JAMS 661 Sem. 003
TR 3:30-4:45 in BOL 581
Jeff Smith
Fall 2014
SEMINAR IN MEDIA COMMUNICATION AND SOCIETY
War News, Entertainment, and Persuasion
The news, entertainment, and opinion media seek audiences and revenue, but often deal with sensitive topics. National security issues and the experiences of armed conflict are typically represented in ways intended to serve the purposes of the communicator. The meaning making can be analyzed with media studies concepts such as agenda setting, framing, myth, news management, press freedom, propaganda, professionalism, public relations, self-censorship, and sensationalism. Students in this course develop skills in research, discussion, writing, and critical thinking as they investigate how defense issues relate to cultural values. Course material analyzes mediated communication with references to concerns such as professional standards, media industry objectives, laws, public opinion, and military-presidential practices.
Required text: Smith, Jeffery A. War and Press Freedom: The Problem of
Prerogative Power (1999). (Copies will be loaned to students at no cost.)
The class D2L site has the syllabus, weekly lectures, videos, and assignment dropbox. D2L sites are at http://uwm.courses.wisconsin.edu
.
My office hours in 538 Bolton Hall are 2:00 p.m. to 3:20 p.m. on Tuesdays and
Thursdays. Appointments can be made for other times. E-mail : jsmith@uwm.edu
.
Consider me readily available for consultation and questions.
Grading : The course grade will be based on a research paper (40%), three assignments (10% each), a final examination (20%), and in-class participation and oral presentations of assignments and the research paper (10%). The main criteria for grading written work will be clarity and correctness of writing style, quality and quantity of primary (documenting information) and secondary (scholarly) sources used, and soundness and sophistication of understanding and analysis. The main criteria for spoken contributions will be how logical, informed, and substantial the observations are.
Assignment and course average grades (which are not rounded up) will be: 95-100 A, 92-
94 A-, 89-91 B+, 86-88 B, 83-85 B-, 80-82 C+, 77-79 C, 74-76 C-, 71-73 D+, 68-70 D,
65-67 D-, below 65 F.
Research papers are expected to expand existing knowledge by providing an original interpretation of events and trends. In order to understand and write about the forces at work, scholars need a sufficient number of high-quality primary sources (firsthand material from the time period being examined) and secondary studies (peerreviewed scholarship about the topic). A critical evaluation of previous research will show the gaps and debates the paper can address. To focus the project, fill in the blanks:
I am studying _______ to discover _______ to understand _______.

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Communication effects are difficult to document, but the analysis of the creation of media products can include factors such as individual contexts (biography, intellectual climate, etc.), media practices (branding, framing, and sensationalism, for example), extra-media occurrences (such as wars), and ideologies (general systems of beliefs and values such as democracy). Determine the concepts (e.g., professionalism, moral panic, marketplace of ideas, etc.), criteria (ethical, philosophical, prudential, etc.), and level(s) of analysis (e.g., individual, group, organization, nation, etc.) to use.
All of the written work for the course is strengthened by solid research. Common problems with the research paper are 1) a lack of digging into primary sources (including media content) in order to have something fresh to interpret 2) a failure to cite relevant secondary sources on the precise topic and/or somewhat larger subjects and 3) research questions that are too broad, not researchable, or without a problem to solve.
Good places to begin research are Google Scholar ( http://scholar.google.com/ ),
Google Books ( http://books.google.com/ ), and the UWM library homepage
( http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/ ) where you can find books (using the “ PantherCat
”) and scholarly articles (using the “
A-Z databases
”). A handy JAMS 661 library research guide is at: http://guides.library.uwm.edu/c.php?g=56661&p=363989 .
The instructor will suggest sources for each research paper. UWM librarians can also be helpful. To locate books on the library homepage or in the old PantherCat, you can try subject searches such as: Freedom of the Press—United States; Propaganda;
Reporters and Reporting—United States—History; War and Emergency Legislation—
United States; War Correspondents; War Films; and War Photographers.
Books and articles not available at UWM can be borrowed by filling out a form at: http://uwm.edu/libraries/user-services/ill/ . Books will be delivered to the UWM library circulation desk. (Try the U.W. System search for best and quickest results.)
Articles will be sent by e-mail.
Library databases are helpful for locating scholarship, much of which is available in full-text versions. Recommended UWM library A-Z databases for articles : Academic
Search (various academic fields), America: History and Life (history), Lexis-Nexis (law and journalism), Military and Government (defense), and Readers Guide (magazines).
WorldCat is especially helpful for finding scholarly, media, and archival materials.
The Wisconsin Historical Society has one of the nation’s best media history collections. Materials from those holdings can be delivered to the UWM library archive room ( http://uwm.edu/libraries/archives/ ) for your use. Search at: http://arcat.library.wisc.edu/ . For archival sources in Wisconsin, go to: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/wiarchives/ .
Participants in research seminars such as this one are expected to communicate the results of their individual inquiries on the general topic. Oral presentations of the

3 class assignments and of the research papers should provide necessary context and summarize main points. Brief use of video or Internet material may be possible. Make clear and concise arguments backed by stated evidence. Avoid simply reading notes.
Five minutes will be allowed for assignments and ten minutes for research papers. Some additional time will be available for questions or comments.
Schedule
September 2 and 4: Introduction.
Larger issues for discussion: How should we think about war? What purposes does it have? What do we want to know about the role of the media in war today?
D2L Handouts: SPJ Code of Ethics, Media Studies Concepts, From The Craft of
Research , Research Paper Steps, Sherlock Holmes Methods.
September 9 and 11: Current Coverage of War.
Show-and-tell oral presentations related to a topic you may want to use for a research paper: Bring a war-related opinion piece, news story, or persuasive message from the print/online media to describe and critically analyze with criteria (ethical, conceptual, philosophical, prudential, etc.) you specify. The purpose is to practice using the kind of interpretive lens you may be using in the first assignment and in your paper.
Plan on three minutes for presentations followed by one or two minutes for discussion.
Please email a link to the media content being analyzed (or the content itself) to the instructor by noon on Tuesday. The presentation is part of the participation grade, but is not turned in. Presentations we do not have time for on Tuesday will be made on
Thursday. Note: for our discussions this semester, I recommend obtaining a discounted subscription to the New York Times at nytimes.com/collegerate .
Larger issues: Should war be a subject of humor?
Discussion: Selecting research topics that are a) researchable in media content, documents, etc. available to you b) fresh in terms of what scholarly books and articles already exist, and c) related to your interests and perhaps career plans.
Schedule Assignment 1 presentation dates.
September 16 and 18: Media Performance, Theories, and Concepts.
Assignment 1 presented in class on Tuesday or Thursday and due in the D2L drop box at 10 p.m. on Friday, September 19. Length: 600 to 750 words. Write a letter to the editor, op-ed piece, journalism review column, or blog to analyze a specific example
(include a link if possible) of media performance on a war-related subject with selected ethical criteria (e.g. those found in the SPJ ethics code), philosophical (e.g., democratic processes) perspectives, or media studies concepts you state. The subject may be related

4 to your research paper idea(s). Focus on the media work itself rather than the topic in the media. Try to use less than 100 words merely describing rather than analyzing what is in the example. Please email a link to the media content being analyzed (and a draft of the assignment or a list of main points if you wish) to the instructor by noon on the day of your presentation for projection during your presentation.
Larger issues: Which media studies theories and concepts seem to be the most and least credible and useful? Why? What monitorial (supplying information), facilitative
(supporting processes), radical (critiquing the status quo), and collaborative (cooperating with authorities) roles do the media play? See the UWM library database
Communication and Mass Media Complete .
September 23 and 25: Power and Press Freedom in Wartime.
Text reading: Smith, pp. vii-125. Each student is required to bring one discussion question about the text material this week. The purpose is to practice using critical thought on one type of defense issue and developing questions for research.
Larger issues: How much power should a president have in wartime? What does the press clause protect? Is James Madison’s absolutism too radical? How and why is freedom of expression violated in wartime? What roles do human emotions and political biases play in wartime suppression? How and why did battlefield censorship arise in
American history?
September 30 and October 2: Power and Press Freedom in Wartime.
Text reading: Smith, pp. 127-228. Each student is required to bring one discussion question about the text material this week. The purpose is to practice using critical thought on one type of defense issue and developing questions for research.
Larger issues: How has wartime censorship been bureaucratized and what techniques have been used? Should military-presidential power be used to decide what the public should know about armed conflict? What is constitutional, just, and practical?
How do the media frame war? What perspectives are missing from the discussions?
Schedule individual meetings and Assignment 2 presentation times.
October 7 and 9: Individual meetings with the instructor on research projects in 538 Bolton . No class meetings this week.
October 14 and 16: Analyzing and Advising.
Assignment 2 presented in class on Tuesday or Thursday and due in the D2L drop box at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 17. Length: 600 to 750 words. Use Chicago style notes as described later in the syllabus. Please email a one-page summary of your main points to the instructor by noon on the day of your presentation. Choose one of two

5 options: 1) Use primary and secondary sources to write a historical case study about a specific media-related incident involving defense issues (such as propaganda).
Critically analyze, as the War and Press Freedom book does, the reasoning used for the decisions and discuss the outcomes. Do not rely solely on information and/or insights in previous writings by others.
Do not rely solely on information and/or insights in previous writings by others. 2) Write a briefing paper to advise a policy maker (e.g., an editor or the president) on a current media policy or practice issue (such as publishing leaked secrets) in the area of national defense. (You can find topics by examining recent media stories, journalism reviews, trade journals, and the Web sites of organizations such as those mentioned in the Introduction and Current Coverage topics on D2L.) The briefing paper should consist of a) up to 100 words of background information and b) a list of talking points backed up by facts and logic supporting your position and answering objections that may arise. Try to make your solutions constitutional, just, and practical. Your case study or briefing paper could be related to your research paper ideas. The purpose is to practice doing the kind of research and thinking you will be doing in your paper.
October 21 and 23: The Safety of Journalists.
At this point in the course we begin examining some significant topics related to war and media. Each week read the D2L lecture before class and bring questions and comments for discussion.
Larger issues: What are the dangers in war coverage and what precautions can reporters take? What reasons do they have for taking dangerous assignments?
October 28 and 30: Seeking Solutions.
Assignment 3 presented in class on Tuesday and due in the D2L drop box at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 31. Length: approximately 750 words. Prepare a research paper prospectus with 1) a title, 2) a bibliographical list of the main primary (documents etc.) and secondary (scholarly) sources, 3) a research question, 4) an interpretive framework, and 5) a brief outline. The purpose is to assess progress and see what still needs to be refined. Please email a draft of your prospectus to the instructor by noon on Thursday for projection during class. Presentations will be limited to three minutes.
Larger issues: Can the media contribute to the resolution of armed conflicts?
Recommended reading on D2L: Smith, Jeffery A. “The Media and Moral
Force.” Keynote address, symposium on Media, War, and Terrorism, Hebrew
University, Jerusalem, Israel, May 20, 2002.
Recommend reading on D2L: Smith, Jeffery A. “Power and Freedom,” in
The History of Evil, Volume V: The History of Evil in the Early 20th Century (1900-1950) ed. Victoria Harrison. Durham, U.K.: Acumen Publishing, forthcoming.

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November 4 and 6: War Photographs and Documentaries.
Larger issues: What “evidence” does photography supply? When should selfcensorship be used on images of war?
November 11 and 13: Wartime Propaganda and Public Relations.
Larger issues: How is wartime propaganda constructed and for what purposes?
November 18 and 20: Hollywood Imagery.
Larger issues: How does the motion picture industry respond to official and unofficial war-related pressures? How do commercial forces and directors’ objectives affect the messages?
Week of November 25 : Optional individual meetings with instructor in 538
Bolton to discuss research papers. Times may be scheduled by email. No class meetings this week.
December 2 and 4: Militainment and Military Promotions.
Larger issues: How are military goals sold to the public? What persuasion techniques are being used?
On Thursday (or before) each student may submit a signed proposal for one final examination question (with correct answer) for 3 extra-credit points on the examination.
Note cards will be supplied for the submissions. Questions selected for use will earn 2 more extra credit points. Selection factors include the need for an exam with questions that are about each weekly topic, that have a reasonable level of difficulty, and that are a mix of multiple choice and true-false. Questions are subject to some editing.
Schedule research paper presentation dates and times.
December 9 and 11: Research Paper Presentations.
Research papers summarized in class on Tuesday or Thursday and turned in to the
D2L drop box no later than 10 p.m. on Friday, December 12. Presentations are not just to introduce the topic. They should summarize the larger issue, the existing research, the research question, the method, the evidence, and the conclusion. Paper length: 2,500 words (about 10 pages) not including citations. Analyze a media and war topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. Use Chicago style notes and the format described below.
Please email a one-to-two-page summary of your main points to the instructor by noon the day of your presentation. Video, Internet materials, and PowerPoints may be used only if time allows.
D2L Handouts: Academic Writing, Common Writing Issues.

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The research paper format should be:
1) a title page with your name
2) an introductory section of a paragraph or two to interest the reader in the topic, problem(s), larger issue(s), and criteria (ethical, prudential, philosophical etc.) or media studies concept(s) the study addresses
3) a paragraph or two critically reviewing previous scholarship on the paper’s general and/or specific topic and indicating what gaps or debates exist
4) an explicit research question (a thesis statement is acceptable) growing out of the scholarly literature review
5) a topically or chronologically organized “body” of the paper consisting mostly of pertinent primary-source evidence (including, for our purposes, past media content) found in a research institution, government repository, and/or electronic databases
6) a paragraph or two of conclusion summarizing the findings and their significance for understanding the historical issues and media concepts or criteria identified earlier
Chicago style notes or endnotes should document your use of sources beyond your own thought processes. (A bibliography of works cited is not necessary if footnotes or endnotes are used.) Documentation is not needed for well-known facts (e.g., terrorist attacks occurred on September 11, 2001), but too much is better than too little. Your software should be able to put Arabic numerals on notes and put them in order and in the right place. The Chicago (sometimes called Turabian) note style described at: http://www.wisc.edu/writing/Handbook/DocChicago.html http://bcs.bedfordstmartins.com/resdoc5e/res5e_ch10_s1-0001.html http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.ezproxy.lib.uwm.edu/16/ch14/ch14_toc.html
Examples of Chicago note style can be found in the War and Press Freedom book. Below are some examples of Chicago note (not bibliographic) style:
BOOKS [First, reprinted, and revised editions]
1. Jeffery A. Smith, War and Press Freedom: The Problem of Prerogative Power (New York:
Oxford University Press, 1999), 91-125; Walter Lippmann, A Preface to Morals (New York: Macmillan,
1929; New York: Time Inc., 1964), 159-60; Hanno Hardt, Social Theories of the Press: Constituents of
Communication Research, 1840s to 1920s , 2nd ed. (Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2001).
CHAPTER IN AN EDITED COLLECTION
2. Jeffery A. Smith, “The Enticements of Change and America’s Enlightenment Journalism,” in
Media and Revolution: Comparative Perspectives , ed. Jeremy D. Popkin (Lexington: University Press of
Kentucky, 1995), 74-89. [Popkin edited a book of chapters by others.]
SCHOLARLY JOURNAL ARTICLE [i.e., the kind with lots of footnotes that may be marked
“peer-reviewed” in a library database]:
3. Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz, “Victoria Woodhull, Anthony Comstock, and Conflict over Sex in the United States in the 1870s,” Journal of American History 87 (September 2000): 403-34. [87 is the

8 volume number.] Note: Issue number may be given instead of month or season (e.g., Journal of American
History 87, no. 2 (2000): 403-34).
MAGAZINE ARTICLE:
4. F.B. Sanborn, “Journalism and Journalists,” Atlantic Monthly , July 1874, 55-66. [Page numbers are optional.]
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE:
5. Bernard Weinraub, “Loosening a Strict Film Rating for ‘South Park,’” New York Times , June
29, 1999, national edition. [Page number is usually omitted but the edition is useful if an issue has different versions.]
MANUSCRIPT LETTER IN ARCHIVE:
6. John Smith to Mary Jones, March 12, 1921 [or 12 March 1921]. John Smith Papers, Yale
University Library [add city and state if archive is not generally known].
INTERVIEWS AND PERSONAL COMMUNICATIONS:
7. Mary Jones, interview by John Smith, February 2, 2010, Movie Star Oral History Collection,
Wisconsin Historical Society, Madison, Wis.
8. William Johnson, e-mail to the author, January 24, 2011.
DISSERTATION:
9. Linda Kay Bates, “Toward the Heart of Darkness: Benjamin Franklin’s Satires” (PhD diss.,
University of California, Davis, 1981), 12.
SHORTENED REFERENCES AFTER INITIAL USE OF SOURCE:
10. Smith, War and Press Freedom , 32.
11. Smith, “The Enticements of Change,” 75.
12. Horowitz, “Victoria Woodhull,” 404.
13. Ibid., 405. [different page in immediately preceding reference]
14. Jones, interview.
SITE CONTENT [use only if it’s the best possible source!]:
15. “Mission,” Regent Policy Documents, University of Wisconsin System, accessed September 1,
2014, [or: last modified September 1, 2014,] http://www.uwsa.edu/bor/policies/rpd/rpd1-1.htm.
USE ITALIC TYPE for the titles of books, newspapers, magazines, journals, movies, Web sites, long musical compositions, comic strips, works of art, and radio or television programs.
USE ROMAN TYPE AND QUOTATION MARKS for the titles of articles, chapters, songs, poems, short stories, theses, dissertations, manuscripts in collections, and speeches that have been printed out.
ABBREVIATING INCLUSIVE PAGE NUMBERS: Use all digits of the second number when the first number is 1-99 or a multiple of 100 [e.g., 4-10, 83-84, 91-111, 100-103]. For 101-109, 201-209, etc., use only the changed part [e.g., 103-8, 1104-93]. For 110-199, 210-299, etc., use two or more digits as needed [e.g., 231-38, 595-610].
NUMBERS from one through one hundred are spelled out in the text.
STATE names in notes or bibliographies can be either the postal [e.g., WI] or traditional [e.g.,
Wis. or Wisc.] as long as the choice is consistent.

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The full Chicago Manual of Style is available under “C” in the UWM Library’s
A-Z databases . Use the note style in Chapter 14 . Links are in the JAMS 360 library course guide .
Monday, December 15: Final examination in our regular classroom at 3:00 p.m.
No students will be admitted after 3:10 p.m. The multiple-choice, true-false examination will cover only material discussed during class meetings including D2L material.
Students will select 20 of the 25 five-point questions to answer. They may bring and use one 5” x 8” note card with their notes. Both sides may be used. Note cards will be supplied in advance. Please return borrowed copies of War and Press Freedom no later than today.
Course Policies

Attendance at all class meetings and careful reading of course materials is expected. More than two unexcused absences will affect the participation grade.
Students who are not able to attend regularly should not take the course.

A seminar format should allow students to ask questions, make comments, and bring in relevant ideas and information on a regular basis. The quality of the course discussion will depend, to some extent, on the participants’ willingness and ability to contribute and to be respectful of each other when dealing with sensitive topics. The atmosphere should be friendly and free for thoughtful, focused analysis of the subject matter. Some students may have sensitivities about violent images. Any concerns or desired alternatives should be discussed with the instructor at the beginning of the course.

Full attention to class discussions is expected. Electronic devices (phones, laptops, etc.) should only be used for course purposes during the class meetings.
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Work turned in late will receive a 10-point penalty plus one point for each hour unless an exception is made by the instructor, in advance if possible, for circumstances beyond a student’s control.

The instructor has responsibilities that include understanding students’ needs and encouraging them to develop their abilities. Any concerns about the course can be brought up with the instructor or taken to the chair of the JAMS Department.

Incidents of academic misconduct, such as cheating, handing in work to more than one course without permission, and plagiarism (directly quoting the words of others without using quotation marks or indented format to identify them, using sources of information without identifying them, or paraphrasing materials or ideas of others without identifying the sources) will be handled with UWM procedures and can result in penalties such as a grade of F for the course. For explanations of UWM policies and procedures, go to: http://www4.uwm.edu/acad_aff/policy/academicmisconduct.cfm
.

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
For information on academic misconduct that could be considered plagiarism, go to: http://guides.library.uwm.edu/c.php?g=56454&p=363101
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For information on campus policies on disabilities, religious observances, military duty, incompletes, discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment), academic misconduct, complaints, grade appeals, and final examinations, go to: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/SyllabusLinks.pdf

In the event of disruption of normal academic activities, the format for this course may be modified to enable completion of the course. In that event, you will be provided an addendum to this syllabus that will supersede this version.
Here are my estimates of how your time will be spent:
Time in the classroom: 45 hours.
Time spent online reading lecture and/or other material: 35 hours.
Time taking exam: 2 hours.
Time completing assignments and research paper: 52 hours.
Time for preparation and study: 10 hours.