Course Syllabus: Journalism
10 Spring
2016
Instructor: Ralph Nichols
Instructor email: ralphnichols58@gmail.com
Instructor phone: 408-274-7900, ext. 6506
Instructor Office: VPA-108
Office Hours: TBA
Class website: evcjournalism10.blogspot.com
WHY
SHOULD I TAKE THIS COURSE?
Media play a bigger role in our lives than
we realize. They influence us on a daily basis and help shape our view of the
world. The ultimate goal of this class is to improve students’ understanding of media and
thus give students a greater appreciation of the role media play in our lives.
WHAT
IS THIS COURSE ABOUT?
We will study media from a social,
historical and business perspective. By examining media from three
perspectives, students will develop a more sophisticated appreciation of the
role media play in shaping world events, the economy and popular culture.
WHAT
WILL BE EXPECTED OF ME?
Students are expected to demonstrate a
willingness to:
1. Attend class on
time and stay until the end of class.
2. Participate in
class discussions. You will need to be a major participant to earn an “A.”
3. Keep up with the
reading in the textbook.
4. Turn in a media
journal at the end of the semester.
CLASS
THEME:
Media Evolution: From headlines to hashtags:
Media have been part of this country since it’s founding. It informed Americans when the Civil War
ended, when President John F. Kennedy was killed and when terrorists blew up
the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. The media is a delivery system,
no more, no less. Media deliver information, entertainment, persuasive
editorials and columns. The first thing revolutionaries do when overthrowing a
government is to take control of the media. Control the media and you can
control public opinion. We will look at how media has evolved over the last 200
years from headlines to hash tags. We will examine how racial attitudes
throughout history have influenced the media. We will explore how technology
has shaped the media from its printed origins to the cell phones we carry in
our pockets. We will discuss the social impact of media in terms of media’s influence over our social
lives. Media are big business so we will look at how the business of media
impacts the type of media we get.
General
Education Learning Outcomes
General Education is a commitment on the
part of a college to provide students with a broad set of knowledge and skills
that will help each student in their process of becoming a well-rounded healthy
person equipped to participate wisely in the health of our community. It
requires a carefully selected set of courses and activities on the part of the
college and active reflection on the part of the student.
This course participates in the general
education process by including the following General Education Learning Outcome(s):
Upon completion of this course, the student
will be able to:
• Demonstrate an
understanding of how American media have evolved, their operation as a
business, their role in society and impact on consumers.
• Analyze the new media and
draw conclusions about the validity of information presented, reliability of
sources and the effect on values and ethics.
• Analyze different types of
media including film, advertising, popular music, visual symbols and
hierarchies of information design and draw conclusions on the impact of
technology, the effectiveness of communication design and the effect on
consumer behavior.
• Identify various types of
media and how they are produced.
Evaluate how changes in technology affect
the communication process and the exchange of information.
• Assess the Internet and how
it functions as a source of information, as well as issues of privacy and
intellectual property as they relate to new communications media technologies.
• Construct an understanding
of the impact of media and visual culture on personal identity and communicate
that understanding through a written or oral essay.
This outcome contributes to the General
Education areas of emphasis stated in the accreditation standards and District
General Education Philosophy (pending)] checked below:
___x__ Aesthetic sensitivity
___x__ Civic responsibility (local,
national, global)
___x__ Civility
___x__ Computer literacy
___x__ Critical analysis/logical thinking
___x__ Cultural diversity
___x__ Ethical principles
___x__ Historical sensitivity
___x_ Integrated organism including the
physical, emotional, social, and intellectual
(local
and CSU GE)
___x__ Interpersonal Skills
___x_ Oral communication including speaking
and listening
___x__ Political involvement (local,
national, global)
___x__ Scientific and quantitative reasoning
___x__ Social responsibility (local,
national, global)
___x__ Teamwork (ability to work and solve
problems as a team, recommended by Jim Potterton)
WHAT
ARE THE GROUND RULES?
1. Punctuality and attendance: You have a
responsibility to be at all class meetings on time and to remain until the end
of class. If you find that you must miss a class, be late, or leave early (and
this should only happen under exceptional circumstances) you must call me
before class to:
1. Arrange to review
the class notes you missed.
2. Get the
assignments due for the next class.
3. You’re only allowed two absences
for the entire semester. You can be dropped from the class if you have more
than two absences.
4. You are
responsible for all material covered in class when you were absent.
Arriving late or leaving early may result in
an absence or a loss of points. Attendance is probably the most important thing
you must do in this class. Simply attending class does not guarantee a student
a passing grade but leaving early and/or arriving late will ensure a student
receives a bad grade in the class.
Preparation: The quality of our experience
in the course depends on each class member being prepared and being willing to
discuss, ask questions, and support one another. In addition, part of your
grade will reflect your preparedness and participation.
Late work: You are responsible for keeping
up on all of the work for the course and turning it in on time. Even if you
have been absent, the next assignments are still due on time. You need to make
a friend in class who you can share notes with in the event you miss a class
and need to know what we did while you were gone. Make-up tests will only be
given on the same day for everybody during the last week of the semester.
Withdrawal: If you stop coming to class, it
is important that you drop yourself from the roll through admissions and
records. Otherwise, you may receive a grade of F.
Plagiarism: Plagiarism is the unacknowledged
use of another writer’s words or
ideas. Plagiarism is a serious offense. A student who plagiarizes is subject to
disciplinary probation and/or suspension as outlined in the college catalog in
accordance with district policy. You can also receive an F in the class.
Cell Phones/Media Devices: Cell phones and
media devices MUST be turned off during class. Texting is not allowed during
class. Running out of class to answer a cell phone call is not allowed during
class. There is a time and a place for these devices and it’s not during class. Laptop
computers must be closed during movie presentations. You are NOT ALLOWED to
cruise the Internet during class -- do that on your own time. Failure to follow these rules
will result in a lowering of your grade.
Homework: In college you are expected to
work two hours per week outside of class for every hour you meet in class. You
will spend time outside of class reading the textbook, studying and working on
your journal.
HOW
WILL I BE GRADED?
Five tests: 600 points
Project
paper/presentation: 100 points
Attendance, participation:
150 points
Media Journal (Written
Assignments): 150 points
Grading scale for the course is:
A = 900 - 1,000 points
B = 800 - 899 points
C = 700 - 799 points
D = 600 - 699 points
F= Students getting below 60% are eligible
to receive an F grade.
HOW
WILL I KNOW MY GRADE?
It is a student’s responsibility to keep
track of their own grade. Hold on to your returned tests and keep track of your
scores. Evaluate your participation level periodically throughout the semester.
If you are not participating or participating very little you will want to
increase your level of participation (see below). Be realistic about your
grade. If you are getting C’s on your tests and not participating you should not
expect an A in the class. There are four parts of your grade (see above). To
have any realistic chance of getting an A in the class you will need to do “A” quality work in at least
three of the four categories. Your final grade is final and it will not be
changed after it is submitted to admissions and records unless I made a mistake
calculating your grade. Your final grade should not be a surprise. Keep track
of your progress throughout the semester. Any questions or concerns about your
grade should be resolved before the end of the semester. All grades are final
unless a mistake has been made by the instructor in the calculation of the
final grade.
CLASS PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE
One hundred and fifty points of your grade
is based on how active a role you take in this class and your attendance. The
more you participate in class discussions the more points you receive in this
category. If you do not participate or participate very little you will lose
points or get a zero in this category. Ask questions, make comments, be
attentive and take good notes and be in class on time and remain until the
class ends. All of these things will be considered in determining your class
participation/attendance grade. Being silent, not asking questions and not
participating will NOT help your grade. Students often overlook this part of
their grade and they shouldn’t. It’s important to be an active participant and not a passive
observer. You don’t have to
be an expert to make a comment.
Attendance is critical to your success in
this class. However, simply attending class will not guarantee a student a
passing grade. Nor does attendance alone guarantee you a high grade in this
category. Frequent participation is critical to getting a good grade in this
category.
THINGS
NOT TO DO IN MY CLASS
(In no particular order)
1. Arrive late/leave early or both. Showing
up late for the final.
2. Refuse to participate, speak, make
comments or ask questions.
3. Watch media devices (cell phones, lap
tops, etc.) instead of participating in class.
4. Rush out of the classroom to make or take
cell phone calls.
5. Don't make the assumption that this class
is an easy A or there is nothing to learn because it's film.
(Students who do any or all of these things significantly lower their grade)
Make-up Tests: Students will be allowed to
make up only one test. All make-up exams will be given on the same day on a
date to be announced in class. The date will be at the end of the semester. If
you miss more than one test you will only be allowed to make up ONE test.
In class
writing assignments
Read as much as you
can on your own about millenials and the future of media for in-class writing
assignments that will be assigned later in the semester. I will let you know in
advance the date of the assignments. You will be allowed to use your notes when
writing the assignment in-class. Prepare ahead of time so that you can write a
specific, knowledgeable essay.
Assignment No. 1.
Millenials and me – Millenials (18-30)
are the most important group to advertisers because they represent the
customers they want to reach the most. Millenials are also a big part of media.
TV shows revolve around young people as do movies and music. Once you reach 30
in this culture you might as well be dead because you are dead to the media.
Millenials are studied and analyzed, particularly their buying habits. For
example, 86 percent of millenials own a smart phone (you think that information
is important to Apple. Read everything you can about millenials (you are one of
them, by the way) with the following questions in mind: How do millenials use
media? Which mediums are most popular and why? What are some key media-related
statistics related to millenials? Am I your typical millennial or do you not
relate to the stereotypical millennial? To answer this question you first need
to discover what the stereotypical millennial is like. Great articles on
millenials:
http://www.americanpressinstitute.org/publications/reports/survey-research/millennials-social-media/
Assignment No. 2)
Predict the future of media –
Technology often drives the media. New media such as smart phones or Google
glasses change the way we use and think about media. Basically, media is a
delivery device for information and entertainment and that delivery device
keeps changing. For this assignment I want you to do your best to predict the
direction media is headed in the next 30, 50 years. How will media be different
and/or the same in the future? Will there be any communal media left such as
movie theaters or will we all experience media on our own by looking at our
smart phones? How will the changes in media impact our behavior? In other
worlds, will media of the future bring us more together or isolate us as media
often does? A tip for this assignment is to look at what’s happening to media
today and the future will just see more of that trend. Read everything you can
about the future of media and be prepared to write on this topic for an
in-class essay later in the semester.
CLASS
PROJECT
Every student needs to do the following
assignment. A two-page written paper is due on the assignment along with an
in-class presentation. Deadline for the paper will be announced in class. For
the in-class presentation I want you to talk about your findings and tell the
class how you feel about the media. Do you feel like the media does a good job
covering you or are you nonexistent in the media? (Read assignment instructions
below).
Who
am I and how do the media see me?
If I was answering this question I would
identify myself as a middle-age, middle class Caucasian who votes Democratic. I
don’t see much of myself in TV
commercials or shows probably because advertisers aren’t interested in my age group
and TV networks like to create shows that appeal to advertisers. MSNBC cable
news show target my political group with lots of “liberal” news. TV networks are
basically void of shows with actors in my age group. TV stars today are
attractive young people intended to appeal to a young audience -- definitely not an audience
in my age group.
The only advertising I see targeted for my
age group is on retro channels that have commercials for denture adhesives and
Hoover-Round scooters. Movies featuring lead characters who look like me are
few and far between. Superheroes are not typically middle-age men and the big
movies today revolve around characters with supernatural powers such as Iron
Man or Thor.
What I’m interested in you doing with this assignment is to find
yourself in the media. Let’s say you are a 22-year-old Hispanic male, do you see
yourself in TV shows, in advertising? Are there any movie characters who look
and act like you? Let’s say you
are a biracial Muslim female, is there any character on TV, advertising,
movies, magazines who resembles you?
In your paper, I first want you to identify
and describe yourself in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, religion, etc. Then I
want you to find yourself in the media and explain where you saw yourself. Keep
an eye on advertising in both print and TV, movies, television (character shows
such as Big Bang Theory and also news both local and national). Do you see
yourself in magazine advertising or articles?
Maybe you will discover that you don’t see much of yourself
anywhere in the media. That might be the case depending on how specifically you
identify yourself. That’s fine.
Your paper then becomes about your search and where you looked in the media.
The harder you search the better for this paper.
You will discover this semester that many
groups were not represented at all by the media until just recently. Before the
1950s, an ethnic American was not seen in movies or television at all. If you
were ethnic and saw yourself in a movie before 1950 odds are it would have been
in a demeaning stereotypic role.
Lastly, how do you feel about what you
discovered. Personally, I’m discouraged that TV and movies are focused on the youth
generation. In this country, once you pass 50 you might as well be dead to
advertisers.
Write two double-spaced typed, top-to-bottom
pages for this assignment using Times 12-pt. font and be prepared to do an
in-class presentation on your findings. As part of your presentation include
photos or videos to show the class what you found.
MEDIA JOURNAL
The media journal is due at the end of the
semester. NO JOURNAL WILL BE ACCEPTED AFTER THE due date. Everything in the
journal is typed and double-spaced using 12-pt. Times font except for the class
notes. You should include your class notes in the journal along with your
project papers and all extra credit. Every semester a student skips all or part
of the journal and often suffers a one to two-grade loss in their final grade. (MEDIA JOURNAL IS DUE MONDAY MAY 23 at 9:1).
WHAT TO INCLUDE IN YOUR JOURNAL:
• A table of contents
(Everything in the journal except class notes needs to be typed).
• All notes taken
in class.
• All extra credit
assignments go in the journal.
MEDIA JOURNAL PAPERS
The following written assignments need to be
completed for your media journal that will be turned in at the end of the
semester: media memories, my favorite
photo, invisible stereotypes in advertising and the project paper on who I am
and how does the media see me.Deadlines for these assignments will be announced
in class well in advance of when the paper is due. Any paper that is not due
before the end of the semester will have to be included in the journal and
turned in with the journal on May 23. Each paper needs to be two typed pages in
length using 12 pt. Times font. Type from top to bottom of the page.
The Super Bowl of Advertising:
The biggest event of
the media world takes place on February 7 known as the Super Bowl. You might
think of it as a football game but it’s also a huge media event especially for
advertisers. I want you to watch the commercials during the Super Bowl either
during the game or watch them online after the game. I want you to write (type)
a few paragraphs describing your favorite and least favorite commercial during
the Super Bowl. Be prepared to discuss this topic in class the next day. This
assignment should be put in your three-ring binder and turned in on Monday
February 8.
Media
Memories Assignment:
Media have a profound impact on our daily
lives. Try getting through a day without checking your email, using your cell
phone or looking at the Internet. I want you to think about how much you depend
on media and how it impacts your life. What types of media are you addicted to
and what media is less important to you and why?
I want you to rank the top three mediums in
terms of their importance to your life. If you are an avid reader then books
would be in your top three list. Some of you are video game junkies. Make video
games are No. 1 in your life.
Rate the top three mediums in terms of how
important they are to you and how much you depend on them on a daily basis. The
list you are working with includes: television, radio, the Internet, music,
magazines, video games, books and newspapers. How has media changed in your
life over time. For example, maybe you watched a lot of TV when you were
younger and now you rarely watch TV.
In addition to ranking the top three mediums
in your life I want you to explain why they are important to you and why you
ranked them in that order. Do not pick the Internet for the reason that it
gives you music, videos, movies, etc.
Write a two-page
paper on this topic and put it in your journal. The deadline for this
assignment will be announced in class. Point value 30 points.
Invisible
stereotypes in advertising
Invisible stereotypes is a phenomenon in advertising that
refers to groups of people who are never or rarely seen in advertising. Go back
50 or 60 years and the only people you would have seen would have been white
men and women. There was no diversity in advertising. Things have changed in
advertising yet there is still a long way to go. Ethnic diversity is minimal in
advertising and most of the time the people we see in electronic and print
advertising is young, attractive, white people. Why is this true? We will
discuss this issue during our review of advertising.
For this assignment I want you to observe mainstream
advertising – a network TV show during prime time, a national magazine and
Internet websites – and tell me who you see in the advertising and who is
missing. What is the gender, age and ethnicity of the people in advertising?
Are there any disabled Americans represented or biracial Americans? Is there
anyone from the LGBT community? Doubtful. Watch an hour of network television
during prime time, look through a national magazine such as People, Time or
Sports Illustrated and look at a dozen websites that have advertising. You can
also look at products in a grocery store.
Identify what products were being advertised, what show you
watched, what magazine you read and what websites you observed. Were there any
gays, Muslims or handicapped in the advertising? Was there a married couple in
the advertisement and, if so, was it an interracial couple? What groups were
missing?
Write a two-page paper
for this assignment and put it in your journal. Assignment deadline will be
announced in class. Point value 30 points.
My favorite
photo
Studies show that if someone’s house was on fire and they
only had time to grab one thing most people would grab a cherished photo. Makes
sense. Even in this day of disposable digital photos the old-fashion family
photo is still worth saving. Some photos can never be replaced because the
person in the photo is no longer with us. For this assignment I want you to
email the photo you would save if you were fleeing a burning house and you only
had time to grab one photo. Write a few paragraphs explaining why this photo is
so special to you. It’s very important to include the story with the photo
otherwise the assignment is not fulfilled. (Make a copy of what you write and
include it in your journal).
Write a two-page
paper on this topic and put it in your journal. The deadline for this
assignment will be announced in class. Point value 30 points.
Extra
Credit: There have been some excellent
movies over the last few years about the music and movie industries. Watch any
of these movies for extra credit and write a few paragraphs on what you learned
about the music industry from the movie. These movies include Cadillac Records,
That Thing You Do, Ray, Jersey Boys, Strait Outta Compton, Get On Up and
Trumbo. There are many other movies about these mediums. If you know of one and
you want to watch it for extra credit just let me know ahead of time. Put your
typed answer in your media journal.
GOOD
GRADE TIPS:
I'm often asked what can be done to get a
better grade in this class. I've got some suggestions and if you follow them I
think you will see your grade improve.
1. Start sooner than later. If you wait too
long it's going to be hard to earn the grade you want.
2. Participate more in class. Most students
do not participate at all even though it's an important part of your grade. Ask
questions and participate in class discussions during every class.
3. Check your notes against other students.
My experience is that students do not take enough notes and then they are
unprepared for the tests.
4. Form a study group with two or three
other students in the class. Quiz each other before the test. This will help a
lot.
5. Do extra credit. The more points you earn
the better off your grade will be.
6. Save all of your tests. But keep in mind
that all five of the tests combined only make up 60 percent of your grade.
There is a lot more to do in order to earn a good grade.
Test
Grade Scale
120-108-A
107-96 - B
95-84- C
83-72-D
71-0-F
Sample
test questions:
Which of the following mediums would be
considered cool media?
a. TV.
b. radio.
c. newspapers.
d. Two of the above are correct.
(True or False)
Hot media takes a greater investment of
time and attention in order to receive and understand information.
Study
Guide Test 1 (Television)
Great TV quote: "Seeing by Wire May Be Possible" San Francisco
Chronicle Jan. 30, 1910. "The day is very near when one can sit
comfortably in his own room and not only listen to the voice of a friend miles
away, but see him as distinctly as though the friend were sitting in a chair
beside him."
Great
TV quote:Television has been the laggard
when it comes to the Internet-fueled modernization of screens: smartphones and
tablets have changed the way people live, while TV has remained largely
stagnant. An app-driven TV platform will bring the viewing experience in line
with what consumers are used to on mobile devices: namely, the ability to
choose what you want to watch, when you want to watch it.
Great
TV quote: We now live in a world where your phone has become your
television, and your apps have become the TV channels. Big stars are no longer
created on big screens, but rather on smaller ones.
How are Internet companies Amazon,
Netflix and YouTube impacting and changing television? Why are shows like
Orange is the New Black a glimpse into the future of TV?
Who watches the most TV? What impact did
DVRs have on TV viewing and advertising.
When did TV debut and what decades were
pivotal in its development? How has TV changed over the decades in terms of
diversity, programming, audience size and technology?
Be familiar with the contribution of these
TV pioneers/innovators and watershed moments:
Walt Disney, Desi Arnaz, Edward R. Murrow,
Gene Roddenberry, Rod Serling, Ted Turner, Ed Sullivan and Walter Cronkite.
The Vietnam War coverage, the moon landing,
coverage of 9-11, CNN News, broadcast of Roots the miniseries.
Know the difference
between streaming, binge watching, cord cutting, viewing platforms, networks,
affiliates, prime time and syndication.
Study
Guide Test 2 (Music)
How have the two T's of music, talent and
technology, driven the industry throughout the 20th century?
What has happened to record companies to
make them more and more insignificant in today's music business?
How has the Internet changed the way we
listen to music?
What impact are streaming services such as Spotify
and Pandora having on the music industry?
Know the impact of iPods and digital music
on the music industry. How did Apple founder Steve Jobs change the way we
listen to music. What contributions to Jobs make to the technology of music?
What is the YouTube impact? How do artists
use YouTube today to bypass record companies and get their music heard? How
does YouTube split revenue with musical artists?
What social impact did Elvis Presley have on
rock 'n roll, race relations and society. How did rock 'n' roll during the
1960s impact events in popular culture such as the Vietnam War, drugs and the
sexual revolution?
Know different types of popular music in the
60s such as the British Invasion groups, Motown artists, Surf music, folk music
and girl groups.
How are The Beatles able to stay relevant in
the music industry more than 50 years after first coming to the United States?
What strategy did Barry Gordy employ to make
Motown's artists popular with the mainstream in the 1960s.
Be familiar with the following musical
genres:
Motown
Surf music
Rock 'n roll
The British Invasion
Terms to know:
MTV
Race music
Covering
Payola
Rock 'n' roll
Streaming and playlists
Study
Guide Test 3 The movie industry
How did the birth of CGI
(Computer Generated Images) in the 1970s and 1980s and the digital revolution
bring in billions of dollars for the movie industry?
Why are teenagers so
important to the movie industry?
Know the difference between movie
franchises and independent films.
What role do movie studios play and how
has their role in moviemaking changed over the last 100 years?
What's happening to DVDs today and how is technology
changing the revenue sources for the movie industry? What kind of future do
theaters have in the United States?
Why did movie theaters enjoy their largest
audience in the 1940s and why does attendance continually decline in today's
competitive media market?
What is the difference between franchises
(blockbusters), good movies, bad movies and independent films?
What is Dreamworks and who is Steven
Spielberg?
Understand the impact movie censorship has
had on the industry over the last 100 years. Know the similarities and
differences between the Production Code and Movie Sanitizing.
How does the MPAA movie rating system work?
Who rates the movies and what is the criteria for movies to get certain
ratings? Why is the system controversial.
What role do movie studios play in the
industry? Be familiar with the history and contribution of the major movie studios
to the industry. What was the heyday for the studios and how has the role of
the studios changed over the years? What studios are left today compared with
the early days?
How has race, stereotyping and ethnicity
been a factor in the movie industry?
Study
Guide Test 4 on Photography
What contributions did the
Kodak Company make to photography?
How and when did photography go from
being a rich person’s hobby to a mainstream passion for millions of Americans?
When and
how did digital photography and cell phone cameras impact the traditional
photography industry?
What role did photography play in coverage
of the following wars: the Civil War, World War II and the Vietnam War? How has
the photographic coverage of previous wars impacted photo coverage of wars
today?
When was Life Magazine launched and how has
it reinvented itself over the years to stay in business? How did Life Magazine
showcase photography?
What is the FSA and what role did its
photographers play in covering the Great Depression of the 1930s?
When did photography first make a major
impact in print media by technology creating a device to send "photos on a
wire?"
Know the contributions of the following photographers:
Matthew Brady
Gordon Parks
Weegee
What impact did photography have on the
civil rights movement of the 1960s?
Study
Guide Test 5 on Chapter 11 (Advertising)
How is advertising changing in the digital
age?
When and how did photography impact
advertising?
What impact has the DVR had on advertisers?
How has internet advertising evolved over
the last 20 years? Why is mobile media so important to advertisers and who is
winning the race to advertise on mobile media?
Why did cigarette companies stop advertising
on TV?
Know the following terms:
Brand loyalty
Ad clutter
The hard sell
Subliminal advertising
Demographics and psychographics
Unique selling proposition
Objects of desire
In political advertising, why is negative
advertising more effective than positive advertising?
In what ways to advertisers target children
on the internet? What attempts have been made to protect children from
marketers?
What was the impact of the famous little
girl commercial in the Goldwater--Johnson election?
Know the importance of the 18-49
demographic.
What are the difficulties and advantages of
advertising to teenagers?
