Media Ethics
JAMS 361
Section 201
Online
UWinteriM 2016
David S. Allen
576 Bolton
email: dsallen@uwm.edu
Office hours: I will be online and available for questions, via email, most days that class
is in session from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. If you would like to meet in person in my office,
please contact me to set up a time.
Phone: JAMS no longer provides faculty with office phones. In an emergency, you can
leave a message for me with the JAMS main office, 414-229-4436.
Course Objectives
This course is intended to aid students in analyzing ethical problems in news, as
well as persuasive and entertainment media. Perhaps more importantly, however, this
course is intended to move beyond the level of analysis and toward the goal of providing
students with a moral framework for making decisions.
In an effort to meet this goal, this course aids students in examining their own
values by introducing students to ethical and political theory and asking students to apply
those theories to specific cases and situations. The goal of this course is not to force
students to change their values, but to allow students to develop an understanding of the
values that guide their lives and how those values influence their decision-making. By
the end of the semester, students will be able to:
1) identify ethical problems related to media practice and performance in a
democratic society;
2) summarize a variety of ethical and political theories;
3) employ decision-making frameworks to make justified ethical decisions in
relation to media practice and performance in a democratic society; and,
4) apply ethical and political theories to resolve moral dilemmas that confront
media practitioners and citizens in how they think about the media’s role in democracy.1
1
The average student should expect to devote about 145.5 hours during the semester to this class. Please
note that some students might need to devote more than that average to meet the learning outcomes. This
total includes about 27.5 hours devoted to classroom learning, about 35 hours to online reading and/or
listening to lecture or other material, about 4 hours engaged in discussions outside of class, about 4 hours
taking exams, about 35 hours completing required assignments, and about 40 hours for course preparation
and study.
GER Credit in Humanities
The course meets the basic definition for Humanities Distribution 4.2 (a) by
investigating “human constructs and values.” The course investigates not only how
media shape individual and societal values, but also how the values of individual
practitioners and perceptions of the audience shape media performance.
The course also satisfies the following learning outcomes for the Humanities:
Outcome 1: After studying a variety of ethical and political theories, students will
be able to identify the “formation, traditions, and ideas essential to major bodies of
historical, cultural, literary or philosophical knowledge.” Students are also introduced to
a variety of works, including ideas associated with Aristotle, Immanuel Kant, John Stuart
Mill, John Rawls, Jürgen Habermas, feminist theory, democratic elitism, and
communitarianism.
Outcome 3: Students will apply the diverse humanistic ideas that these authors
and theories represent to resolve moral dilemmas confronted in a variety of media fields.
Assessment of Humanities GER outcomes:
Humanities outcome 1 will be assessed primarily through a writing project. The
project requires students to read an article by a media practitioner explaining how he/she
resolved a moral dilemma. Students are required to make connections between the article
and ethical and political theories discussed in class.
Humanities outcome 3 will be assessed through the student’s development of a
case study. The assignment requires students to research and develop a case study on a
media ethics topic of their interest and then uses ethical and political theories to develop
informed and independent decisions.
UW System Shared Learning Goals:
5. Individual, Social, and Environmental Responsibility including civic
knowledge and engagement (both local and global), ethical reasoning, and action.
Through assignments described earlier, students will learn how to apply theories and
decision-making frameworks to reach justified ethical decisions.
Texts and Readings
There is one required text for the class:
Michael J. Sandel’s, Justice: What’s The Right Thing To Do? (New York: Farrar,
Straus and Giroux, 2009). ISBS: 978-0-374-532505. Estimated cost: $15.
In addition, there are a number of readings for this class. All are available on the
course’s D2L site. Please note that some readings might be added during the semester. If
so, they will be announced at a later date. The readings are:
Baker, C. Edwin. “Different Democracies and Their Media.” Chap. in Media, Markets,
and Democracy. New York: Cambridge University Press (2002): pp. 129-153.
Bellah, Robert, Richard Madsen, William M. Sullivan, Ann Swidler, and Steven M.
Tipton. “We Live Through Institutions,” chap. in The Good Society. New York:
Alfred A. Knopf (1992): pp. 3-18.
Boorstin, Daniel J. “A History of the Image: From Pseudo-Event to Virtual Reality,”
New Perspectives Quarterly, 11 (Summer 1994): 16-21.
Bowman, Patricia. “A personal account: Media treatment evolved into an assault in
itself,” Newspaper Coverage of Rape: Dilemmas on deadline, Fort Worth, Texas:
Texas Christian University (1994): 28-31.
Christians, Clifford G., et al., “Ethical Foundations and Perspectives,” chap. in Media
Ethics: Cases and Moral Reasoning, 8th ed., Boston: Pearson (2009): 1-33.
Epstein, Edward Jay. “Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?” Atlantic Monthly
(February 1982): 371-382.
Ewen, Stuart. “Coda,” chap. in PR! A Social History of Spin, New York: Basic Books
(1996): 399-414.
Ewen, Stuart. “Consumption and Seduction,” chap. in Captains of Consciousness:
Advertising and the Social Roots of the Consumer Culture, New York: McGrawHill (1976): 177-184.
Gardner, Howard, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, and William Damon. “The Conditions of
Good Work.” Chap. in Good Work: When Excellence and Ethics Meet. New
York: Basic Books (2001): pp. 15-36.
Mooallem, Jon. “Schlock and Awwww,” Mother Jones, November/December 2007, pp.
79-81.
Romano, Carlin. “The Grisly Truth about Bare Facts,” chap. in Reading The News, eds.
Robert Karl Manoff and Michael Schudson, New York: Pantheon (1986): 38-78.
Wasserman, Edward. “The insidious corruption of beats,” available at
http://ewasserman.com/2007/01/08/the-insidious-corruption-of-beats/ (last visited
June 23, 2011).
Exams
There will be a midterm exam and a final exam. (Please see the attached schedule
for dates.) Both exams will be comprised of short-answer and long-answer essay
questions. Both exams will be completed through D2L. The exams will be timed.
Students should not plan on referring to their notes or other materials during the exam.
The exams are intended to not only assess your ability to understand the information
presented during the semester, but also to apply that information. Both exams will
contain short case studies that will ask you to use the information presented in the class to
construct an ethical response.
Paper Assignments
Students will be asked to write two short papers during the semester. The first,
worth 75 points, will ask students to recognize and identify ethical theory as used in
discussions about media practice. The second assignment, worth 100 points, will ask
students to construct a case study (about three double-spaced, typewritten pages) in their
area of interest and use theory to build a justified response to ethical questions raised in
the case study.
The writing assignments will be graded on a student’s ability to make connections
with concepts and ideas explored in readings and lecture, in addition to grammar and
writing. More information on each of these assignments will be provided as paper
deadlines near. Please be aware that no late assignments will be accepted unless
approved prior to the due date.
Class Discussions
Since this is an online course, it is imperative that students develop solid work
habits. In any winter session, the course becomes very difficult if you fall behind.
Online courses require that you maintain a high level of individual discipline to complete
the daily assignments. Class announcements will be made on the “Announcements” page
of the course D2L site.
Generally, we will try to concentrate on one topic a day. (See the attached
schedule.) It might be necessary to adjust the schedule as the semester progresses. The
class will function on a Monday through Friday schedule. I have tried, where possible, to
develop the schedule so that students have time over the weekends to work on writing
assignments. Students will be responsible for information contained in the readings and
class lectures. Class lectures (PowerPoint presentations with narration) can be accessed
through the course’s D2L site. I recommend printing copies of the PowerPoint slides
before listening to the lecture. It will make it easier to follow along and make your notetaking easier.
One of the goals of this class is to move the discussion of ethical and political
theory, as it relates to the media, from the abstract to the practical. For us to achieve that
goal, class discussion is essential. That means I expect more from you than questions,
although questions are welcome at anytime. I want your opinions, your ideas, and your
comments. I expect you to bring possible discussion topics to the class.
As a way to encourage you to participate in class discussions, I will expect
students to post at least two substantive comments to the D2L discussion forum most
days of the winter session. (Students are only required to post one comment on the first
day of the winter session, Monday, Jan. 5.) By substantive comments, I mean that it has
to be more than simply saying you agree or disagree with someone or something. You
need to contribute to the general discussion in some way, either by adding to the
discussion or by taking the discussion in a new direction. I will ask questions on a
regular basis in the D2L discussion sections. Some of these questions will be directly
related to online lectures; some will be introducing new, but related topics. I hope that all
students post far more than two comments a day and become active participants in the
online discussions. I learn something from students every semester and online discussions
give everyone an opportunity to share their experiences and views. Online discussions
force us to give reasons for why we believe something and help us understand the
strengths and weaknesses of our arguments. For me, discussion is a way of not only
understanding what others believe, but also gaining clarity over what I believe. By
joining an online class, I believe there is a responsibility to be actively involved in the
discussions. If for some reason you don’t believe you can participate in these
discussions, please feel free to email me. Please note: The class will operate on a 24hour cycle, beginning at 8 a.m. That is, you will have access to each day’s materials
beginning at 8 a.m. Discussion forum comments for each day must be posted prior to 8
a.m. the next day to earn discussion points.
I consider discussion to be central to the learning experience in this class. In
order for students to engage in meaningful discussions, it is vital that students keep up
with the lectures and actively participate in the class. For that reason, I do not allow
students to work ahead. For the discussions to properly contribute to student learning,
it is vital that discussions remain focused on the same general topic each day.
Since the discussion questions build on ideas discussed in lecture, it is imperative
that you listen to the day’s lecture prior to posting a comment in the discussion forum.
D2L allows me to monitor whether students have opened and listened to lectures. If I
determine that students have posted comments in the discussion forum without
opening or engaging with the lecture materials, I will subtract points from the
discussion scores.
Some of the subjects that we will be discussing are likely to generate strong
feelings for some members of the class. I strive to be open to diverse ideas and
comments, and I expect all members of the class to be similarly receptive. This does not
mean you must agree, only that you treat people with respect and civility.
Academic Misconduct
It is essential that all work (remember, this is an ethics class) you submit for this
class be your own and/or contains proper attribution. UWM’s academic misconduct
policy is as follows: “The university has a responsibility to promote academic honesty
and integrity and to develop procedures to deal effectively with instances of academic
dishonesty. Students are responsible for the honest completion and representation of
their work, for the appropriate citation of sources, and for respect of others’ academic
endeavors.”
I will refer cases of academic misconduct to the College of Letters & Science with
a recommendation for disciplinary action. A more detailed description of Student
Academic Disciplinary Procedures can be found in Regents Policy, UWS Chapter 14 and
UWM Faculty Document #1686. Please do not let this happen. If you have questions
about this policy, please contact me.
Special Accommodations
Students who need special accommodations are encouraged to talk with me as
soon as possible. They should also contact the Accessibility Resource Center. More
information is available at this link: http://www4.uwm.edu/sac/ .
Other Accommodations
For information on accommodations for religious observances and active military
duty please go to the following site:
http://www.uwm.edu/Dept/SecU/SyllabusLinks.pdf.
Incompletes
A notation of "incomplete" may be given in lieu of a final grade to a
student who has carried a subject successfully until the end of a semester but who,
because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond the student's control,
has been unable to take or complete the final examination or to complete some limited
amount of term work. To qualify for an incomplete, the student and instructor must agree
on a date by which missing work will be completed.
Complaint procedures
Students may direct complaints to the head of the academic unit or department in
which the complaint occurs. If the complaint allegedly violates a specific university
policy, it may be directed to the head of the department or academic unit in which the
complaint occurred or to the appropriate university office responsible for enforcing the
policy. A student may appeal a grade on the grounds that it is based on a capricious or
arbitrary decision of the course instructor. Such an appeal shall follow the established
procedures adopted by the department, college, or school in which the course resides.
More information is available at the following:
http://www4.uwm.edu/letsci/studentservices/policiesforms/pdf/grievance_policy.pdf
Points
Points will be awarded based on the following:
D2L daily discussion posts
Midterm exam
Final exam
Short writing assignment
Case study
42 points (2 points for each post)
100 points
100 points
75 points
100 points
Total points
417 points
Letter grades will be awarded based on final point totals. Grades will generally
be awarded based on the following:
A = 100-95 percent
A- = 94-90 percent
B+ = 89-87 percent
B = 86-83 percent
B- = 82-80 percent
C+ = 79-77 percent
C = 76-73 percent
C- = 72-70 percent
D+ = 69-67 percent
D = 66-63 percent
D- = 62-60 percent
F = 59 percent and below
Class Schedule
Day
Subject
Assignment
1-4
Introduction
Reading: No assigned readings
Lecture: “Introduction”
Respond to one discussion question
1-5
Values and Institutions
Reading: Bellah, et al.;
Gardner, et al.; Epstein
Lecture: “Values and Institutions”
Respond to two discussion questions
1-6
The Role of Ethical Theory
Reading: Christians,
Sandel, chaps. 1-10
Lecture: “Ethical Theory (Part 1)”
“Ethical Theory (Part 2)”
Respond to two discussion questions
1-7
The Role of Political Theory
Reading: Baker
Lecture: “Political Theory”
Respond to two discussion questions
1-8
Truth, Objectivity and
Ethics
Reading: Romano
Lecture: “News: Truthtelling”
Respond to two discussion questions
First paper is due in D2L dropbox by 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 11
Class Schedule
Day
Subject
Reading Assignment
1-11
Reporters and Sources
Reading: Wasserman
Lecture: “News: Reporters and
sources”
Respond to two discussion questions
1-12
Privacy
Reading: Bowman
Lecture: “News: Privacy”
Respond to two discussion questions
Case study topic due by 8 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 13, in D2L dropbox.
1-13
Midterm exam
Exam will be available from 8 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 13, to 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 14.
1-14
Advertising Ethics
Reading: Ewen, “Consumption and
Seduction”
Lecture: “Advertising ethics”
Respond to two discussion questions
1-15
Persuasion and Public Relations
Reading: Boorstin; Ewen, “Coda.”
Lecture: “Public relations”
Respond to two discussion questions
Class Schedule
Day
Subject
Reading Assignment
1-18
Dr. Martin Luther King Day
No assigned readings
No class
1-19
Entertainment and Media:
Violence, Taste, and Exploitation
Reading: Mooallem
Lecture: “entertainment and media”
Respond to two discussion questions
1-20
Ethics of Freedom of Speech
Reading: No assigned readings
Lecture: “free speech”
Respond to two discussion questions
1-21
Final exam
Final exam will be available from 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 21, to 8 a.m. Friday, Jan. 22.
Case Study Papers are due by 8 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 21.