COMM 419: World Media Systems
Date
College of Communications
The Pennsylvania State University
Course will be conducted online via ANGEL & Yammer
Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: 3 credits of one of the following: COMM 100, COMM 110,
COMM 118, COMM 150, COMM 180, COMM 251, COMM 260W, COMM
320, or COMM 370
This course is a comparative study of modern media systems of
mass communications with focus on two or more foreign countries.
Students will gain an understanding of the theories and practices of
media systems – as espoused in such normative expositions as the
four theories of the press and contemporary iterations – and a better
appreciation of the media system in the United States vis-à-vis
greater awareness of media in other political cultures. Across the
board, students will be exposed to the ways in which media systems
have developed, are shaped and continually shaped by factors that
include history, politics, legal regimes, regulations, finances, media
economics, technologies, institutional arrangements, culture,
citizens’ access, or lack thereof etc. Another goal of this course is to
equip students with a toolbox and framework with which they can
replicate comparative media systems analyses in other countries and
regions of interest.
As the PSU course schedule indicates, COMM 419 is designed to be a
complement to COMM 410, International Communications. These
courses are not designed to cover the same material. While 410 introduces
the relationship between media and international relations as well as
issues of globalization, 419 focuses on comparing media systems across
national borders. In other words, how does the U.S. media system
compare to other political/social/cultural systems around the world.
More specifically, we will focus on the media systems of the United
States and Cuba. Historical events in each of these two countries will be
evaluated with a view to underscoring:
1) The key concepts that further our understanding of the operative
media systems
2) The way in which particular concepts compare across the board
3) Whether or not some concepts assume different meanings and
definitions depending on context
Instructor:
Name
Picture (Optional)
College of Communications
Contact:
Email (preferred):
Angel
By appointment:
1. Skype (username)
This syllabus contains the scheduling
information you will need to
successfully navigate this course. If
you have any questions regarding the
class schedule, please check the
syllabus first.
*If any changes are made to the
schedule, I will announce them via
email.
4) The importance of some events (current and historical) to a deeper understanding of media systems and
the way in which varying political, economic, and socio-cultural factors inform their character.
To provide the background useful for evaluating both media systems, students will be (re)introduced to
pertinent press theories and led to uncover, assess and understand relevant events in history that have
shaped media functions in the respective countries.
On his/her own, each student will be provided an opportunity to explore and assess a third media system
anywhere in the world. This engagement will be the focus of the final segment of the course. This is to
enable students garner concepts, theories and cases that should increase their appreciation of ways in
which media systems evolve.
Note: You may encounter ideas and thoughts you may not agree with,
but understand that this is one of the central purposes of this course.
Sometimes, we need to feel uncomfortable in order to step outside of
our matrixes and enter the realities of others. We seek to be challenged!
One of my goals is for you to enjoy the course and its topics. To this end, I plan to make our online
experience as meaningful as possible, with a blend of text-based material, multimedia, interactive
discussions, and “guest speakers.” Each component of each week’s lesson will highlight core concepts that
are important for you to know. You will want to complete and participate in each component fully in order
to maximize your learning (e.g. read the assigned articles, complete thoughtful discussion posts, listen
to/watch any multimedia included, etc.).
I expect you to be vibrant, participating, asking questions, generating meaningful dialogue, and
interacting with me and each other in order to make the most out of this learning experience. You can
expect me to be reading your discussion posts, answering your questions in a timely manner, being
“present” in our class, and providing general guidance to the course as the semester progresses.
While online courses offer a sense of independence – allowing you to complete coursework in a way that is
flexible with your unique schedule – they also afford a sense of community, and it is my goal to foster a
sense of community within our class, particularly through the ongoing discussion board conversations. I
think it is important to strike a balance between independent learning and an online class community so that
each of you feels the freedom to work at your own pace but does not feel lost alone in cyberspace.
What You Will Be Able to Do After Completing this Course:
Through the readings and online discussions, you should develop the tools to become more sophisticated
critical thinkers of international media. You should learn to critically evaluate global issues and the policies
that are suggested as solutions. Throughout the course, you will be challenged to question how your views
of the world have been constructed through media and how these views may be shaped differently for
people in other countries.
I believe that studying international communications can be an eye-opening and rewarding experience.
Some of the ongoing rewards you will receive after completing COMM410 include:
1. Understanding the diversity of national and international audiences.
2. Understanding the present nature of international communications in light of the recent
history of the field and its beginnings.
3. Thinking creatively, independently, critically, and clearly.
4. Understanding media theories relevant to international communications and being able to apply
them to concrete examples.
5. Writing in an interesting, organized, concise, clear, and grammatically correct manner
6. Demonstrating an understanding of the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological
framework that influences and is influenced by international communications.
7. Understanding how nations relate to each other in the overall global context.
Fle xi ble ≠ Easy
A common misconception about online courses is to mistake this inherent flexibility for ease. In other
words, online courses are easier or less time-consuming than face-to-face classes. On the contrary, online
courses require self discipline, self direction, motivation, and tenacity. This course includes an amount of
work comparable to the face-to-face versions of this course. If you chose to take the online version of this
course in order to take an “easier” version of COMM 410, then you may need to reconsider this choice. This
course will require work, but it will be worth it.
Required Readings and Films:
There is no required textbook for this course. All required readings will be available on ANGEL.
For some weeks, you will have films that you will need to watch and incorporate into your discussion posts.
These films are indicated in the Course Schedule and will be available online or the library at Penn State.
Current Events and News:
There are very often relevant current events and issues in the news during the course that tie in with core
concepts that we are discussing week to week. I encourage you to infuse your discussions with these
current news events throughout the semester. Some helpful, accessible sources include:
The New York Times and USA Today (available to PSU students in free hard copies on all
campuses and in digital edition via The NYT Academic Pass program on
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/researchguides/nyt.html)
Major TV and Radio news (MSNBC, CNN, FOX, NPR, BBC)
Political satire news programs such as The Colbert Report
Alternative news sources: Al Jazeera and Democracy Now
When choosing your news source, feel free to vary your choices. Do you usually have one, favorite news
source? Read/view another to get a different perspective. Read the same story in a variety of sources and
note the differences in coverage. Do programs like The Daily Show or The Colbert Report trivialize
important political and economic issues or do they make them more accessible? Discuss this in light of
relevant topics addressed on such programs.
Weekly Lesson Format:
Though each week’s theme and course materials/readings will be unique, starting Week 2, we will begin to
create a weekly rhythm to the lessons in order to help you both to stay current with the course material and
also schedule your activities and work related to this class.
It is very important to the learning process that we navigate the course together – particularly in the
Yammer discussions for each week, where we will grapple with the core concepts and respond to each
other’s ideas and insights – so it is important to keep up the pace, and it is important not to work too far
ahead.
Strategies for Success
I want you to succeed in this course, and I want you to enjoy it. To this end, here are some tips and
strategies for learning the material in a way that may alleviate stress and sustain long-term learning:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the assigned readings prior to the week we will be discussing them; take notes.
Ask questions early and often.
Contribute to the discussion boards.
Be patient with the online process. Learning the concepts and getting acclimated to the online
environment may be stretching at times. Don’t give up, and seek help if you feel overwhelmed.
Some helpful website with tips for success are:
http://distancelearn.about.com/od/distancelearning101/a/studentsuccess.htm
http://studenomics.com/application/online-learning-success/
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/orientation.shtml (this site includes links and videos regarding the use of
important ANGEL functions such as the dropbox, taking a quiz, using the discussion forums, and sending
email)
Graded Assignments
Active Participation (40% of the final grade)
Two Essay Exams (Each exam is worth 15% of the final grade for a total of 30%)
Final Project (30% of the final grade)
Extra Credit (3% toward final grade)
Active Participation (40%)
Participation for this course will primarily focus on your involvement in the weekly discussions in our
class Yammer group called COMM 419 Semester Year.
Discussions
For 12 weeks throughout the semester, beginning with Week 1, we will have class discussions in our
Yammer course group where we will be able to discuss the week’s concepts and current
news/events/topics that relate to the week’s discussion. I will post some questions regarding the readings
and other lesson materials, and will ask you to incorporate a current news event that relates to the
topic/discussion prompt into your initial post. You can use any form of media (news article, blog, film,
television series, documentary, song, etc.), but you must add a link or citation information in your post
(so we know where you obtained your example). Additionally, you will need to post at least twice:
1) An initial post between 500 and 1000 words where you respond to the questions
themselves and provide a link to a current news event or topic that relates to the week’s
theme. In your post, you must also explain how your example (news article, blog, film,
television series, documentary, song, etc.) relates to the week’s topic.
2) A response between 200 and 500 words to another course-mate’s initial response. In
addition to responding to a class-mate’s general comments, I will ask that you also
respond to that class-mate’s current news/event/topic example
While you are required to post twice, please feel free to post more than that. Thoughtful conversations
between students could positively enhance this portion of your grade and also enhance the overall quality of
the dialogue here. This makes the Yammer discussions a more authentic platform for debating the core
issues each week.
I will participate occasionally in the discussions with you, but mostly in the form of brief comments and
further questions to individual comments (within threaded discussions) or to the class as a whole. Please feel
free to reply to my comments as well as to other course-mates’ comments. It is not my goal to usurp or
monopolize the dialogue occurring on the discussions, so I do not plan to direct these conversations; my
goal is for you as a class to lead in discussing the topics.
Your posts are required by Sunday at 9 p.m. Feel free to post earlier than these days and to post more often
than twice. I will accept late discussion board posts up to one week past the due dates for that week. For
every day that it is late (i.e. 1-24 hours late; 25-48 hours late, etc.) you will lose 1 point from the overall
point total. After 7 days, you will receive a zero for the discussion board for that week. No exceptions. On
Angel, you will be able to access a rubric for the discussion board posts.
About Yammer:
Overview: Throughout this course, we will use the social media tool Yammer for discussion. Yammer is a
private social network used at Penn State. Messages posted in private groups will only show up for members
of the group and cannot be seen by users who aren’t members of the group. Be assured that private groups
cannot be made public later.
Instructions:
1.
Keep an eye out for an email that you have been added to a group in Yammer. The email will
have a “Go to Group” button on it which will allow you to gain access to the group.
2.
Use your Penn State Access userid (email) to join Yammer. Do not use nicknames.
3.
Always click the name of the group to make sure that you post replies in the correct group.
4.
Add a picture and other information to personalize your profile.
5.
Change the default notifications to get alerts for replies the ways that you want.
6.
Follow files that you are interested in getting updated on frequently.
7.
Use the “Go to File” link to view the file and comment at the same time.
8.
Please feel free to “Like” posts that you agree with, but make sure that you say why you
like/agree with them.
For more information:

Help resources: https://yammer.zendesk.com/home

More information:
https://courses.smeal.psu.edu/angel_overview/using_yammer/2012/02/test.html
Essay Exams (30%)
There will be two major essay exams during the semester. These essays will require you to synthesize
several weeks of course concepts/topics. A week before each scheduled essay exam, you will receive a list
of four or five questions as well as a rubric.
The essay will help evaluate how well you have grasped the important arguments and concepts regarding
international communications. In addition, I will be able to assess how well you have analyzed different
arguments/ideas.
You will receive a rubric that will explain my expectations. All questions have to be answered an essay
format, which includes the following:
1. Introduction with thesis statement
2. Body
3. Conclusion
Essays will be due on the scheduled date (see course schedule), exactly a week after I send you the essay
questions.
Extra Credit (3%)
Throughout the semester, you will be able to obtain extra credit for completing additional assignments that I
send to you. Each assignment is worth .5%; thus, you need to complete a total of 6 extra credit assignments.
These points will go toward your final grade.
Final Project (30%)
Your final project for this course, worth 20% of your final grade, will consist of a blog that you
create. This blog will be the site that you use to upload all your research about one particular
country. You also will use this space to compare your chosen country to the U.S. and the Cuban
media system. During the first few weeks, you will be asked to choose a country. During the second
section of the semester, you will be asked to start researching the media system of that particular
country. The following aspects on your country need to be researched:
1) History of the country and philosophical foundations for the media system
2) Media regulation and finance (private/public; capitalist, economic priorities/goals, etc.)
3) A choice between 1) Media and Politics Elements or 2) Foreign Policy and Media
in relation to your country
4) A comparison between your country, the U.S. and Cuban system
During the third section of the semester (last four weeks of classes), I will ask you to upload your
blog (with these elements included). For each week during this section, you will be asked to post a
specific part of your research. For instance, in week twelve you will be required to post your
research on the philosophical elements of the media system of your chosen country. The Yammer
discussions for these weeks will ask you to read and respond to at least two of your classmates’
blogs. I will ask that the final version of the blog is submitted finals week. Grade will be based on
your final submission.
More information will be provided the second week of classes.
Grades
Active Participation
Essay Exams
Final Project
Extra Credit
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
95 – 100%
90 – 94.9%
87 – 89.9%
83 – 86.9%
80 – 82.9%
77 – 79.9%
73 – 76.9%
70 – 72.9%
60 – 69.9%
Below 60%
40%
20% each/ 40% total
20%
3% toward final grade
Exceptional Achievement
Extensive Achievement
Acceptable Achievement
Minimal Achievement
Inadequate Achievement
I do not curve grades. I do, however, make every effort to be fair in grading, and I expect you to put forth
your best effort for each assessment, assignment, class day, and project.
I offer plenty of opportunities for extra credit. You will hear about these via email. So make sure to
watch for these opportunities. Each extra credit assignment will be worth .5%. Therefore, to reach the full
3%, you will need to complete at least 6 assignments.
If your grade is not as high as you would like it to be, remedy that early in the semester, when something
can be done, and not at the end, when it is potentially too late. Contact me if you have questions regarding
your grade, and I will be glad to talk with you.
Do not contact me about grade concerns on finals week. You have the entire semester to talk to me
about any concerns you may have.
Course Schedule
This course schedule will change (i.e. added or deleted content, thematic changes depending on
international climate, etc.). Please watch your email for announcements concerning updates to
the syllabus.
Weekly Lesson
Read/Watch
Assignments
Introductions & Theoretical
Foundations
Week One
Date
Orientation &
Introductions
1. Join the Yammer
1. Readings: Syllabus & Course Introduction
2. Readings: Sirota, “The Right’s Bigoted Crusade
group
Against Al Jazeera America”
2. Introduce yourself
http://www.salon.com/2013/08/27/the_rights_bi
to your classmates
goted_crusade_against_al_jazeera_america/
in the Introductions
3. Lesson: Introduction to the elements/
Yammer Note
philosophies of media systems
3. Complete the
Syllabus &
Orientation quiz
found in the Week
One folder in
ANGEL
See this document in
ANGEL for more
information about
Yammer.
Week Two
Date
Theoretical
Foundations
Week Three
Date
Theoretical
Foundations
1. Reading: Livingston, “On the challenges of
cross-national comparative media research”
2. Reading: Hallin, Introduction to “Comparing
Media Systems”
3. Lessons: How and why we compare media
systems
1. Week Two
discussion in
Yammer.
1. Reading: Atlschull, “The advancing press: The
old order changes”
2. Reading: Downing, “Drawing a Bead on Global
Communication Theories”
3. Lesson: Theory Vs. Practice
4. Case Review: The First 9/11
1. Week Three
discussion in
Yammer
The U.S. Media System
Week Four
Date
Philosophy and
Elements of the U.S.
Media System
Week Five
Date
Regulation and
Financing
Week Six
Date
Media and
Politics
Week Seven
Date
Foreign Policy and
Media
1. Reading: Pickard, “Whether the giants
should be slain or persuaded to be good”
2. Reading: Altschull, “Power, politics, and the
media in the United States”
3. Lesson: What should the U.S. Media be and
do?
1. Week Four
discussion
in Yammer
1. Reading: Ledbetter, “Can it be saved? The
Death of public broadcasting in the United
States”
2. Reading: McChesney, “The Problem of the
media” Chapter 1
3. Film: No Logo
4. Lesson: An Introduction to Media Ownership
1. Week Five
discussion
in Yammer
1. Reading: Bennet, “Toward a Theory of
Press-State Relations in the United States”
2. Reading: Kellner, “Media Propaganda and
Spectacle in the War on Iraq: a Critique of
U.S. Broadcasting Networks”
3. Reading, “Rieff, “Why Nobody Cares
About
the
Surveillance
State”
http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2013
/08/22/why_nobody_cares_about_the_surve
illance_state_nsa?page=0,1
4. Lesson: An Introduction to Media &
Government in the U.S.
1. Reading: Parenti, “America’s Debt to
Journalist Gary Webb”
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2004/12
1304.html
2. Reading: “Terror v. Surveillance? Keeping
Americans safe in two simple steps.”
http://www.occupy.com/article/terror-vssurveillance-keeping-americans-safe-twosimple-steps
3. NPR Podcast: “Social Media: ‘Essential
Tool’ in U.S. Foreign Policy”
http://www.npr.org/2011/03/08/134354310
/Social-Media-Essential-Tool-In-U-SForeign-Policy
4. Lesson: Understanding the Relationship
Between U.S. Foreign Policy and Media
5. Case Review: NSA and Edward Snowden
1. Week
Six
discussio
n in
Yammer
1. Handout of
questions for
Essay Exam 1
2. Start Writing
Essays
The Cuban Media System
Week Eight
Date
Philosophy and
Elements of the
Cuban Media System
Week Nine
Date
Regulation and
Financing
Week Ten
Date
Media and
Politics
Week Eleven
Date
Foreign Policy and
Media
1. Reading: Miyares, “A look at media in
Cuba,”
2. Reading: Rivero, “Broadcasting Modernity:
Cuban Television, 1950-1953”
3. Lesson: An Introduction to Cuban history,
the Revolution of 1959 and Cuban Media
1. First Essay
Exams Due on
_____________
2. Week Eight
discussion in
Yammer
1. Reading: Nichols, “Cuban Mass
Media: Organization, control and
functions”
2. Reading: Manuel, “Marxism,
Nationalism and Popular Music in
Revolutionary Cuba”
3. Reading: Sweig, “Developments
in Cuba”
http://www.cfr.org/cuba/develop
ments-cuba/p30961
4. Lesson: An Introduction to Cuban
Media Ownership
1. Reading: Barlow, “Rebel
Airways: Radio and Revolution in
Latin America”
2. Reading: “Laverty, Cuba’s New
Resolve” Read only Section 3,
pgs. 45-57
3. Film: Chevolution
4. Lesson: An Introduction to Media
& Government in Cuba
1. Reading: Matelski, “The Birth and Rebirth
of Cuban Serial Drama”
2. Reading: “Rationing the Digital: The
Policy and Politics of Internet Use in Cuba
Today”
3. Reading: Fortner, “Cuba Focuses on Cuba
(and U.S. on U.S.)”
4. Lesson: Understanding Cuba-U.S.
Relations & Media
5. Case Review: Blogging and Social Change
1. Week Nine
discussion
in Yammer
1. Week Ten
discussion in
Yammer
1. Week Eleven
discussion in
Yammer
Final Projects of World Media
Systems
Week Twelve
Date
1. Lesson: Review of Media Systems
2. Reading: At least two blogs posted by your
classmates
Review of Media
Systems and Upload of
Blogs (only need to have
philosophy elements of
country)
Week Thirteen
Date
1. Reading: At least two blogs posted by your
classmates
Upload of Blog
Section on Media
Regulation and
Finance
Week Fourteen
Date
1. Reading: At least two blogs posted by your
classmates
Your choice of
uploading blog sections
of:
1) Media and Politics
Or
2) Foreign Policy and
Media
Week Fifteen
Date
Upload blog section on
comparison between
U.S., Cuba and your
country (only need to
compare two elements)
1. Due date
for
uploading
blog is
_________
_______
2. Week
Twelve
discussion
in Yammer
1. Due date
for
uploading
blog is
_________
_______
2. Week
Thirteen
discussion
in Yammer
Due date
for
uploading
blog is
_________
_______
2. Handout of
Questions
for Essay
Exam 2
1.
3. Start
Writing
Essays
1. Reading: At least two blogs posted by your
classmates
Work on Final Projects!!!!
1. Second Exam
Essay Due on
______________
______________
__
2. Week Fifteen
discussion in
Yammer
Week Sixteen
Date
Finals Week!!!!
Final Projects Due on
_______________
**This course schedule is designed to provide you with a clear and concise overview of course
topics and important academic dates for both course related activities and University deadlines.
Course Policies
These policies are important to me and to the smooth flow of the course. Please read these carefully and
do your best to adhere to them.
Netiquette
Please be respectful when commenting on your course-mates’ posts. The discussion board should
definitely be a place of debate and even dissent, but your arguments should always be constructive, based
on course information and other relevant data, and never, ever personal.
Please use proper salutations and grammar when emailing me or your course-mates. Feel free to call me
Nadia rather than Ms. Martinez, professor, etc.
A couple of helpful netiquette websites are:
http://email.about.com/od/emailnetiquette/tp/core_netiquette.htm
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity — scholarship free of fraud and deception — is an important educational
objective of Penn State. Academic dishonesty can lead to a failing grade or referral to the Office
of Student Conduct.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:







cheating
plagiarism
fabrication of information or citations
facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others
unauthorized prior possession of examinations
submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the
instructor and securing written approval
tampering with the academic work of other students
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedure requires an instructor to notify a student
of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college.
Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge,
the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee.
If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student
Conduct.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by
college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic
integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students
receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course,
please contact us.
The College of Communications policy and the AI form can be found at:
http://comm.psu.edu/about/academic-integrity-policy
http://comm.psu.edu/about/academicintegrity.pdf
Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity;
respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in
which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity
is requisite to respect for oneself and others, and a civil community.
For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State
Please see the Academic Integrity Chart for specific college contact information or visit one of
the following URLs:



Penn State Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
iStudy for Success! — learn about plagiarism, copyright, and academic integrity through
an educational module
Turnitin a web-based plagiarism detection and prevention system
Note to Students with Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. If you
have a disability-related need for reasonable academic adjustments in this course, contact the
Office for Disability Services (ODS) at 814-863-1807 (V/TTY). For further information regarding
ODS, please visit the Office for Disability Services Web site.
In order to receive consideration for course accommodations, you must contact ODS and provide
documentation (see the documentation guidelines). If the documentation supports the need for
academic adjustments, ODS will provide a letter identifying appropriate academic adjustments.
Please share this letter and discuss the adjustments with your instructor as early in the course as
possible. You must contact ODS and request academic adjustment letters at the beginning of
each semester.
All students in "Registration Not Complete" status must resolve issues on or before the 10th day
after classes begin. Students who do not complete registration by paying tuition and fees by this
deadline will not be able to remain in courses. University policy on completing registration can
be found at http://www.registrar.psu.edu/registration/completing_registration.html.



Accommodating Disabilities
Registration Status:
Procedures for Resolution of Problems
For procedures pertaining to a range of concerns and disagreements involving graduate
students and other members of the University community (e.g., faculty, staff, or
undergraduate students), please see the Procedures for Resolution of Problems (Appendix
II) website.
For information about additional policies regarding items such as Penn State Access Accounts;
credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals
please see the World Campus Student Policies Web site.
Technical Requirements
World Campus Technical Requirements
Operating
System
Windows 2000/XP, Vista, or Windows 7; Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Processor
2 GHz or higher
Memory
1 GB of RAM
Hard Drive
Space
20 GB free disk space
We recommend the latest Angel-supported version of Firefox or Internet
Explorer. To determine if your browser fits this criteria and for advice on
downloading a supported version, please refer to the following ITS
knowledgebase article: http://kb.its.psu.edu/cms/article/6
Browser
Note: Cookies, Java, and JavaScript must be enabled.
Pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows
from Penn State web sites.
Due to nonstandard handling of CSS, JavaScript and caching,
older versions of Internet Explorer (such as IE 6 or earlier) do not work
with our courses.
Plug-ins
Adobe Reader [Download from Adobe]
Flash Player (v7.0 or later) [Download from Adobe]
Apple Quicktime [Download from Apple]
Additional
Software
Microsoft Office (2003 or later)
Internet
Connection
Broadband (cable or DSL) connection required
Printer
DVD-ROM
Access to graphics-capable printer
Required
Sound Card,
Microphone, and Required
Speakers
Monitor
Monitor (Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution)
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you
will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any
changes.