Copeland / COMM 335 / Spring 2014
Bridgewater State University
Communication Studies Department
Comm 335-X01: News & Politics
Spring 2014
Instructor: Dave Copeland
When: Hybrid course. Online activities and weekly meeting on Thursdays, 9:30­10:45 am
Where: Maxwell Library 212
Instructor Twitter Handle: @CopeWrites
Instructor Email: d1copeland@bridgew.edu
Instructor Phone: (508) 531­1750
Instructor Office Hours/Location: Tuesdays, 9:20­10:55 a.m./Maxwell 215
To book an office hours appointment: http://copeland.youcanbook.me/
Course Description
This course is designed to introduce students to the intersection between media and politics.
Students will develop an understanding of political, social, and cultural events as they affect print
and electronic journalism. The goal of this course is to help students better understand how all
forms of media—print, broadcast, and electronic—shape the course of public policy and beliefs
about different people, places, things, events, and social phenomenon.
Course Objectives/Learning Outcomes
●
Students will be able to understand and evaluate the role of media in the society as it
relates to American politics.
● Students will be able to analyze and evaluate the evolutionary trends concerning the
connections between the media and politics.
● Students will be able to develop, plan, present, and critique important issues concerning
the media and politics.
Textbooks and Required Reading
There is no required textbook for this class. Instead, you will read articles that will be posted on
Moodle.
Attendance Policies
You receive a bonus or penalty added to your final average at the end of the semester based on
your attendance and participation in this course.
I do not differentiate between excused and unexcused absences. To protect your privacy, I will
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Copeland / COMM 335 / Spring 2014
not review doctor’s notes or other documentation as to why you missed class. You can miss up
to three class meetings without penalty on your final grade.
For each class meeting, I award up to three attendance and participation points. At the end of the
semester, a penalty or bonus will be added to your final average based on the number of
attendance/participation points you earn throughout the semester (see table below). Points are
awarded as follows:
●
●
Attendance (one point): Simply show up on time and stay for the entire class meeting.
Entrance ticket (one point): This is a short activity you need to complete before arriving
to class. The purpose of the ticket is to help you prepare for that day’s class discussion,
and will never involve more than 5­10 minutes of effort on your part. I will not accept your
entrance ticket if you arrive late.
● Exit ticket (one point): At the end of each class meeting I will set aside five minutes for
you to work on your exit ticket. The purpose of this exercise is to review the key points
from that day’s class and/or to give me direct feedback so I can better present the
material in the future. I do not accept exit tickets from students who leave class early.
In the event class is canceled, either because of a university closing or instructor absence, all
students will receive the full three points for the missed class meeting.
Attendance Points
Bonus/Penalty
Added To Final
Average
Attendance Points
Bonus/Penalty
Added To Final
Average
39 or >
+6
31
­2
38
+5
30
­3
37
+4
29
­4
36
+3
28
­5
35
+2
27
­6
34
+1
26
­7
33
0
25
­8
32
­1
24 or <
Fail Class
Academic and college compliance policies
Bridgewater State University policy regarding academic integrity, as well as a complete list of all
academic policies and additional college compliance policies, are located in the college catalog,
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Copeland / COMM 335 / Spring 2014
which is available both in print and online from the BSC homepage. In particular, the college’s
academic integrity policy can be found online at:
http://www.bridgew.edu/handbook/policiesprocedures/academicintegrity.cfm.
Writing Studio
The BSU Writing Studio offers free consultations to provide students feedback on their writing (or
to brainstorm ideas to write about later). Writers come to the studio regarding many types of
work. The Writing Studio is located on the ground floor of Maxwell Library in the Academic
Achievement Center (AAC), and can be reached by phone at (508) 531­2053. To make effective
use of the Writing Studio, work with them well in advance of any paper due date—writing is a
process, and the Studio is there to assist in that process (not rewrite / proofread for you)!
Students With Disabilities
If you need special arrangements for a documented disability, please contact Disability
Resources at (508) 531­1713. If you would like to share pertinent medical information with me,
request special arrangements, or need special assistance, please let me know as soon as
possible.
Policy On Using Technology In Class
I encourage you to actively tweet in and out of class about class topics and discussions. If you
want to post a message to Twitter about class, please be sure to include the #335COMM
hashtag so your classmates and I can find it and respond to it.
Assignments & Grading
Your final grade will be based on the following:
● Completion Of Online Activities/Assignments (10 assignments): 30%
● Online Discussion of Reading Assignments (10 assignments): 30%
● Midterm Exam: 20%
● Final Exam: 20%
Assignments need to be turned in electronically via Moodle by the start time of class on the day
they are due, except where noted.
I DO NOT ACCEPT LATE WORK. NO EXCEPTIONS.
For all written work, use a standard font and font size, as well as normal margins. Don’t worry
about fancy headings ­ your name, the course number (COMM 335) and date are fine.
Please keep in mind this is a 300­level course: I’m not looking for simple summary in your written
work, but depth and a demonstration of your critical thinking skills. You need to be able to show
me that you not only understand the material, but you are thinking about it and applying it to your
knowledge and worldview.
The midterm and final projects will receive a letter grade. Homework, online activities and online
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Copeland / COMM 335 / Spring 2014
discussion of reading assignments are graded on a scale of zero to three:
3: Student went above and beyond the assignment minimums and showed a level of
comprehension that makes it clear the assignment was completed not at the last minute
but with forethought and attention to detail. Work incorporates content discussed in class
and in reading assignments, when appropriate.
2: Assignment completed satisfactorily. Effort made to incorporate lecture and reading
material, when appropriate. Clearly not a last­minute effort but, at the same time, no
evidence that student strived to go beyond the assignment requirements.
1: Sloppy or incomplete effort. Student handed something in but it either missed the point
of the assignment. Little or no evidence of effort to incorporate class and reading
material.
0: Minimal effort, if assignment is turned in at all. Also given for late submissions, no
matter how good the quality of the effort.
Online Reading Discussions
You will have weekly reading assignments, most of which will be from the required textbooks in
this class. Other articles will be posted to Moodle or handed out as hard copies in class.
Each week I will post a prompt for that week's reading assignment (I will do this no later than the
start of class on Thursday). You should post several times throughout the week: an initial
response with your own take on the reading, followed by several follow up responses in which
you respond to the thoughts of your classmates on that week’s reading assignment.
Completion of all reading assignments and participation in these discussions is crucial for your
successful completion of the course. Your understanding of the reading assignments will directly
impact your grade on the midterm and final exams, as well as your ability to fully particpate in our
class meetings.
Online Activities/Assignments
Because this is a hybrid course, a large portion of your learning will be self­directed and will
occur online or out of the classroom. You can expect an online activity or assignment nearly
every week. Details will be provided in our Thursday meeting the week before they are due and
posted on Moodle.
Course Outline/Schedule
Subject To Change ­­ See Moodle For Most Up­To­Date Version
Week
Meeting
Dates
Topics
Reading
Assignment
Online Activity/
Assignment *
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Copeland / COMM 335 / Spring 2014
1
1/23/14
Class Overview
2
1/30/14
The Fourth Estate
Free speech:
Westboro church
Supreme Court
case tests First
Amendment
Supplemental
First
Amendment
Research
3
2/6/14
The Pentagon Papers
Seeking New Ways
to Nurture the
Capacity to Report;
The Pentagon
Papers: Gravel
Edition; In Defense
Of Secrecy
View the film
“The Most
Dangerous Man
In America”
(available online)
and complete
the online quiz
on Moodle.
4
2/13/14
Watergate
The Watergate
Story (parts 1 & 2)
Study Watergate
Background and
complete
Watergate
Background
Worksheet.
Bring Worksheet
to class.
5
2/20/14
Watergate, Continued
The Watergate
Story (parts 3 & 4)
View the film “All
The President’s
Men” (available
online) and
complete the
online quiz on
Moodle.
6
2/27/14
Review for Midterm Exam
Review previously
assigned readings
to prepare for exam
(no graded reading
discussion this
week)
Prepare sample
response to one
of the practice
essay questions.
Bring hard copy
to class.
7
3/6/14
Midterm Exam
Review previously
assigned readings
to prepare for exam
(no graded reading
discussion this
week)
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Copeland / COMM 335 / Spring 2014
3/13/14
SPRING BREAK
8
3/20/14
Pressures On The Press
None (no graded
reading discussion
this week).
View the film
“Page One”
(available online)
and complete
the online quiz
on Moodle.
9
3/27/14
Clinton, Drudge and the
Internet
Journalism and
Citizenship: Making
the Connection
View the film
“Wag The Dog”
(available online)
and complete
the online quiz
on Moodle.
10
4/3/14
Political Campaigns and
Elections
TBD
TBD
11
4/10/14
Political Campaigns and
Elections, Continued
TBD
TBD
12
4/17/14
Wikileaks
TBD
TBD
13
4/24/14
Obama and Openess
TBD
TBD
14
5/1/14
Review For Final Exam
TBD
TBD
Final
TBD
Exam
Period
Final Exam
* Unless otherwise noted, submit assignments via Moodle as MS Word documents by 9:29 a.m.
on the Thursday that they are due. Full assignment descriptions are available on Moodle.
Selected Bibliography/Recommended Reading
When available, articles in the following list will be posted on Moodle. Throughout the semester I
also frequently post articles about the intersection of politics and journalism to the #335comm
hashtag on Twitter. While not required, reading some or even all of the available material will
further enhance your understanding of the content covered in this course.
Bruni, Frank. "The Syria Babble We Don’t Need." The New York Times 8 Sept. 2013: SR3. Web.
2 Oct. 2013.
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Copeland / COMM 335 / Spring 2014
"Empty calories." Columbia Journalism Review 52.1 (2013): 4. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Oct.
2013.
Enda, Jodi. "Campaign Coverage in the Time of Twitter: how technology has transformed
reporting on presidential politics." American Journalism Review 33.2 (2011): 15+.
Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.
Houston, J. Brian, Joshua Hawthorne, Matthew L. Spialek, Molly Greenwood, and Mitchell S.
McKinney. "TWEETING DURING PRESIDENTIAL DEBATES: EFFECT ON
CANDIDATE EVALUATIONS AND DEBATE ATTITUDES."Argumentation And
Advocacy 49 (2013): 301­11. Academic OneFile. Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
Maslin Nir, Sarah. "Kiss Baby, Smile, Check Phone (Over and Over)." The New York Times 7
Sept. 2013: A1. Web. 2 Oct. 2013.
Mindich, David T.Z. "Journalism and Citizenship: Making the Connection." Nieman Reports. The
Nieman Foundation For Journalism At Harvard, 2008.
Richey, Warren. "Free speech: Westboro church Supreme Court case tests First Amendment."
The Christian Science Monitor 2 Oct. 2010 [Boston] . Web. 6 Oct. 2013.
Rieder, Rem. "Bleak or better than ever? What's the true state of journalism in the United
States?" American Journalism Review 35.1 (2013): 2. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Oct.
2013.
Shirky, Clay. "The political power of social media: technology, the public sphere, and political
change." Foreign Affairs 90.1 (2011): 28. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.
Vie, S.E. "Poindexter, Paula M. Millennials, news, and social media: is news engagement a thing
of the past?" CHOICE: Current Reviews for Academic Libraries Aug. 2013: 2220.
Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Oct. 2013.
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