COMM 410: International Communications
Date
College of Communications
The Pennsylvania State University
Course will be conducted online via ANGEL & Yammer
Credits: 3.0
Prerequisites: 3 credits of one of the following: COMM 100, COMM 110,
COMM 118, COMM 150, COMM 180, COMM 251, COMM 260W, COMM
320, or COMM 370
How do we know what we know about the world? In what ways do we
know? This course will explore these questions by examining our
knowledge of international communications. We will study the global
mass media and the ways they function culturally and politically. We will
engage with class material that addresses how media industries,
representations and images, and powerful national organizations that
influence these media and government are related to the culture in which
we live.
As the PSU course schedule indicates, COMM 410 is designed to be a
complement to COMM 419, World Media Systems, which is a
“comparative study of modern media systems of mass communications in
selected foreign countries.” However, this course is NOT a study of
media systems. Rather, we will discuss the relationships between media,
foreign policy, international relations, culture, economics, politics and
globalization. The course is broken down into two main sections:
1) For the first seven weeks of the semester, we will be discussing
the histories and theories of international communication
2) For the second half of the semester, we will be discussing
specific themes/topics related to international communication,
where you will be able to apply the theories that we learned in the
first half of the course.
Furthermore, we will think through and discuss alternatives to our
“common sense” sensibilities in order to reflect on the larger
implications of media practices, cultural beliefs, and our relationships to
them. It is essential that we understand ourselves, identities, experiences
and representations beyond the borders that confine us. We also seek to
answer: How do we understand our place, and the place of others, in
relation to all that global media promises us?
Note: You may encounter ideas and thoughts you
may not agree with, but understand that this is
one of the central purposes of this course.
Sometimes, we need to feel uncomfortable in
order to step outside of our matrixes and enter
the realities of others. We seek to be challenged!
Instructor:
Name
Picture (Optional)
College of Communications
Contact:
Email (preferred):
Angel
By appointment:
1. Skype (username)
This syllabus contains the scheduling
information you will need to
successfully navigate this course. If
you have any questions regarding the
class schedule, please check the
syllabus first.
*If any changes are made to the
schedule, I will announce them via
email.
Specifically, during this course you will have a chance to critically explore questions, such as:
 Why do we in the United States know what we think we know about the rest of the world?
 What are the relationships between the political, economic and global and how are culture, politics and
economics closely tied with globalization?
 What is the relevance of international borders in light of rapid advances in new communication
technologies?
 What is the relationship between government and media?
 What role do the media play in world affairs, especially in foreign policy decision making and in
fostering international understanding?
One of my goals is for us to enjoy the course and its topics. To this end, I plan to make our online
experience as meaningful as possible, with a blend of text-based material, multimedia (including films,
etc.), and interactive discussions. Each component of each week’s lesson will highlight core concepts that
are important for you to know. You will want to complete and participate in each component fully in order
to maximize your learning (e.g. read the assigned articles, complete thoughtful discussion posts, listen
to/watch any multimedia included, etc.).
I expect everyone to be vibrant, participating, asking questions, generating meaningful dialogue, and
interacting with me and each other in order to make the most out of this learning experience. Everyone
can expect me to be reading your discussion posts, answering your questions in a timely manner, being
“present” in our class, and providing general guidance to the course as the semester progresses.
While online courses offer a sense of independence – allowing you to complete coursework in a way that is
flexible with your unique schedule – they also afford a sense of community, and it is my goal to foster a
sense of community within our class, particularly through the ongoing discussion board conversations. I
think it is important to strike a balance between independent learning and an online class community so that
you feel the freedom to work at your own pace but do not feel lost alone in cyberspace.
What You Will Be Able to Do After Completing this Course:
Through the readings and online discussions, we should develop the tools to become more sophisticated
critical thinkers of international media. We should learn to critically evaluate global issues and the policies
that are suggested as solutions. Throughout the course, we will be challenged to question how our views of
the world have been constructed through media and how these views may be shaped differently for people
in other countries.
I believe that studying international communications can be an eye-opening and rewarding experience.
Some of the ongoing rewards we will receive after completing COMM410 include:
1. Understanding the present nature of international communications in light of the recent
history of the field and its beginnings.
2. Thinking creatively, independently, critically, and clearly.
3. Understanding media theories relevant to international communications and being able to apply
them to concrete examples.
4. Writing in an interesting, organized, concise, clear, and grammatically correct manner.
5. Demonstrating an understanding of the social, cultural, political, economic, and technological
framework that influences and is influenced by international communication.
6. Understanding how nations relate to each other in the overall global context.
Fle xi ble ≠ Easy
A common misconception about online courses is to mistake this inherent flexibility for ease. In other
words, online courses are easier or less time-consuming than face-to-face classes. On the contrary, online
courses require self discipline, self direction, motivation, and tenacity. This course includes an amount of
work comparable to the face-to-face versions of this course. If you chose to take the online version of this
course in order to take an “easier” version of COMM 410, then you may need to reconsider this choice. This
course will require work, but it will be worth it.
Required Readings and Films:
There is no required textbook for this course. All required readings will be available on ANGEL.
For some weeks, you will have films that you will need to watch and incorporate into your discussion posts.
These films are indicated in the Course Schedule and will be available online or the library at Penn State.
Current Events and News:
There are very often relevant current events and issues in the news during the course that tie in with core
concepts that we are discussing week to week. I will require that you infuse your discussions with these
current news events throughout the semester (see course assignments for more information). Some helpful,
accessible sources include:
The New York Times and USA Today (available to PSU students in free hard copies on all
campuses and in digital edition via The NYT Academic Pass program on
http://www.libraries.psu.edu/psul/researchguides/nyt.html)
Major TV and Radio news (MSNBC, CNN, FOX, NPR, BBC)
Political satire news programs such as The Colbert Report
Alternative news sources: Al Jazeera and Democracy Now
When choosing your news source, feel free to vary your choices. Do you usually have one, favorite news
source? Read/view another to get a different perspective. Read the same story in a variety of sources and
note the differences in coverage. Do programs like The Daily Show or The Colbert Report trivialize
important political and economic issues or do they make them more accessible? Discuss this in light of
relevant topics addressed on such programs.
Weekly Lesson Format:
Though each week’s theme and course materials/readings will be unique, we will begin to create a weekly
rhythm to the lessons in order to help you both to stay current with the course material and also schedule
your activities and work related to this class.
It is very important to the learning process that we navigate the course together – particularly in the
Yammer discussions for each week, where we will grapple with the core concepts and respond to each
other’s ideas and insights – so it is important to keep up the pace, and it is important not to work too far
ahead.
Strategies for Success
I want you to succeed in this course, and I want you to enjoy it. To this end, here are some tips and
strategies for learning the material in a way that may alleviate stress and sustain long-term learning:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Read the assigned readings prior to the week we will be discussing them; take notes.
Ask questions early and often.
Contribute to the discussion boards.
Be patient with the online process. Learning the concepts and getting acclimated to the online
environment may be stretching at times. Don’t give up, and seek help if you feel overwhelmed.
Some helpful website with tips for success are:
http://distancelearn.about.com/od/distancelearning101/a/studentsuccess.htm
http://studenomics.com/application/online-learning-success/
http://www.worldcampus.psu.edu/orientation.shtml (this site includes links and videos regarding the use of
important ANGEL functions such as the dropbox, taking a quiz, using the discussion forums, and sending
email)
Graded Assignments
Active Participation (40% of the final grade)
Three Major Essay Exams (Each essay exam is worth 20% of the final grade for a total of
60%)
Extra Credit (3% toward final grade)
Active Participation (40%)
Participation for this course will primarily focus on your involvement in the weekly discussions of our
Yammer class group called COMM 410 Semester Year.
Discussions
For 12 weeks throughout the semester, beginning with Week 1, we will have class discussions in our
Yammer course group where we will be able to discuss the week’s concepts and current
news/events/topics that relate to the week’s discussion. I will post some questions regarding the readings
and other lesson materials, and will ask you to incorporate a current news event that relates to the
topic/discussion prompt into your initial post. You can use any form of media (news article, blog, film,
television series, documentary, song, etc.), but you must add a link or citation information in your post
(so we know where you obtained your example). Additionally, you will need to post at least twice:
1) An initial post between 500 and 1000 words where you respond to the questions
themselves and provide a link to a current news event or topic that relates to the week’s
theme. In your post, you must also explain how your example (news article, blog, film,
television series, documentary, song, etc.) relates to the week’s topic.
2) A response between 200 and 500 words to another course-mate’s initial response. In
addition to responding to a class-mate’s general comments, I will ask that you also
respond to that class-mate’s current news/event/topic example
While you are required to post twice, please feel free to post more than that. Thoughtful conversations
between students could positively enhance this portion of your grade and also enhance the overall quality of
the dialogue here. This makes the Yammer discussions a more authentic platform for debating the core
issues each week.
I will participate occasionally in the discussions with you, but mostly in the form of brief comments and
further questions to individual comments (within threaded discussions) or to the class as a whole. Please feel
free to reply to my comments as well as to other course-mates’ comments. It is not my goal to usurp or
monopolize the dialogue occurring on the discussions, so I do not plan to direct these conversations; my
goal is for you as a class to lead in discussing the topics.
Your posts are required by Sunday at 9 p.m. Feel free to post earlier than these days and to post more often
than twice. I will accept late discussion board posts up to one week past the due dates for that week. For
every day that it is late (i.e. 1-24 hours late; 25-48 hours late, etc.) you will lose 1 point from the overall
point total. After 7 days, you will receive a zero for the discussion board for that week. No exceptions. On
Angel, you will be able to access a rubric for the discussion board posts.
About Yammer:
Overview: Throughout this course, we will use the social media tool Yammer for discussion. Yammer is a
private social network used at Penn State. Messages posted in private groups will only show up for members
of the group and cannot be seen by users who aren’t members of the group. Be assured that private groups
cannot be made public later.
Instructions:
1.
Keep an eye out for an email that you have been added to a group in Yammer. The email will
have a “Go to Group” button on it which will allow you to gain access to the group.
2.
Use your Penn State Access userid (email) to join Yammer. Do not use nicknames.
3.
Always click the name of the group to make sure that you post replies in the correct group.
4.
Add a picture and other information to personalize your profile.
5.
Change the default notifications to get alerts for replies the ways that you want.
6.
Follow files that you are interested in getting updated on frequently.
7.
Use the “Go to File” link to view the file and comment at the same time.
8.
Please feel free to “Like” posts that you agree with, but make sure that you say why you
like/agree with them.
For more information:

Help resources: https://yammer.zendesk.com/home

More information:
https://courses.smeal.psu.edu/angel_overview/using_yammer/2012/02/test.html
Major Essay Exams (60%)
There will be three major essay exams during the semester. These essays will require you to synthesize
several weeks of course concepts/topics. A week before each scheduled essay exam, you will receive a list
of four or five questions as well as a rubric.
The essay will help evaluate how well you have grasped the important arguments and concepts regarding
international communications. In addition, I will be able to assess how well you have analyzed different
arguments/ideas.
You will receive a rubric that will explain my expectations. All questions have to be answered an essay
format, which includes the following:
1. Introduction with thesis statement
2. Body
3. Conclusion
Essays will be due on the scheduled date (see course schedule), exactly a week after I send you the essay
questions.
Extra Credit (3%)
Throughout the semester, you will be able to obtain extra credit for completing additional assignments that I
send to you. Each assignment is worth .5%; thus, you need to complete a total of 6 extra credit assignments.
These points will go toward your final grade.
Grades
Active Participation
Major Essay Exams
Extra Credit
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD
F
95 – 100%
90 – 94.9%
87 – 89.9%
83 – 86.9%
80 – 82.9%
77 – 79.9%
73 – 76.9%
70 – 72.9%
60 – 69.9%
Below 60%
40%
20% each/ 60% total
3% toward final grade
Exceptional Achievement
Extensive Achievement
Acceptable Achievement
Minimal Achievement
Inadequate Achievement
I do not curve grades. I do, however, make every effort to be fair in grading, and I expect you to put forth
your best effort for each assessment, assignment, class day, and project.
I offer plenty of opportunities for extra credit. You will hear about these via email. So make sure to
watch for these opportunities.
If your grade is not as high as you would like it to be, remedy that early in the semester, when something
can be done, and not at the end, when it is potentially too late. Contact me if you have questions regarding
your grade, and I will be glad to talk with you.
Do not contact me about grade concerns on finals week. You have the entire semester to talk to me
about any concerns you may have.
Course Schedule
This course schedule will change (i.e. added or deleted content, thematic changes depending on
international climate, etc.). Please watch your email for announcements concerning updates to
the syllabus.
Weekly Lesson
Week One
Date
Orientation &
Introductions
Week Two
Date
Historical Context of
International
Communication
Read/Watc
h
Assignments
1. Join the Yammer
1. Syllabus
group
2. Orientation to Comm 410 in ANGEL Week
2. Complete and
One folder
Introduce yourself
3. Article: Tracey Ore, “Critical Thinking”’
to your classmates
4. Article: “Al Jazeera America Shifts Focus to
in the Introductions
U.S. News”
Yammer Note
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/27/business
3. Complete the
/media/american-al-jazeera-channel-shifsSyllabus &
focus-to-us-news.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
Orientation quiz
5. Lesson: Definitions of International
found in the Week
Communications
One folder in
6. Watch: TED Talk Chimamanda Adichie, “The
ANGEL
Danger of a Single Story” (18:49)
See this document in
ANGEL for more
information about
Yammer.
1. Chapter: Thussu: Chapter 1
2. Lesson: History, part 1
3. Read and watch video: El Mozote Massacre 1. Week Two
discussion in
in El Salvador
Yammer.
Week Three
Date
Historical Context of
International
Communication
Week Four
Date
Theories of
International
Communication
Part 1
Week Five
Date
Theories of
International
Communication
Part 2
Week Six
Date
Political
Economy of
International
Communication
Neoliberalism
1) Article: “Media and Modernization” Daniel
Lerner in International Communication A
Reader
2) Article: Palmer, Allen. (2002). “Following
the Historical Paths of Global
Communication.” 1-20.
3) Lesson: History, part 2
1. Week Three
discussion in
Yammer
Article: Review International
1. Week Four
Communications: Shifting Paradigms
discussion in
2. Lesson: International Communications
Yammer
Theories, part 1
3. Lesson: International Communications
Theories, part 2
4. Watch the video interview with Johan
Galtung embedded in this week’s Lesson part
2
1.
1. Article: Downing, “Drawing a Bead on Global 1. Handout of
Communication Theories.”
Questions for
2. Article: Lull, “Hegemony”
Essay
3. Lesson: International Communications
2. Start Writing
Theories, part 3
Essay
4. Watch: Noam Chomsky on Hegemony or
Survival
http://www.democracynow.org/2003/10/22/noa
m_chomsky_on_hegemony_or_survival
1. Article: Mosco, “Overview of the Political
Economy of Communication” pgs. 1-9
2. Article: McChesney & Schiller, “The Political 1. First Exam
Essay Due
Economy of International Communications”
on
pgs. 1-25
_________
3. Article: Klein, N. (2005) The Rise of Disaster
________
Capitalism:
http://www.naomiklein.org/articles/2005/04
2. Week Five
/rise-disaster-capitalism
discussion
4. Lesson: Political Economy
in Yammer
5. Lesson: Power, International Influence and
Neoliberalism
6. Watch: Life and Debt (Link to Be
Provided)
Week Seven
Date
Globalization
Week Eight
Date
U.S. Foreign Policy,
and Media
Week Nine
Date
War and Media
1. Article: Stanford Encyclopedia,
1. Week Seven
“Globalization”
discussion in
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/globalization/
Yammer
2. Article: Zembylas & Vrasidas,
“Globalization, information and
communication technologies, and the
prospect of a ‘global village’
3. Lesson: Globalization
4. Watch: RSA Animate on the Internet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uk8x
3V-sUgU
1. Article: Weisbrot, “Mass Media Helps
Keep Americans in the Dark About U.S.
Foreign Policy.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/markweisbrot/mass-media-helps-keepame_b_3720065.html
2. Article: Jensen, “Terror v. Surveillance?
Keeping Americans safe in two simple
steps.”
http://www.occupy.com/article/terror-vssurveillance-keeping-americans-safe-twosimple-steps
3. Lesson: Media and Foreign Policy
4. Film/Video: South of the Border
1. Article: Shah, “War, Propaganda
and the Media” (read every
section)
http://www.globalissues.org/article/
157/war-propaganda-and-the-media
2. Article: Bamford, “The Man Who
Sold the War.”
http://www.commondreams.org/hea
dlines05/1118-10.htm
3. Lesson: Media, War and
Propaganda
4. Watch: The Control Room (Link to
Be Provided)
1. Week Eight
Discussion in
Yammer
1.
Week Nine
discussion in
Yammer
Week Ten
Date
Media in the Post 9/11
Political Environment
1. Article: Luther, Catherine.
1. Handout of
“Representations of Arabs/Arab
questions for Essay
Americans.”
Exam 2
2. Article: Bonner, “The Media and 9/11:
How We Did”
2. Start Writing
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive
Essays
/2011/09/the-media-and-9-11-how-wedid/244818/
3. Article: “Q & A: Edward
Snowden Speaks to Peter Maass”
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08
/18/magazine/snowden-maasstranscript.html
4. Lesson: Media Representations
post 9/11
5. Watch: Why We Fight
1. Article: Twitchell, “Adcult”
2. Article: Arnould, “Global Consumer Culture”
3. Article: Adbusters, “We are an army of
Second Exam Essay
zombies” (short)
Due on
Global Advertising and
https://www.adbusters.org/magazine/90/consu ___________________
Consumer Culture
mer-zombies.html
__________________
4. Lesson: Global Consumer Culture
1. Week Eleven
5. Watch: No Logo
discussion in
https://streaming.psu.edu/media/?movieId=11
Yammer
975
Week Eleven
Date
Week Twelve
Date
Global Health
Communications
1. Article: Airhihenbuwa, “A Critical Assessment 1. Week Twelve
of Theories/Models Used in Health
discussion in
Communications for HIV/AIDS”
Yammer
2. Article: Squires, “The U.S. Health System in
Perspective: A Comparison of Twelve
Industrialized Nations”
3. Article: Cultural Diversity: Health Belief
Systems
4. Lesson: Media and Health
1. Article: John Seabrook, “Factory Girls,”
1. Week
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/10
Thirteen
/08/121008fa_fact_seabrook
discussion in
2. Article: Lara Lee, “Hip Hop as Global
Yammer
Resistance” (make sure to watch videos that
Global Music Industry
are embedded in article)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/iara-lee/hiphop-as-global-resista_b_660608.html
3. Lesson: Globalization & Music
Week Thirteen
Date
1. Article: Chalaby, “The making of
entertainment revolution: How the TV format 1. Week
trade became a global industry”
Fourteen
Global Television and 2. Article: Davis, “The Intimacies of
discussion in
Globalization: Bodies and Borders OnFilm Industries
Yammer
Screen.”
3. Lesson: Globalization, Television and Film
4. Watch: Exporting Raymond
Week Fourteen
Date
Week Fifteen
Date
No Assignments!!!!
Final Week of
Classes!!!!
1. Handout for
Questions for Essay
Exam 3
2. Start Writing Essays
Week Sixteen
Date
Finals Week!!!!
Final Essay Due on
_______________
**This course schedule is designed to provide you with a clear and concise overview of course
topics and important academic dates for both course related activities and University deadlines.
Course Policies
These policies are important to me and to the smooth flow of the course. Please read these carefully and
do your best to adhere to them.
Netiquette
Please be respectful when commenting on your course-mates’ posts. The discussion board should
definitely be a place of debate and even dissent, but your arguments should always be constructive, based
on course information and other relevant data, and never, ever personal.
Please use proper salutations and grammar when emailing me or your course-mates. Feel free to call me
Nadia rather than Ms. Martinez, professor, etc.
A couple of helpful netiquette websites are:
http://email.about.com/od/emailnetiquette/tp/core_netiquette.htm
http://www.albion.com/netiquette/corerules.html
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity — scholarship free of fraud and deception — is an important educational
objective of Penn State. Academic dishonesty can lead to a failing grade or referral to the Office
of Student Conduct.
Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to:







cheating
plagiarism
fabrication of information or citations
facilitating acts of academic dishonesty by others
unauthorized prior possession of examinations
submitting the work of another person or work previously used without informing the
instructor and securing written approval
tampering with the academic work of other students
How Academic Integrity Violations Are Handled
In cases where academic integrity is questioned, procedure requires an instructor to notify a student
of suspected dishonesty before filing a charge and recommended sanction with the college.
Procedures allow a student to accept or contest a charge. If a student chooses to contest a charge,
the case will then be managed by the respective college or campus Academic Integrity Committee.
If a disciplinary sanction also is recommended, the case will be referred to the Office of Student
Conduct.
All Penn State colleges abide by this Penn State policy, but review procedures may vary by
college when academic dishonesty is suspected. Information about Penn State's academic
integrity policy and college review procedures is included in the information that students
receive upon enrolling in a course. To obtain that information in advance of enrolling in a course,
please contact us.
The College of Communications policy and the AI form can be found at:
http://comm.psu.edu/about/academic-integrity-policy
http://comm.psu.edu/about/academicintegrity.pdf
Additionally, World Campus students are expected to act with civility and personal integrity;
respect other students' dignity, rights, and property; and help create and maintain an environment in
which all can succeed through the fruits of their own efforts. An environment of academic integrity
is requisite to respect for oneself and others, and a civil community.
For More Information on Academic Integrity at Penn State
Please see the Academic Integrity Chart for specific college contact information or visit one of
the following URLs:



Penn State Senate Policy on Academic Integrity
iStudy for Success! — learn about plagiarism, copyright, and academic integrity through
an educational module
Turnitin a web-based plagiarism detection and prevention system
Note to Students with Disabilities
Penn State welcomes students with disabilities into the University's educational programs. If you
have a disability-related need for reasonable academic adjustments in this course, contact the
Office for Disability Services (ODS) at 814-863-1807 (V/TTY). For further information regarding
ODS, please visit the Office for Disability Services Web site.
In order to receive consideration for course accommodations, you must contact ODS and provide
documentation (see the documentation guidelines). If the documentation supports the need for
academic adjustments, ODS will provide a letter identifying appropriate academic adjustments.
Please share this letter and discuss the adjustments with your instructor as early in the course as
possible. You must contact ODS and request academic adjustment letters at the beginning of
each semester.
All students in "Registration Not Complete" status must resolve issues on or before the 10th day
after classes begin. Students who do not complete registration by paying tuition and fees by this
deadline will not be able to remain in courses. University policy on completing registration can
be found at http://www.registrar.psu.edu/registration/completing_registration.html.



Accommodating Disabilities
Registration Status:
Procedures for Resolution of Problems
For procedures pertaining to a range of concerns and disagreements involving graduate
students and other members of the University community (e.g., faculty, staff, or
undergraduate students), please see the Procedures for Resolution of Problems (Appendix
II) website.
For information about additional policies regarding items such as Penn State Access Accounts;
credit by examination; course tuition, fees, and refund schedules; and drops and withdrawals
please see the World Campus Student Policies Web site.
Technical Requirements
World Campus Technical Requirements
Operating
System
Windows 2000/XP, Vista, or Windows 7; Mac OS X 10.4 or higher
Processor
2 GHz or higher
Memory
1 GB of RAM
Hard Drive
Space
20 GB free disk space
We recommend the latest Angel-supported version of Firefox or Internet
Explorer. To determine if your browser fits this criteria and for advice on
downloading a supported version, please refer to the following ITS
knowledgebase article: http://kb.its.psu.edu/cms/article/6
Browser
Note: Cookies, Java, and JavaScript must be enabled.
Pop-up blockers should be configured to permit new windows
from Penn State web sites.
Due to nonstandard handling of CSS, JavaScript and caching,
older versions of Internet Explorer (such as IE 6 or earlier) do not work
with our courses.
Plug-ins
Adobe Reader [Download from Adobe]
Flash Player (v7.0 or later) [Download from Adobe]
Apple Quicktime [Download from Apple]
Additional
Software
Microsoft Office (2003 or later)
Internet
Connection
Broadband (cable or DSL) connection required
Printer
DVD-ROM
Access to graphics-capable printer
Required
Sound Card,
Microphone, and Required
Speakers
Monitor
Monitor (Capable of at least 1024 x 768 resolution)
Disclaimer: Please note that the specifics of this Course Syllabus are subject to change, and you
will be responsible for abiding by any such changes. Your instructor will notify you of any
changes.