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JMS 412 – Spring 2015
Media Industries and Audiences
M and W class meetings: 11:00 – 11:50 a.m
LSN - 132
Online Activities on Fridays
Instructor: Noah Arceneaux, Ph.D.
Email: noah.arceneaux@sdsu.edu
Phone: 619-594-3236
Office/Hours: PSFA 334, Tuesdays 10:30am – 12:30pm
(additional times by appointment)
Course Description: Reviewing and dissecting claims made by media organizations. Examining models about how individuals make sense of these claims. Investigating how individual and group actions can alter media institutions and content.
Expanded Description: This course is structured around answering one question, “What is an audienc e?”
According to old theories of mass communication, members of the media audience are assumed to be passive non-participants in a one-way form of communication. For the next few months, we will explore the notion that different forms of mass media should be more accurately conceptualized as a two-way form of communication. As individuals and as organized interest groups, the audience is actively engaged in the process of meaning-making.
In this course, we will also study the ways in which the “audience” is imagined and measured by different media industries. We will study how programmers, advertisers, and media practitioners interpret these statistics and what decisions are made because of them.
We will also study theories of the “active audience” and the various ways in which academics, as opposed to media practitioners, conceptualize the audience. Finally, we will conclude by examining a few case studies in which individuals have utilized various forms of media to enact social change, express alternate viewpoints, and force governments to alter their policies.
Objectives: By the end of this course, you will be able to -

Understand and explain the basic measurements used in commercial audience analysis.

Identify the different business models that underlie the media industries.

Describe specific instances in which individuals and/or interest groups have used various forms of media to alter the actions of larger institutions.

Construct arguments in a logical, informed manner.
Required Readings:
John L. Sullivan, Media Audiences: Effects, Users, Institutions, and Power (SAGE, 2013)
The New York Times
You can choose either a digital subscription or the print version. Note: Signing up for the printed paper also give you online access.
Use the following link to sign up for a discounted subscription:
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Suggested Viewing:
If you are not already familiar with the characters and mythology of Star Wars , you should watch at least the first two installments in the franchise: and The Empire Strikes Back
Star Wars (1977)
(1980). (Some individuals refer to these two films as
Episode IV and Episode V respectively, but I refuse to engage in this act of historical revisionism.)
Media Studies Requirements: Students must have completed JMS 408 and earned at least a C in that class. For students pursuing a Media Studies major, they must earn at least a C in this class as well.
If my official class roster does not indicate that you have met this pre-req, I will email you and ask that you bring an unofficial copy of your class transcript to the next class meeting.
Policies:

Prior to each lecture, I will post a Word document with lecture notes on BlackBoard.
These notes are not intended to be a substitute for attending class, though I do believe that they make taking in-class notes easier. (Note: These notes include only the text from my PowerPoint presentations, as I found from past experience that posting the entire
PowerPoint files is time-consuming and less helpful.)

Students are responsible for all material presented in class, on BlackBoard, and in the readings. Material on the exams will be drawn from all of these sources. (So simply reading the lecture notes will not be sufficient.)

Exams will use the thin red Scantron form, aka F289.

Throughout the semester, I will use the class BlackBoard site to post announcements, reminders, and other material relating to the course. If an item is of particular importance,
I will make sure that the information is emailed to everyone enrolled in the class. It is your responsibility to keep up with this information and regularly check the email address that is associated with your name.

Hotmail accounts have been known to filter out BlackBoard announcements as spam.

The lectures last only 50 minutes. It is assumed that during this brief amount of time, you will refrain from browsing the internet, texting, personal grooming, and any other activity that might distract your classmates.

If your mobile phone rings more than once during the semester, I reserve the right to deduct points from your final grade.
Academic Dishonesty - Plagiarism and Cheating
The University adheres to a strict policy regarding cheating and plagiarism. These activities will not be tolerated in this class. Become familiar with the policy (http://www.sa.sdsu.edu/srr/conduct1.html). Any cheating or plagiarism will result in failing this class and a disciplinary review by Student Affairs.
Examples of Plagiarism include but are not limited to:
 
Using sources verbatim or paraphrasing without giving proper attribution (this can include
 
  phrases, sentences, paragraphs and/or pages of work)
Copying and pasting work from a online or offline source directly and calling it your own
Using information you find from an online or offline source without giving the author credit

Replacing words or phrases from another source and inserting your own words or
  phrases
Submitting a piece of work you did for one class to another class
If you have questions on what is plagiarism, please consult this helpful guide from the Library: http://library.sdsu.edu/guides/tutorial.php?id=28&pid=138
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Disability
If you are a student with a disability and believe you will need accommodations for this class, it is your responsibility to contact Student Disability Services at (619) 594-6473. To avoid any delay in the receipt of your accommodations, you should contact Student Disability Services as soon as possible. Please note that accommodations are not retroactive, and that accommodations based upon disability cannot be provided until you have presented your instructor with an accommodation letter from Student Disability Services. Your cooperation is appreciated.
Grading:
The instructor has the final authority on all grades, and reserves the right to deviate from the various point values listed below when appropriate.
Your final grade will be based on 400 points. Do not be confused by anything else that appears on BlackBoard.
Exam 1 (Wed Feb 25), Multiple Choice + Short Answer
Exam 2 (Wed March 25), Multiple Choice + Short Answer
Exam 3 (Monday May 11) Short Answer + Multiple choice
Quizzes (Based on material in NYT, four total)
Online Activities (12 in total / points vary for each assignment)
Total
60 points
70
100
20
150
400 points
At the end of the semester, I will take your total number of points and divide by 4. I will then use the standard SDSU grading scale to determine a specific letter grade. This grading scale is included below. There may be extra credit opportunities that arise as the semester progresses though this is entirely up to my discretion.
Online Activities
There are 12 online activities. See the Schedule below for the specifics of each activity.
The instructions for each activity will be live on BlackBoard on Monday morning, at 9:00am, with the deadline on the following Friday at 12:00 pm (aka noon). In some instances, I may give you more advance notice, but this is the basic schedule that I will follow.
Some of the activities involve written assignments, and these will be submitted through the
Turnitin function on BlackBoard. Other activities are Discussion Boards, which you will also access through BlackBoard.
Your grade will be determined based on how closely you followed the instructions, comprehension of material, and clarity of your writing. Late work is not accepted and will result in an automatic grade of zero for the activity.
The point value for each assignment varies, and some of them will require more careful thought and effort than others.
Exams
Exams will be a combination of multiple choice and short answer. I will post a brief study guide a few weeks prior to each exam, though I strongly encourage you to read all of the assigned material. (Don’t completely ignore the material that is not listed in a study guide.)
Make-Up Exams
I will only allow students to miss regularly scheduled exams for extremely compelling, valid reasons, and will require proof of your excuse. Oversleeping, the inability to find a parking spot, a conflicting work schedule, a previously scheduled airline flight , getting a DUI, or other similar reasons are not valid excuses. I strongly encourage you to examine the schedule at the end of this syllabus before making any travel arrangements.
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If you have an issue or conflict with any of these dates, you must contact me BEFORE the exam in question.
Quizzes
There will be four brief quizzes during the semester. These quizzes will be on predetermined
Mondays (see the schedule below for dates), and each quiz will be based on material that appeared in the New York Times Media & Advertising section on Monday – Friday of the previous week. http://www.nytimes.com/pages/business/media/index.html
There are no make-up dates for these quizzes. If you have a valid reason for missing class on the day of a quiz (such as being part of a university athletic team that is traveling), let me know as far in advance as possible.
NYT Quiz Dates
Monday Feb 9
Monday Feb 23
Monday March 9
Monday May 4
Grade Breakdown:
100 – 93
92.9 – 90
89.9 – 87
86.9 – 83
82.9 – 80
79.9 – 77
76.9 – 70
69.9 – 67
66.9 – 63
62.9 – 0
A
A -
B +
B
B -
C +
C
D+
D
F
Note: If you for any reason you are unable to meet the basic course requirements or require special accommodations, please contact me as soon as possible.
Semester Outline/Schedule:
This outline is subject to revision as the semester progresses . You will receive ample warning of any significant deviation from this schedule.
Wed Jan 21 – Introduction to Class
Friday Jan 23 – No Class / No Online Activity
Mon Jan 26 – Intro to Basic Terms / Concepts
Wed Jan 28 – Data Collection Methods
Friday Jan 30 – Online Activity #1 (Tips on Effective Writing, 10 points)
Mon Feb 2 – Ratings & Advertising
Wed Feb 4 – Ratings and TV Programming
Friday Feb 6 – Online Activity #2 (Watching the Viewer, 10 points)
Mon Feb 9 – Ratings & TV Programming (Cont’d)
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NYT Quiz #1
Wed Feb 11 – Cable TV
Friday Feb 13 – Online Activity #3 (Cord Cutting Analysis, 10 points)
Mon Feb 16 – DVRs
Wed Feb 18 – Post-Network TV
Friday Feb 20 – Online Activity #4 (Editorial Assignment, 20 points)
Mon Feb 23 – Exam #1 Review
NYT Quiz #2
Wed Feb 25 – Exam #1
Friday Feb 27 – Online Activity #5 (Disc Board response, 5 points)
Mon March 2 - Radio & Ratings
Wed March 4 - Radio & Ratings (cont’d)
Friday March 6 - Online Activity #6 (Radio Comm’l Assignment, 20 points)
Mon March 9 – Media Rituals
NYT Quiz #3
Wed March 11 – In Class Activity, Media Rituals
Friday March 13 – Online Activity #7 (Analysis of Media Rituals, 10 points)
Mon March 16 – Online Audience Metrics
Wed March 18 – Search Engines / Audience Metrics
Friday March 20 – Online Activity #8 (Job Hunting, 20 points)
Mon March 23 – Exam #2 Review
Wed March 25 – Exam #2
Friday March 27 – No Online Activity
Mon March 30 - Spring Break
Wed April 1 - Spring Break
Friday April 3 - Spring Break
Mon April 6 - Audience Studies
Wed April 8 - Fandom
Friday April 10 – Online Activity #9 (Fandom Wiki, 10 points)
Mon April 13 – No Class, Instructor at conference
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Wed April 15 – No Class, Instructor at conference
Friday April 17 - Online Activity #10 (Essay on Fandom Wiki, 20 points)
Mon April 20 – The Phenomenon of Mon Calamari
Wed April 22 – Hip Hop as Radical Media
Friday April 24 - Online Activity #11 (Fair Use Argument, 10 points)
Mon April 27 – UK Pirate Radio
Wed April 29 – KPBS Guest Lecture
Friday May 1 - Online Activity #12 (Disc Board response, 5 points)
Mon May 4 – Samizdat
NYT Quiz #4
Wed May 6 – Exam #3 Review
Thursday May 7 – last day of classes
Exam #3: Monday May 11, 10:30am – please note that this is earlier than our usual start time!
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