Hunter College
Department of Film and Media Studies
Media 180
Introduction to Media Studies
Fall 2014
Lectures: Mon., Wed., 12:10-1:00 p.m. (HW 615)
Sections: L34D-L36D, L38D-L39D, L62D, & L69D
Lecturer:
Robert Henry Stanley
Office: 425D HN; e-mail address: rstanley@hunter.cuny.edu
Office hours: M & W 4:05-5:35 PM
Discussion Section Instructors:
Kelly Spivey
spiveykelly@gmail.com
Section L34D: M 10:10-11:00(HN502)
Section L38D: M 9:10-10:00(HN502)
Section L39D: W 10:10-11:00(HNC111)
Section L36D: W 11:10-12:00(HNC111)
Makia Harper
Anthony Iglesias
harpermakia@gmail.com
anthonyoiglesias@hotmail.com
Section L62D: W 10:10-11:00(HNC113) Section L35D: M 10:10-11:00(HN504)
Section L69D: W 11:10-12:00(HNC113) Section 3D01 W 9:10-10:10(HN504)
Course Description:
The media of mass communication are pervasive and ubiquitous and their
influence is obviously profound. The development of books, newspapers, magazines,
movies, radio and television broadcasting, cable television, communication
satellites, and instantaneous global communication by means of the Internet and
the World Wide Web have left few aspects of human experience untouched. This
course focuses on the interactions of social meanings, cultural orientations, media
technologies, and common forms of popular expression. Particular attention is
given to the legal and economic factors that affect the circulation of ideas,
information, and images in American society.
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Each Monday and Wednesday (12:10-1:00 p.m.) we will meet for a common
lecture session in 615 HW, where general themes will be introduced and developed.
Lecture titles and related readings are included in the class schedule that follows.
Once a week you will also meet in the discussion sections for which you have
registered. Your section instructor will review the assigned readings. You should
carefully study the assigned reading prior to the scheduled date so that you will
be able to participate in class discussion and follow the lecture. (The times and
locations of the discussion sections are listed in the Hunter College Schedule of
Classes.)
Readings:
The required textbook for this course is a customized loose-leaf version of
Campbell, Martin & Fabos, Media & Culture: Mass Communication in the Digital Age,
(New York: Bedford/St. Martins, 2014). This customized text is only available
from the Hunter College Bookstore (ISBN #: 9781457691980). In addition, you
are expected to read the assigned essays and book excerpts posted on the
Blackboard site for the course (bbhosted.cuny.edu). You should also subscribe to
National Public Radio’s “On the Media” newsletter: OTM newsletter
Attendance, Punctuality, and Participation:
Class participation is an essential part of this course. You should come to
class prepared to discuss and analyze the assigned reading. Attendance is
required at both the lectures and the discussion sessions. Frequent lateness
(more than twice), poor attendance, or inadequate participation will adversely
affect your final grade. You are permitted one unexcused absence (please email
your discussion instructor if you anticipate missing lecture or discussion). For
each additional unexcused absence two points will be taken off your final grade
point average. If you anticipate being absent from class, please notify your
discussion instructor via e-mail at the earliest opportunity. Whispering,
sleeping, text messaging, e-mailing, web browsing or the like while someone
is lecturing or leading a formal discussion is not only highly distracting but
also extremely rude. If you engage in any of these activities during lecture
or discussion, you will receive an email alert from your discussion instructor.
If such behavior persists, you will be marked absent or asked to drop the
course. To avoid problems, please turn off ALL electronic devices for the
entire time you are in class. The use of laptop computers is not permitted
during the lectures or the discussion sections.
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Examinations, Assignments, and Evaluation:
There will be four quizzes in the discussion sections during the semester (two
before the midterm and two after). Quiz questions will be drawn from the
review questions at the end of each assigned chapter. There will also be a
midterm examination in the lecture hall, and a final examination during Final Exam
Week. These exam questions will be drawn from material emphasized in lecture.
In addition, there is a short paper (see addendum for details).
Your final grade in the course will be determined as follows:
Midterm Examination
20%
Final Examination
20%
Average of the four (4) quizzes (you may drop your lowest
quiz grade if you have no more than one unexcused
absence)
20%
Writing Assignment
20%
Class Participation
20%
You may only makeup a quiz or an exam if you have a legitimate excuse
acceptable to your discussion instructor. Late papers will not be accepted unless
you are seriously ill or otherwise physically incapacitated.
Topics, Reading Assignments, and Examination Schedule
9/3(W)
Course Overview
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 1, “Mass Communication: A Critical
Approach,” pp. 3-37.
9/8(M)
Mass Communication: Key Terms and Concepts
Review the reading assignment for 9/3(W)
9/10(W)
Printing, Books and Cultural Change
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 10, “Books and the Power of Print,” pp.
345-375; and R.H. Stanley, “The Rise of Print Culture” on the
Blackboard site.
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9/15(M)
Books as Mass Communication
Review the reading assignment for 9/10(W)
9/17(W)
Newspapers and Culture of Journalism
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 8, “Newspapers: The Rise and Decline
of Modern Journalism,” pp. 275-312, and Chapter 14, “The Culture of
Journalism,” pp. 485-518.
9/22(M)
Newspapers and Culture of Journalism continued….
Review the assignment for 9/17(W)
9/24(W)
No classes scheduled
9/29(M)
Newspapers and Culture of Journalism continued….
Review the assignment for 9/17(W)
10/1(W)
Movies as a Cultural Force
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 7, “Movies and the Impact of Images,”
pp. 237-269.
10/6(M)
Movies as a Cultural Force continued….
Review the reading assignments for 10/1(W)
10/8(W)
Popular Music and the Radio Industry
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 4, “Sound Recording and Popular Music,”
pp. 119-154; Chapter 5, “Popular Radio and the Origins of
Broadcasting,” pp. 155-193; and excerpts from R. H. Stanley,
“Television’s Roots in Radio” on the Blackboard site
10/13(M)
College is closed—no classes
10/15(W)
Popular Music and the Radio Industry continued….
Review the assignment for 10/8(W)
10/20(M)
Popular Music and the Radio Industry continued….
Review the assignment for 10/8(W)
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10/22(W)
Popular Music and the Radio Industry continued….
Review the assignment for 10/8(W)
10/27(M)
***MIDTERM EXAMINATION***
(12:10-1:40 PM, in the lecture hall)
10/29(W)
Broadcast and Cable Television
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 6, “Television and Cable,” pp. 193-236;
and the excerpts from R. H. Stanley, “On Television” on the
Blackboard site
11/3(M)
Broadcast and Cable Television continued….
Review the reading assignment for 10/29(W)
11/5(W)
Internet & World Wide Web
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 2, “The Internet, Digital Media, and
Media Convergence, pp. 43-75.
11/10(M)** Internet & World Wide Web
Review the reading assignment for 11/5(W)
**Papers are due IN LECTURE; please submit to discussion instructors.
11/12(W)
Media Effects
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 15, “Media Effects and Cultural
Approaches to Research,” pp. 519-544; and Analyzing Propaganda
(including the “linked” material).
11/17(M)
Media Effects continued….
Review the reading assignment for 11/12(W)
11/19(W)
Media Effects continued….
Review the assignment for 11/12(W)
11/24(M)
Advertising & Public Relations
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 11, “Advertising and Commercial
Culture,” pp. 381-418; and Chapter 12, “Public Relations and Framing
the Image,” pp. 419-448; and watch The Persuaders--Frontline
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11/26(W)
Advertising & Public Relations continued….
Review the assignment for 11/24(M)
12/1(M)
Advertising & Public Relations continued….
Review the assignment for 11/24(M)
12/3(W)
Advertising & Public Relations continued….
Review the assignment for 11/24(M)
12/8(M)
Legal Restrictions on the Mass Media
Read Campbell, et al., Chapter 16, “Legal Controls and Freedom of
Expression,” pp. 545-575.
12/10(W)
Legal Restrictions continued….
Review the reading assignment for 12/8(M)
12/15(M)
Legal Restrictions continued….
Review the reading assignment for 12/8(M)
12/17(W)
***FINAL EXAMINATION***
(11:30-1:00 pm, in the lecture hall)
***Addendum***
Writing Assignment (due 11/10/14):
Read the extended case study in the Campbell, et al. text on privacy policies
with regard to online media services (pp. 577-583). Applying each of the five
stages of the critical process, write a four-to-five-page paper assessing the
privacy statements of two major Internet media services in relation to the Federal
Trade Commission’s rules and guidelines for fair information practices online. Your
completed paper should have a compelling introduction designed to engage the
reader, a clear statement that summarizes the thrust of your findings, and a
concluding paragraph that ties together the five components of your assessment.
You should include at least four direct quotations taken from four separate
sources you’ve consulted. These footnoted quotes should be no more than a
sentence or two. The paper should be typewritten, double-spaced, with 12-point
font and 1-inch margins. In addition to submitting a hard copy, you should email a
PDF copy of your paper to your instructor on the due date. You should list all of
your sources, including, where available, links to articles and other sources of
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information you used to complete the assignment. Be sure to use a proper style for
your footnotes and bibliography or list of cited works—you are welcome to use
MLA (in-text citation), APA (in-text), or Chicago (footnotes), so long as you use it
correctly and consistently. You are expected to meet minimum standards of
college-level writing. Points will be deducted for spelling and grammatical errors.
If you are someone who struggles with writing, you should seek assistance from
the Hunter College Reading/Writing Center (http://rwc.hunter.cuny.edu/).
“RESOLVED, that the Hunter College Senate requires that the following statement
be included on all syllabi: “Hunter College regards acts of academic dishonesty
(e.g., plagiarism, cheating on examinations, obtaining unfair advantage, and
falsification of records and official documents) as serious offenses against the
values of intellectual honesty. The college is committed to enforcing the CUNY
Policy on Academic Integrity and will pursue cases of academic dishonesty
according to the Hunter College Academic Integrity Procedures.
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