Houston Community College System
Southwest: Stafford Campus
COMM 1307: Introduction to Mass Communication in the Electronic Environment
Fall 2011 (54152)
Instructor:
Marcelo Gonzalez
713-718-7820
marcelo.gonzalez@hccs.edu
Appointments available upon request
Location/Time:
Scarcella Science & Technology Center
DAY
TIME
ROOM
T-TH
8:00AM –9:30 AM
Learning Hub
RM 225
24 hrs electronic
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
COMM 1307
Prerequisites: Must be placed into college-level reading (or take GUST 0342 as a co-requisite) and be
placed into college-level writing (or take ENGL 0310/0349 as a co-requisite)
Credit: 3 (3 lecture)
Analyzes communication theory and mass media in the 20th century society. Surveys history, operation and
structure of the American communication system. Identifies major legal, ethical and socio-cultural issues,
studies basic communication theory, and the interrelations between media and the individual, media and
society, and media and the future. Examines career potential and job prospects in today’s and tomorrow’s
electronic culture. Core curriculum course.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of the course, the student should be proficient in the following competencies:
1. Understand and define the term mass communication
2. Understand and explain the functions of the mass media
3. Understand and describe the development of the print media
4. Understand and describe the development of radio and television
5. Understand and describe the development of the recording industry
6. Understand and describe the development of the film industry
7. Understand and explain the interrelationships between the above media
8. Understand the implications of electronic technology on the future of mass communication
9. Understand the implications of the internet on mass communication
REQUIRED TEXT:
Biagi, Shirley, Media Impact: An Introduction to Mass Media, 9E 2009 update edition, published by
Thompson/Wadsworth. ISBN-13: 978-0495-79816-3
Also available: 10th edition in the bookstore. ISBN-13: 978-1111346362
COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
Attend all class lectures.
Take 15 quizzes online and successfully pass 12 of them.
GRADING POLICY:
Quizzes (12 of 15)
Participation and Attendance
85 points
15 points
TOTAL
100 points
Grading scale according to HCCS Student Handbook:
90-100
80-89
70-79
60-69
0-59
A
B
C
D
F
ATTENDANCE/TARDINESS POLICY:
Students are required to attend every class day and be present by the start of class. During
the 16-week semester, HCCS allows for a total of 3 classes missed per semester; after
that, the instructor may drop you from the course.
Also, attendance and participation is 15% of your final grade. Every absence after 1 is
counted against this portion of your grade. A student must be in class within the first 20
minutes of class to be considered “on time”. This 20 minutes is the time we use to take
the daily quiz, on most days. After 20 minutes, a student is considered “tardy”, and this
will result in a ½ absence.
Also please note: since quizzes are given daily during the first 20 minutes of class, every
minute you are late to class will mean one minute less you have to take that quiz. Being
late or absent has multiple penalties.
Attendance is taken daily.
BLACKBOARD VISTA:
This is a hybrid course, which means 50% of the course content is available online on
Blackboard Vista. This will include video lectures for chapters 2-9 of the Media/Impact
textbook. These chapters cover the eight mass media that make up mass communication
in the modern world. You are required to watch the lectures and read the corresponding
text chapters.
QUIZZES AND MAKE-UPS:
The majority of your grade is calculated from your quiz grades: 85% of your final grade.
All 15 quizzes are available ONLINE on your student account at hccs.blackboard.com.
These quizzes cover both the classroom and online portions of the course.
You will only have one attempt of 11 minutes to take each quiz. There are no quiz
make-ups. Because of this, the instructor will drop the three lowest quiz scores of the
semester when calculating the final grade. It is strongly advised you be available for the
entire quiz attempt and be on a secure online connection before attempting any one quiz.
Your 3 lowest quiz grades will be dropped; this includes and quizzes you receive a “0” on
due to missing the quiz.
COURTESY:
In a polite society, and there is much that can be debated over just what constitutes a
“polite” society today, there are certain rules of conduct in place so that people can show
respect to one another. The instructor has three particular rules for this class.
LEAVING THE CLASS: If, for whatever reason, a student needs to leave the classroom
during instruction, they must ask permission of the instructor. The instructor 99% of the
time will allow the student to leave. The student does not need to give any explanation to
the instructor nor will the instructor require any explanation.
CELL PHONES: All cell phones must be turned off during class. No exceptions. On
rare occasion where it is absolutely imperative that the student be reachable by cell phone
during class, such occasion must first be cleared with the instructor. If you need to make
a call during class, please wait for the break.
DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR: Students and instructor are expected to conduct themselves
in class professionally and with good manners. Behavior which disrupts instruction of the
class will not be tolerated. This includes behavior such as, but not limited to arguing
fighting, intimidating, and talking out of turn.
Violation of the above rules could lead to penalty of the participation portion of your
grade and/or class expulsion.
COURSE OUTLINE:
Meeting
Week
Day
Activity
Blackboard Vista
Week 1
08/30
09/01
09/06
Introduction
Chapter 1: Mass Media Intro
Chapter 10:
Advertizing: Motivating Customers
Chapter 2: Books: Rearranging the Page
Chapter 3: Newspapers: Expanding Delivery
Week 2
09/08
Week 3
09/13
Week 4
09/15
09/20
Week 5
09/22
09/27
09/29
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
10/04
10/06
10/11
10/13
10/18
10/20
Chapter 4: Magazines: Targeting the
Audience
Chapter 11:
Public Relations: Promoting Ideas
Chapter 5: Recordings: Demanding Choices
Chapter 12:
News and Information: Getting
Personal
Chapter 6: Radio: Riding the Wave
Chapter 13: Society, Culture, and
Politics: Shaping the Issues
LAST DAY WITHDRAWL Friday
September 30 2011 -- 4:30PM
Chapter 14: Law and Regulation
Chapter 7: Movies: Picturing the Future
Chapter 8: Television: Changing Channels
Chapter 14: continued
Chapter 9: Digital Media: Widening the Web
Chapter 15:
Ethics: Placing Responsibility
Last Day of Class
DISCIPLINE
REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION:
Any student with a documented disability (e.g. physical, learning, psychiatric, vision, hearing, etc.) who
needs to arrange reasonable accommodations must contact the Disability Services Office at Southwest
College at the beginning of each semester. Faculty are authorized to provide only the accommodations
requested by the Disability Support Services Office. If you have a disability that qualifies you under the
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), please contact Dr. Becky Hauri, 713-718-7909 to determine
accommodations.
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY
Students are responsible for conducting themselves with honor and integrity in
fulfilling course requirements. Penalties and/or disciplinary proceedings may be
initiated by College System officials against a student accused of scholastic
dishonesty.
“Scholastic dishonesty” includes, but is not limited to, cheating on a test, plagiarism,
and collusion.
-
“CHEATING” on a test includes:
Copying from another student test paper;
Using material during a test that are not authorized by the person giving the
test;
Collaborating with another student during a test without authority;
Knowingly using, buying, selling, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole
or part the contents of an unadministered test;
Bribing another person to obtain a test that is to be administered.
“PLAGIARISM”- means the appropriation of another’s work and the unacknowledged
incorporation
of that work in one’s written work offered
for credit.
“COLLUSION”- means the unauthorized collaboration with another person in
preparing written work offered for credit.
VIOLATIONS
Possible punishments for academic dishonesty may include a grade of “0” or “F” on
the particular assignment, failure in the course, and/or recommendation for
suspension or expulsion will be referred to the College Dean of Students for
disciplinary disposition.
Students who wish to appeal a grade penalty should notify the instructional supervisor
within 30 working days of the incident. A standing committee appointed by the
College Dean of Instruction will convene to sustain, reduce, or reverse the grade
penalty. The committee will be composed of two students, two faculty members, and
one instructional administrator. A majority vote will decide the grade appeal and its
final.