READINGS IN
MASS COMMUNICATION
HISTORY
JOMC 742.1
Spring 2010
T 2-4:50
Room 253, Carroll Hall
Instructor: Dr. Barbara Friedman
Office: 357 Carroll Hall
Office Hours: Thursday, 11-11:30
and by appointment
E-mail: bfriedman@unc.edu
Phone: 843-2099
Course Description & Objectives
This is a colloquium in the history of American journalism and mass
media, the field in which most of you will spend your professional
careers. The main purpose is to usher you into the study of
communication history and history in general. It will introduce you to a
broad survey of compelling salient and recent work in American history
that addresses journalism and communication as a means to develop
your teaching and research interests, and as a basis for the appreciation
of historical research methods.
At the conclusion of the course, you will have a greater awareness of the
diversity of historical research. You will have the capability to locate a
range of interdisciplinary literature, write a critical review of published
scholarly work, and effectively conceptualize and write a sound research
paper.
Required Texts
James D. Startt and Wm. David Sloan, Historical Methods in Mass
Communication (Northport, AL: Vision Press, 2003). Available at Student
Stores.
Jean Folkerts, Dwight Teeter & Edward Caudill, Voices of a Nation: A
History of Mass Media in the United States, 5th ed. (Boston: Pearson,
2009)
* Note: The Folkerts book is a general mass communication history text
and is intended to foster an appreciation for the field and an
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understanding for how authors approach the subject chronologically.
You will find it a useful reference this semester and throughout your
research/teaching career – it will be particularly helpful if you do not
have a grounding in American mass media history.
Reading
As you should expect in a graduate colloquium, the reading load is
heavy. I expect you to have read all the assigned material before arriving
to class – this will give us a common frame of reference for discussion, as
they are specifically related to each week’s themes or issues. You will find
it helpful to print out your reading and bring it to class with you for
reference. When you are responsible for leading a class discussion, I will
expect you to seek out additional resources to enhance your
presentation.
Note: For some reading on BB, you will be prompted for a password -type “jhistory” (without quotation marks).
Writing
Weekly Reading Responses
For any 10 weeks during our semester, with the exception of week 3, you
are responsible for writing responses to the week’s reading, due when
you arrive to class (limit: one essay per week). Limit your essays to one
page (about 250 words double-spaced), and please use 12-point font and
typical margins. You will discover quickly that a one-page essay requires
you to be very focused and concise.
These responses should be your structured reflections on some element
of the assigned reading – they are not summaries. You might focus on the
theme of the week’s reading, compare two or more readings, evaluate the
methodological approach of one or more author, sources, challenge the
authors’ conclusions or some other topic of your choosing. Be sure to cite
additional sources if you use them in your essay.
Book Review
You are responsible for writing a 750-word book review of one title from
the list of readings provided by the instructor. Reviews should be written
in the style of those in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly,
Journalism History or American Journalism. You will make an informal
presentation of your review to the class.
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Final Paper
The longer paper will be a 20- to 25-page (excluding notes) historical
research paper. More details will be provided in class, but do note that
for the purposes of this paper, “historical” is defined as at least 10 years
old, meaning the event charted must have occurred prior to 2000. There
will be no exceptions to this rule.
A paragraph discussing the nature of your paper topic and the
methodology that you expect to use to conduct the research will be due
in class week 4. This will be a chance for me to see what you plan to do
and guide your project before the paper proposals are due. I encourage
you to meet with me to discuss your topics prior to the submission to the
paragraph, as well as after you receive my comments.
A more detailed proposal will be due in class week 7. This should be a 3to 5-page proposal consisting of an introduction to the paper, literature
review, statement of purpose and methodology. You are encouraged to
schedule an appointment to meet with me prior to submission of the
paper proposal. I will distribute detailed requirements of the paper
proposal in class and on BB.
Final papers are due at the final exam period, and will be evaluated
according to standards established by national conventions at which
history papers are presented. These standards include: 1) originality and
importance of the topic; 2) conceptualization and literature review; 3)
clarity of research purpose and focus; 4) research methods and use of
original, primary sources; 5) evidence supports the paper’s stated
purpose, focus and conclusions; 6) quality of writing, organization and
presentation; and 7) degree to which this work contributes to the
understanding of communication/journalism history. We will apply these
standards as we read through various articles during the semester, so
that you will become accustomed to the conventions of historical
research.
I encourage you to submit your paper to the American Journalism
Historians Association (AJHA) conference, which has a May deadline. The
AEJMC History Division (April deadline), ICA Communication History
Interest Group (November deadline), and AEJ Southeast Colloquium
(December deadline) are additional submission opportunities. Do
remember, however, that submitting your paper is a promise to attend
the conference if your paper is accepted. Submission to an academic
conference is not a requirement for the course, but if you are planning a
career in academia, submission to a conference or publication will hold
you in good stead with potential employers on graduation.
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Since this is not a seminar, I will only be able to read and comment on
your papers once; there will be no opportunity to revise it for a higher
grade as you might in a seminar.
Due dates are noted on the syllabus. If you want to polish your paper to
meet an early conference deadline, I am willing to work with you to do
that.
Presentations
This course uses a thematic approach to various areas in mass
communication history. The topics listed in the week-by-week schedule
will be treated in two ways: 1) through student oral presentations and 2)
through reading core material on given topics and book-length mass
media histories. During one class period, you will present a “lecture” on a
selected subject of about 12-15 minutes and lead a discussion.
You will be expected to narrow the subject as seems appropriate to you
and if applicable, in consultation with other participants on given days.
Discussion will follow each presentation, with the student(s) presenting
the day’s “lectures” serving as discussion leader(s). You should plan on
writing one of your 10 response papers the same day of your
presentation, as it will help you prepare your presentation.
Please pick topics of interest to you and dates for presentation that will
best fit your schedule. These “lectures” are expected to be factual in
nature, although student leaders are certainly welcome to spend a short
period of time evaluating the literature available on the subject.
You will also make a presentation of your book reviews, intended to be
similarly brief, 10-15 minutes at the most.
A sign-up sheet for both presentations will be distributed in class.
Attendance
You are expected to attend and arrive prepared for every class, having
done the assigned reading before we meet. Active, thoughtful
participation indicates taking responsibility for your intellectual
development, a hallmark of graduate education. Success in this class
and in your graduate program is determined in part by your effort and
thus, your grade will be affected by attendance, preparation and
participation. Missing more than one class, arriving to class habitually
late or routinely leaving early will lower your grade. Keep in mind these
are your points to lose.
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Grades
The course will operate on several levels, and as with most graduate level
courses, its success will depend greatly upon your participation.
Primarily, it will be a reading and discussion course with one major
written assignment. Barring extreme circumstances, I do not accept late
papers.
Your final grade will be expressed as an H, L or P. Generally, it will be
calculated this way:
Response papers/presentation
Book review/presentation
Research paper
Participation
15
15
50
20
percent
percent
percent
percent
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. You are expected to adhere to
the University’s Honor Code. Read the code at http://honor.unc.edu.
Schedule
Note: What follows is a tentative reading and assignment schedule. The
syllabus is a general plan for the course; the instructor reserves the right
to make changes as needed.
Week 1, Jan. 12: History: What is it Good For?
Introduction & Overview
Sign up for presentations, book reviews
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Startt & Sloan, Chapter 1, “The Nature of History”
Barbie Zelizer, “History and Journalism,” in Taking Journalism
Seriously (2004).
Barbara W. Tuchman, “In Search of History,” in Practicing History
(1981).
Errol Morris, “Whose Father Was He?” New York Times (5-part
series), March 29, 2009. Online at http://tinyurl.com/ya3n9bd.
 Q: What constitutes mass communication history and what can
it tell us? How?
Week 2, Jan. 19: Recovering the Past

Startt & Sloan, Chapter 2, “Interpretation in History”
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Wm. David Sloan, “How to Find Topics Worth Studying,” American
Journalism 22 (Spring 2005).
David Paul Nord, “The Practice of Historical Research,” in Mass
Communication Research and Theory, ed. by Stempel, Weaver and
Wilhoit (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2003).
Jim Martin, “Assessing Historical Research,” American Journalism
(Summer 2007).
James W. Carey, “The Problem of Journalism History,” Journalism
History 1 (Spring 1974).
Folkerts, chapters 1-9.
 Q: What are the major challenges to mass communication
history today and what opportunities do they pose for your
research?
Week 3, Jan. 26: History is Where You Find It
We will meet today at 2 p.m. in the foyer of Wilson Library for a tour of
its holdings.
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Startt & Sloan, Chapter 5, “Searching for Historical Materials;”
chapter 6, “Historical Research on the Internet;” and chapter 7,
“Historical Sources and Their Evaluation”
“How to Write Journalism History,” (Copeland et al.) Journalism
Studies 7 (2006).
2009 AJHA Conference Program
Folkerts, chapters 10-18.
Skim these resources:
o Louis Round Wilson Library,
http://www.lib.unc.edu/wilson/
o Documenting the American South (UNC)
http://docsouth.unc.edu/index.html
o Duke University Digital Collections,
http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/
o Library of Congress, American Memory,
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
o UNI Digitized Primary American History Sources,
http://www.library.uni.edu/library-instruction/course-webpages/digitized-primary-american-history-sources
o The National Archives, Access to Archival Databases,
http://aad.archives.gov/aad/
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On Thursday, Jan. 28 (2 p.m.), the Mary Junck Research
Colloquium Series will host Ford Risley, head of the journalism
department at Penn State and author of the award-winning book,
Abolition and the Press: The Moral Struggle Against Slavery. Students
enrolled in J742 are required to attend this lecture.
Week 4, Feb. 2: Doing Journalism History
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Startt & Sloan, Chapter 3, “The Fundamentals of Good History”
Michael Schudson, “Toward a Troubleshooting Manual for
Journalism History,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
74 (Autumn 1997).
“Theories and Constructs in Media History: Their Uses and
Abuses,” Panel Presentation 2003 AJHA, American Journalism
(Winter 2005).
David Copeland, et al., “How to Write Journalism History,”
Journalism Studies, 7:3 (2006).
David A. Copeland, “A Series of Fortunate Events: Why People
Believed Richard Adams Locke’s ‘Moon Hoax,’” Journalism History
33 (Fall 2007).
 Q: What are the pros and cons of using theory in historical
research?
DUE FEBRUARY 2: A 1-page statement of your research
topic. Include your basic topic and an indication of found and
potential resources. Please be as specific as possible with your
topic and sources so that I may better help you refine your
project.
Week 5, Feb. 9: Press and Politics
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Startt & Sloan, chapter 4, “Basic Procedures and Techniques”
Roger P. Mellen, “Thomas Jefferson and the Origins of Newspaper
Competition in Pre-Revolutionary Virginia,” Journalism History 3
(Fall 2009).
Diana Knott Martinelli and Jeff Mucciarone, “New Deal Public
Relations: A Glimpse Into FDR Press Secretary Stephen Early’s
Work,” Public Relations Review 33:1 (March 2007).
Maurine Beasley and Paul Belgrade, “Media Coverage of a Silent
Partner: Mamie Eisenhower as First Lady,” American Journalism 3
(1986).
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 Q: What is meant by historical interpretation and how is it
manifested in this week’s reading?
Week 6, Feb. 16: Advertising & Public Relations
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Startt & Sloan, Chapter 8, “Explanation in History”
Marvin Olasky, “Advertising Abortion during the 1830s and1840s:
Madame Restell Builds a Business,” Journalism History (1986).
Carolyn Kitch, “‘A Genuine, Vivid Personality’: Newspaper Coverage
and Construction of a ‘Real’ Advertising Celebrity in a Pioneering
Public Relations Campaign,” Journalism History (Fall 2005).
Laura Richardson Walton, “Organizing Resistance: The Use of
Public Relations by the Citizens’ Council in Mississippi, 19541964,” Journalism History 35:1 (Spring 2009).
 Q: What are some of the limitations of explanation in history?
Week 7, Feb. 23: Broadcast Journalism
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Albert E. Moffett, “Hometown Radio in 1942: The Role of Local
Stations during the First Year of Total War,” American Journalism 3
(1986).
Johanna Cleary, “‘Genêt’ on the Air: Janet Flanner’s Wartime
Broadcasts,” Journalism History 1 (Spring 2009).
Glenn D. Smith Jr., “‘The Guiding Spirit’: Philip Loeb, The Battle
for Television Jurisdiction, and the Broadcasting Industry
Blacklist,” American Journalism 3 (Summer 2009).
 Q: What is the role of persuasion in historical research?
DUE FEBRUARY 23: Paper Proposals, which should include
an introduction to your paper, a literature review, research
questions/statements, and a preliminary bibliography. NO
LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED.
Week 8, March 2: Race and Mass Media
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Reed W. Smith, “Southern Journalists and Lynching: The
Statesboro Case Study,” Journalism Communication Monographs
(Summer 2005).
Sharon Block, “Rape and Race in Colonial Newspapers, 17281776,” Journalism History 27 (Winter 2001-2002).
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Laura Richardson Walton, “In Their Own Backyard: Local Press
Coverage of the Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner Murders,”
American Journalism 3 (Summer 2006).
 Q: What threats does presentism pose to sound historical
research and how would you instruct a young scholar to “think
historically?”
Week 9, March 16: Writing History: A Few of My Favorite Things
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Startt & Sloan, Chapter 9, “Writing”
Carolyn L. Kitch, “‘The Courage to Call Things by Their Right
Names: Fanny Fern, Feminine Sympathy, and the Feminist Issues
in Nineteenth Century American Journalism,” American Journalism
13:3 (1996).
Janice Hume and Amber Roessner, “Surviving Sherman’s March:
Press Public Memory and Georgia’s Salvation Mythology,”
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 86:1 (Spring 2009).
TBA
 Q: What qualities do you most/least admire in historical
research and how are they best achieved?
SPRING BREAK BEGINS 5 P.M. FRIDAY, MARCH 5;
CLASSES RESUME 8 A.M. MONDAY, MARCH 15.
Week 10, March 23: Freedom of the Press
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Kathy Roberts Forde, “Libel, Freedom of the Press, and the New
Yorker,” American Journalism 23 (Fall 2006).
Paul H. Gates, Jr. and Bill Chamberlin, “Madison Misinterpreted:
Historical Presentism Skews Scholarship,” American Journalism
13:1 (1996).
Joe Mathewson, “The Long and Strong Tradition of State Protection
of Freedom of the Press,” American Journalism 26:1 (Winter 2009).
 Q: How would you explain the “historical method” and how is it
applied to legal research?
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Week 11, March 30: Mass Media & War
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Joseph W. Campbell, “Not Likely Sent: The Remington-Hearst
‘Telegrams’, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 77
(Summer 2000).
David Witwer, “Westbrook Pegler, Eleanor Roosevelt and the FBI,”
Journalism History 34:4 (Winter 2009).
Barbara Friedman “‘The Soldier Speaks’: Yank Coverage of Women
and Wartime Work,” American Journalism 22 (Spring 2005).
 Q: Is it possible for history to prove and disprove things?
Week 12, April 6: Mass Media and Gender
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Giovanna Dell’Orto, “‘Memory and Imagination are the Great
Deterrents’: Martha Gellhorn at War as Correspondent and
Literary Author,” Journal of American Culture 27:3 (September
2004).
Linda Lumsden, “The Essentialist Agenda of the ‘Woman’s Angle’ in
Cold War Washington,” Journalism History 33:1 (Spring 2007).
Eva Moskowitz, “It’s Good to Blow Your Top’: Women’s Magazines
and a Discourse of Discontent, 1945-1965.” Journal of Women’s
History 8 (Fall 1996): 66-98.
 Q: In what ways can our research transcend the “add women
and stir” approach to the historical study of women and mass
communication?
Week 13, April 13: The News Worker
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Ted Curtis Smythe, “The Reporter, 1880-1900: Working Conditions
and Their Influence on the News,” Journalism History 7 (Spring
1980).
Jon Bekken, “Crumbs from the Publishers’ Golden Tables: The
Plight of the Chicago Newsboy,” Media History 6 (June 2000).
Agnes Hooper Gottlieb, “‘Grit Your Teeth Then Learn to Swear:
Women in Journalistic Careers, 1850-1926,” American Journalism
18:1 (2001).
 Q: How do more recent changes in the news industry lend
themselves to (future) historical research?
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Week 14, April 20: Back to the Future
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Benjamin Peters, “And Lead Us Not into Thinking the New is New,”
New Media & Society 11:1/2 (February 2009).
Jaci Cole and John Maxwell Hamilton, “The History of a Surviving
Species,” Journalism Studies 9:5 (October 2008).
John Nerone, “The Future of Communication History,” Critical
Studies in Media Communication 23:3 (August 2006).
DUE APRIL 30: One printed copy of your final paper due to
my office by noon. NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED.