) -

    Writing Assignment: Journal 8
    Viewing Assignment: Kathleen Hall Jamieson. Bill Moyers, 2008.
    Project homework: Complete blog design. Conduct surveys.
    Reading:
    - JOURNAL 8 - View Bill Moyer's recent interview with campaign critic Kathleen Hall Jamieson. React to the interview by explaining at least two of her campaign criticism points.

    Wednesday, March 05, 2008

    SESSION SEVEN: Public Service Campaigns

    Rosie the riveter is a famous WWII public service campaign.
    Celebrate International Women's Day on Saturday, March 8th.

    We spent tonight's session working on our public service campaigns. We first started by defining the public service campaign and its key component, the public service announcement or PSA. The class divided into campaign groups of five or six, each with the following: 1) campaign manager; 2) public relations officer; 3) online content producer; 4) PSA director and 5) research coordinator. Groups will now create a campaign addressing one of five public issue areas: SAFETY, RIGHTS, EDUCATION, HEALTH or ECONOMICS. Completed campaign binders are due April 30th. Campaigns will be presented to the public on May 14th.

    - DUE SESSION 8 (3/12) -

    Writing Assignment: Journal 7
    Project homework: Submit blog design & sample survey questions.
    Reading: The Culture Industry – Horkheimer & Adorno
    Viewing Assignments (required):
    - JOURNAL 7 - React to Merchants of Cool by answering:
    • What example of the culture industry does the video show?
    • How do corporations in the video use culture to sell products?
    • Does the video promote a culture war? How?
    • Give an example of another culture industry you have encountered this week?
    • What culture war does it promote? How?

    Wednesday, February 27, 2008

    SESSION SIX: The Art of Rhetoric


    Woodsy Owl was the mouthpiece for a 1970's public service campaign to prevent littering.
    To view a public service announcement (PSA) from the campaign, see the links below.

    Tonight, we examined the S (sender) of the SMCR model by investigating the art of rhetoric. Our search focused on two questions: 1) What is rhetoric? and 2) What rhetorical techniques do senders use to influence public opinion?

    Rhetoric is generally thought of as the art of persuasion through effectively (carefully crafted) speaking and writing. The study of rhetoric dates back to Aristotle (ancient Greece) and encompasses law, politics and art. Today's rhetoric surpasses speaking and writing to include multimedia effecting all of the human senses. Rhetorical strategies can impact sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch as well as logic (reason). Common rhetorical fallacies include: appealing to emotions or authority; using metaphors, allusions or archetypes; creating a bandwagon; introducing a red herring; and many more. To examine rhetoric in practice, we read Barthes' Operation Margarine and Zizek's A Cup of Decaf Reality.


    - DUE SESSION 7 (3/05) -

    Writing Assignment: Journal 6
    Project Homework: LAP Proposal (worksheet)
    Reading:
    Other PSA Viewing Resources:
    Viewing Assignment (required):
    - JOURNAL 6 - Select and view any two of the public service announcments listed above. React to the announcement by responding to the following questions:
    • What public issue does the campaign address?
    • What rhetorical devices (appeal to emotion, etc.) does it employ?
    • What techniques (audio, camera angles, etc.) does it use?
    • How does the ad engineer public opinion regarding the issue?

    Click on the image below to view a printable version of the campaign proposal worksheet.



    Wednesday, February 20, 2008

    SESSION FIVE: The Politics of Representation

    Tonight, we examined the M (message) of the SMCR model by looking at representations and their connection to reality. We focused our discussion on three questions: 1) What is a representation? 2) How are representations used to frame or shape reality? 3) How has the representation/reality relationship evolved?

    We started our investigation by discussing three types of representations, each characterized by a different relationship to reality. Copies are representations that copy reality exactly as it is. Symbolic representations use symbols (such as words or graphics) to point to something in the real world. Whereas, interpretive representations show reality in an artistic or subjective way.

    - DUE SESSION 6 (2/26) -

    Writing Assignment: Journal 5
    Viewing Assignment (required): The Living Room Candidate
    Project Homework: LAP preparation
    Reading:

    - JOURNAL 5 - Visit The Living Room Candidate site. Select and view one presidential campaign commercial. React to the commercial by responding to the following questions:

    • What reality/worldview does the commercial represent?
    • How is this representation used to engineer public opinion regarding the candidate?
    • What cinematic techniques (audio, camera angles, lighting, etc.) does it use to "manufacture consent"?
    • What rhetorical devices (appeal to emotion; appeal to authority; etc.) does it employ?

    Wednesday, February 13, 2008

    SESSION FOUR: Mass Media Reception


    This session, we examined the R (receiver) of the SMCR model, focusing on three key questions: 1) Who is the mass audience? 2) How is the mass audience shaped? and 3) Is today's mass audience different from past audiences? If so, how? To dissect these questions, we began by outlining the important role of media in our lives today. And, despite the fact that we feel autonomous in our ideas/actions/beliefs, our intake of mass media (as much as 9 hours each day!) has a profound effect upon our lives as individual and social beings.

    Our shared media experiences unify us; they construct shared culture and beliefs. Meaning is not something that can occur solo. And, while it may appear that we freely choose mass media communications, our freedom is limited by the choices offered. For media critics, such as Noam Chomsky, these limitations are a method of manufacturing mass consent. Elite media (consisting of corporations and experts) construct a single mass mind, while weeding dissenting opinions out via socialization, fatigue and mass distraction. Critic Guy Debord also focuses upon the power of mass distraction. For Debord, the passivity and alienation of modern life results from the dominance of spectacle, where representations have replaced reality.

    - DUE SESSION 5 (2/20) -
    Writing Assignment: Journal 4
    Viewing Assignment (required): Growing Up Online
    Project Homework: Public Issue Research (3 pages)
    Reading:
    - JOURNAL 4 - View the Frontline documentary Growing Up Online. React to the documentary by answering our three key questions for this session: 1) Who is the mass audience? 2) How is the mass audience shaped? and 3) Is today's mass audience different from past audiences? If so, how?

    Click on the .jpg below for a printable version of the public issue research guidelines.

    Wednesday, February 06, 2008

    SESSION THREE: Mass Media Construction

    Tonight, we attempted to dissect three key questions: 1) What are mass media? 2) How have mass media evolved historically? 3) How is the evolution of mass media connected to larger cultural and social change? While we did not determine exact answers to these questions, our discussion outlined general changes in human communication (Orality -> Scribality -> Print -> Electric) and connected these changes to media inventions (Language -> Writing -> Print - Electricity).

    To understand these shifts, we examined two pivotal texts: Marshal McLuhan's The Medium is the Message and Walter Benjamin's The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction. Both of these texts helped us to focus on the construction of media, or channels, through which messages are developed and sent.

    - DUE SESSION 4 (2/13) -

    Writing Assignment: Journal 3
    Project homework: Campaign analysis (3-5 pages).
    Reading:
    - JOURNAL 3 - Share a brief description of the three sources you have selected for your campaign analysis. You do not need to analyze the sources; simply give a few details.

    Below, please find a printable .jpg of the Campaign Analysis Guidelines.




    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.