NYU Department of Media, Culture, and Communication
MCC-GE 1028 ETHICS AND MEDIA
The purpose of this course is twofold: 1) to equip future media professionals with sensitivity to
moral values under challenge as well as the necessary skills in critical thinking and decision
making for navigating their roles and responsibilities in relation to them and 2) honing those
same skills and sensitivities for consumers of media and citizens in media saturated societies.
Weekly Schedule
Jan 29 Introduction to the course
Jan 31 Truth
Cases: Advertising, Fabrication in the news
Readings
Federal Trade Commission. “FTC Launches ‘Big Fat Lie’ Initiative Targeting Bosu Weight-loss Claims.”
Federal Trade Commission. 9 November 2004. Web. 28 January 2013.
Federal Trade Commission. “Ads for Various Diet Supplements and Topical Gels Don’t Cut the Fat, Says
the FTC.” Federal Trade Commission. 16 June 2004. Web. 28 January 2013.
Tugman, L. “FTC Cracking Down on Weight Loss Pill Scams.” Today’s THV. 20 April 2011. Web. 28 Jan
2013.
Rolbillard, K. “10 Journos Caught Fabricating.” Politico. 31 July 2012. Web. 28 January 2013.
Bok, S. Lying: Moral Choices in Public and Private Life. New York: Parthenon Books, 32-46, 267-272.
1978.
Davis, N.A. (1991) "Contemporary Deontology," A Companion to Ethics. Ed. P. Singer. Cambridge, MA:
Basil Blackwell, Inc., 205-218.
Spence, E. and B. van Heekeren (2005) “Truth in Advertising.” In Advertising Ethics, Saddle River, NJ:
Pearson Prentice Hall, 41-53
Feb 5-7 Means and Ends
Cases: Starving Child; Newton, CT
Readings
Shafer, J. “Newtown Teaches Us, Once Again, To Discount Early Reports.” Reuters. 17 December 2012.
Web. 24 January 2013.
Bentham, J. (1993) "Classical Hedonism," Moral Philosophy: A Reader. Ed. L. P. Pojman. Indianapolis:
Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 94-96.
Mill, J. S., (1993) "Utilitarianism," Moral Philosophy: A Reader. Ed. L. P. Pojman. Indianapolis: Hackett
Publishing Company, Inc., 114-119.
Pettit, P. (1991) "Consequentialism," A Companion to Ethics. Ed. P. Singer. Cambridge, MA: Basil
Blackwell, Inc., 230-240.
Kant, I. "The Foundations of Ethics," Moral Philosophy: A Reader. Ed. L.P. Pojman. Indianapolis: Hackett
Publishing Company, Inc., 156-175. 1993.
O’Neill, O. “Kantian Ethics.” A Companion to Ethics. Ed. P. Singer. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell, Inc.,
175-184. 1991.
Feb 12-14 Freedom of Expression
Cases: We are Legion
Readings
Mill, J.S. "Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion," Utilitarianism, Liberty, and Representative
Government. London: J.M. Dent & Sons LTD., 1971, 78-113.
Greenawalt, K. (1995) "Rationales for Freedom of Speech," Computers, Ethics, and Social Values. Ed.
D.G. Johnson and H. Nissenbaum. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 664-675.
We Are Legion: The Story of the Hacktivists. Dir. Brian Knappenberger. Luminant Media, 2012. Film.
Feb 19-21 Limits on Freedom of Expression
Cases: Pornography; Google on Anti-Semitic Sites; Danish Cartoons; Innocence of Muslims; Rap
Readings
TheMohammedFilms. “Innocence of Muslims Full Movie HD 1080P Trailer.” YouTube. 16 September
2012. Web. 28 January 2013.
MacAskill, E., S. Leville, L. Harding. “Cartoon Controversy Spreads Throughout Muslim World.” Berlin
Guardian. 4 February 2006. Web. January 28 2013.
Ruthven, M. “Why Are the Muhammad Cartoons Still Inciting Violence?” The New York Review of Books.
9 February 2011. Web. 28 January 2013.
Reuters Staff. “Danish Muhammad Cartoonist Rejects Censorship.” Reuters. 20 Sept 2012. Web. 28
January 2013.
Becker, D. “Google Caught in Anti-Semitism Flap.” CNET. 7 April 2004. Web. 28 January 2013.
Hopkins, D. “Google: We Won’t Censor Anti-Semitism.” Mashable. 12 November 2007. Web. 28 January
2013.
The People vs. Larry Flynt. Dir. Milos Forman. Perf. Woody Harrelson, Courtney Love, Edward Norton.
Phoenix Pictures, 1996. Film.
West, C. “Ponrography and Censorship.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 5 May 2004. Web. 28
January 2013.
Feb 26-28 Moral Relativism in a Time of Global Media
Cases: Yahoo! In China
Readings
Garger, I. “Yahoo China is Under Fire Again: Rights Groups Says It Helps Authorities Convict
Dissidents.” The Wall Street Journal: Market Watch. 28 April 2006. Web. 28 January 2013.
Gunther, M. “Yahoo’s China Problem.” Fortune. 22 February 2006. Web. 28 January 2013.
Benedict, R. "In Defense of Moral Relativism." Moral Philosophy: A Reader. Ed. L. P. Pojman.
Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing Company, Inc., 21-25. 1993.
Gowans, C. “Moral Relativism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 2008. Web. 24 January 2013.
Herodotus. "Custom Is King." Moral Philosophy: A Reader. Ed. L. P. Pojman. Indianapolis: Hackett
Publishing Company, Inc., 20. 1993.
Stace, W. "Ethical Relativism." Reason and Responsibility: Readings in Some Basic Problems of
Philosophy, 5th ed. Ed. J. Feinberg. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing Company, 492-497. 1981.
Wong, D. "Relativism." A Companion to Ethics. Ed. P. Singer. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell, Inc., 442450. 1991.
Mar 5-7 Expression and Private Life
Cases: Mosley; Patraeus; TMZ; Perez Hilton; Paparazzi
Readings
Halbfinger, D. and A. Hope Weiner. “As Paparazzi Push Harder, Stars Try To Push Back.” The New York
Times. 9 June 2005. Web. 27 January 2013.
Shane, S. “Online Privacy Issue Is Also in Play in Petraeus Scandal.” The New York Times. 13 November
2012. Web. 28 January 2013.
Feinberg, J. “Limits to the Free Expression of Opinion.” Freedom and Fulfillment: Philosophical Essays.
Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 124-151. 1994.
Mar 12-14 The Whole Truth
Cases: Wikileaks; Bin Laden tapes; Science journalism embargo; Newton, CT
Readings
Deggens, E. “Understanding Newtown: When Does Shielding Victims Trump the Press’ Push to
Know?” Tampa Bay Times. 19 December 2012. Web. 27 January 2013.
Ohlheiser, A. “Newtown Bee: “Please Stay Away From the Victims”” Slate. 17 December 2012. Web. 24
Jan 2013.
Shirky, Clay. Wikileaks and the Long Haul. Clay Shirky. 6 December 2010. Web. 28 January 2013.
Zimmer, Michael. “Wikileaks and Information Ethics.” SlideShare. 14 April 2011. Web. 28 January 2013.
Marlin, R. “Propaganda and the Ethics of Wikileaks.” Global Media Journal Austrailian Edition. 2011.
Web. 28 January 2013.
Keller, Bill. “Dealing With Assange and the WikiLeaks Secrets.” The New York Times. 26 January 2011.
Web. 28 January 2013.
Huffington Post Staff. “New York Times’ Bill Keller Target of WikiLeaks Op-Ed, Twitter Hoax.” Huffington
Post. 29 July 2012. Web. 28 January 2013.
Fahrenheit 9/11. Dir. Michael Moore. Lions Gate Films, IFC Films, Dog Eat Dog Films. 2004. Film.
Mar 19-21 Spring recess
Mar 26-28 Just and Fair Representation
Cases: Advertising, TV, Digital games; Rap
Readings
Gray, H. “The Politics of Representation in Network Television.” Ed. H. Newcomb. Television: the Critical
View. 6th edition. 2000.
Geena Davis Institute. “See Jane PSA Video.” Geena Davis Institute on Gender and Media. 2012. Web.
28 Jan. 2013.
Smith, S. and C. Cook. “Gender Stereotypes: An Analysis of Popular Films and TV.” Conference 2008,
The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media. 2008. Web. 28 January 2013.
Williams, D, N. Martins, M. Consalvo and J. D. Ivory. “The Virtual Census: Representations of Gender,
Race and Age in Video Games.” New Media & Society. 11: 815. 2009.
Bogost, I. “The Rhetoric of Video Games." The Ecology of Games: Connecting Youth, Games, and
Learning. Edited by K. Salen. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Series on Digital
Media and Learning. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2008. 117–140.
Mulvey, L. “Visual Pleasure and Narrative Cinema.” Screen. 16.3 Autumn, 1975. 6-18.
Rawls, J. "A Theory of Justice (excerpts)." Introduction to Ethics. Ed. Gary Percesepe. Englewood Cliffs,
NJ: Prentice Hall, 58-64. 1995.
Frankfurt, H. "Equality and Respect." Social Research. 64(1), 3-15. 1997.
Kymlicka, W. "The Social Contract Tradition." A Companion to Ethics. Ed. P. Singer. Cambridge, MA:
Basil Blackwell, Inc., 186-196. 1991.
Apr 2-4 Nothing But the Truth
Cases: Jonah Lehrer; Photoshop; Airbrushing Twiggy
Readings
AP Staff. “Jonah Lehrer Admits to Fake Bob Dylan Quotes, Resigns from New Yorker.” CBS News. 30
July 2012. Web. 28 January 2013.
Kinney, D. “Freewheelin’: Bob Dylan, Jonah Lehrer, and the Truth.” The New York Times. 2 August 2012.
Web. 28 January 2013.
Almond, B. (1991) “Rights,” A Companion to Ethics. Ed. P. Singer. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell, Inc.,
259-269.
Apr 9-11 Sex, Violence, and Responsibility
Cases: Violent Games, TV, Movies; Rap
Readings
Cifaldi, F. “Vice President Biden’s Warning to the Video Game Industry.” Gamasutra. 15 January 2013.
Web. 24 January 2013.
Eshleman, A. “Moral Responsibility.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 6 January 2001. Web. 28 Jan.
2013.
Loneliness. Jordan Magnuson. 2011. Flash. 24 January 2013.
Apr 16-18 Just Society, Good Companies, Virtuous Professionals
Readings
Aristotle. "Virtue Ethics." Moral Philosophy: A Reader. Ed. L.P. Pojman. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing
Co, Inc., 201-211. 1993.
Pence, G. 1991 "Virtue Theory." A Companion to Ethics. Ed. P. Singer. Cambridge, MA: Basil Blackwell,
Inc., 249-258. 1991.
Berlin, I. The Crooked Timber of Humanity: Chapters in the History of Ideas. Ed. H. Hardy, NY: Knopf, 119. 1991.
Apr 23-25 Behavioral Advertising
Readings
Video
Various readings
Apr 30 Spill over
May 2
Spill over
May 7
In-class work on products
May 9
Student Presentations