COMMUNICATION 360: MASS COMMUNICATION THEORY &
EFFECTS
FALL 2015
ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY
Instructor: K. Megan Hopper
Office: 454 Fell Hall
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-3 p.m.
Email: khopper@ilstu.edu
COURSE DESCRIPTION
This course is designed to familiarize you with the prominent theories of mass
communication. We will address the development of media theories from the early stages
to the contemporary models. Particular emphasis will be placed on the most notable
social scientific theories. Upon completion of the course you should have an extensive
understanding of how theory and research can be used to explain the influence of media
on individuals and society and how the social effects of the mass media are studied.
REQUIRED TEXT
Mass Communication Theory - Foundations, Ferment, and Future, 6th edition by Stanley
J. Baran and Dennis K. Davis
COURSE WEBSITE
This course has a ReggieNet website. You should check ReggieNet often for
announcements, documents/assignments, and grades.
COURSE ASSIGNMENTS & GRADING
Course evaluation will include one exam, one paper, one group project, and 10 in-class
reading reflection quizzes.
Assignments
Points
Synthesis Paper
Exam
Reading Reflections (10 pts each)
Research Project Presentation & Paper
60
100
40
200
TOTAL
400
1
Exam: There will be one comprehensive exam in this class. The exam may contain
multiple choice, true/false, short answer, and/or essay questions and is worth 100 pts.
Synthesis Paper: There will be three synthesis paper assignments during the course of
the semester, and each student will select and do ONE of these paper assignments. The
due dates for each paper assignment are provided on the course schedule. The paper is
worth 60 points. Papers will be graded on accuracy of information, strength of argument,
insight, and writing style. Papers should follow current APA style guidelines, and should
be 4-5 pages in length. Detailed instructions for each paper option will be posted on our
course ReggieNet site.
Research Project: You will work in groups of 3-4 to design a research study on media
effects employing one of the theories we discuss in class. There will be both a written
(150 points) and an oral presentation (50 points) component to the assignment. Detailed
instructions for this assignment will be posted on our course ReggieNet site.
Reading Reflections: It is very important that you attend class and keep up with the
assigned readings. To encourage this, I will periodically ask you to complete a reflection
on the assigned readings during class. There will be four reading reflections, each worth
10 points, over the course of the semester.
Policies for Graduate Students: In addition to the course assignments (evaluated using
standards appropriate for graduate level work), graduate students will be responsible for
TWO paper assignments. Graduate students will also be expected to lead one session of
class and complete the research project individually rather than as part of a group.
Extra Credit Opportunities: There will be a few extra credit opportunities for research
participation. The extra credit points will be added to your final grade, and may not necessarily appear in
the gradebook immediately upon your completion of the opportunity. There are no guarantees for extra
credit, and it is each student’s responsibility to be aware of and take advantage of such opportunities. You
may receive extra credit for participating in any of the studies in the School of Communication’s Research
Pool. The Research Pool is updated as research studies are opened/closed, and it is your responsibility to
access the Pool and be aware of available opportunities. The Research Pool can be accessed via:
https://sites.google.com/site/isucomresearch/
In general, each 30 minutes of participation in an extra credit study will earn you .5 Research Credits. Each
Research Credit is worth an additional 0.5% of your total possible final grade in this course. For example, if
you participate in a research study that requires you to spend an hour in a lab (i.e., 1 Research Credit), and
your course is based on a 1000-point total, your participation would provide 10 points to your final grade.
Each project listed on the Research Pool site will indicate the specific number of Research Credits
associated with the project. The course instructor will get evidence of participation and the time of
participation from the researcher(s) who administer the research studies at the conclusion of the semester;
however, it is your responsibility to make sure that the researchers have the necessary evidence of your
participation at the time of the study. Before participating in a study, please be sure to have your name,
ULID (i.e., the part of your email before @ilstu.edu), instructor name, and course and section number
ready, as you will need to provide these to receive credit. Research Credit can only be applied to one
course for each study, unless specified otherwise in the Research Pool. A maximum of 5% of your final
course grade can be earned from extra credit opportunities via the Research Pool. After the final exam there
will be no further opportunities for extra credit or to otherwise improve your grade.
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Please also be aware that federal guidelines indicate that instructors offering extra credit for research
participation must offer a reasonable alternative (such as a research paper) for students who want to earn
extra credit but do not want to participate in a study.
GENERAL COURSE POLICIES
Note: The information contained in the course syllabus, other than the grade and absence
policies, may be subject to change with reasonable advance notice, as deemed appropriate
by the instructor.
TURNING IN ASSIGNMENTS – If you know you will not be in class when an
assignment is due, you may turn it in early or have a classmate turn it in for you. You
may also leave it in my mailbox before class. You MAY NOT turn in assignments via
email attachments.
MISSING CLASS – There are no exam make-ups, except in the case of documented
personal emergencies. You CANNOT make up in-class presentations or reading
reflections. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to seek what you missed. I do not
provide notes for classes that you miss – get notes from a classmate for any material you
missed.
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE – Be respectful of others in the classroom. While class
discussions are expected, students should be respectful of others’ comments and
intellectual insights. Further, students may not read newspapers (or other materials not
related to this course), listen to music, check email, surf the Internet, chat online, or
talk/text on cell phones during class. Turn off your phones, pagers, and/or blackberries,
etc. before entering the classroom. Disruptive or threatening behavior may result in a
warning, a lowered grade, or expulsion from the class.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY -- The academic community regards academic dishonesty
as an extremely serious matter, with serious consequences, that range from probation to
expulsion. If you are unsure about plagiarism, paraphrasing, quotes or collaborations, ask
me. Plagiarism will result in a zero grade for the assignment, and you will be reported to
the Office of the Provost.
ADA STATEMENT – Any student needing to arrange a reasonable accommodation for
a documented disability should contact Disability Concerns at 350 Fell Hall, 438-5853
(voice), 438-8620 (TDD) and me immediately. All reasonable efforts will be made to
accommodate your needs.
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Week
Date
Topic
Reading
1
Tuesday
Aug. 18
Introduction to class
Course syllabus
Thursday
Aug. 20
Defining mass comm.
4 eras of mass comm.
pp. 3-12; Ch. 2
Tuesday
Aug. 25
Introduction to media research
--
Thursday
Aug. 27
Mass society theory
Ch. 3
Tuesday
Sep. 1
Propaganda
Ch. 4 - pp.73-83
Thursday
Sep. 3
Propaganda cont’d
Ch. 4 - pp.83-95
Tuesday
Sep. 8
Social roles of mass media
--
Thursday
Sep. 10
Limited-effects theory
Ch. 6
Tuesday
Sep. 15
Intro. to children and media
Ch. 7
Thursday
Sep. 17
Entertainment Education
Rdg. on ReggieNet
Tuesday
Sep. 22
Cultural Studies and critical theory
Ch. 8 - pp. 209-229
Thursday
Sep. 24
Technological Determinism
Ch. 8 – pp. 229-237
2
3
4
5
6
4
Assignment
Paper #1 assigned
7
8
9
10
11
12
Tuesday
Sep. 29
Active audience
Parasocial interaction
Ch. 9
Thursday
Oct. 1
Uses & gratifications
Reception studies
Ch. 9
PAPER #1 DUE
Tuesday
Oct. 6
Inno. diffusion theory, Knowledge
gap, and Spiral of silence
Ch. 10
Paper #2 assigned
Thursday
Oct. 8
Agenda setting
Ch. 10
Tuesday
Oct. 13
Framing & Agenda setting in the
news
Ch. 11 – pp. 313340
Thurs
Oct. 15
NO CLASS
GROUP WORK DAY
Tuesday
Oct. 20
Cultivation theory
Ch. 11 – pp. 340347
Paper #3 assigned
Thursday
Oct. 22
Fright reaction theories
Rdg. on ReggieNet
PAPER #2 DUE
Tuesday
Oct. 27
Research Proposal
Presentations
--
PROPOSAL
PRESENTATIONS
Thursday
Oct. 29
NO CLASS
GROUP WORK DAY
--
GROUP WORK
DAY
Tuesday
Nov. 3
Video games and virtual worlds
Presence Rdg. on
ReggieNet
Thursday
Nov. 5
Effects of depictions of health/body Rdg. on ReggieNet
PREPARE
PROPOSAL
PRESENTATION
5
13
14
Tuesday
Nov. 10
Effects of depictions of
sex/sexuality
Aubrey et al. Rdg.
on ReggieNet
Thursday
Nov. 12
Media literacy & Exam review
Ch. 11 - pp. 351356; Media literacy
Rdg. on ReggieNet
GRAD STUDENT
DISCUSSION
LEADER
Tuesday
Nov. 17
EXAM
--
EXAM
Thursday
Nov. 19
NO CLASS
GROUP WORK DAY
--
PREPARE FOR
FINAL
PRESENTATIONS
15
Tuesday
THANKSGIVING BREAK
Nov. 23-27 NO CLASS
--
16
Tuesday
Dec. 1
Research Project Presentations
--
PAPER #3 DUE
Thursday
Dec. 3
Research Project Presentations
--
RESEARCH
PROJECT
PAPERS DUE
Dec. 7-11
NO CLASS – FINALS WEEK
17
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