UNIVERSITY OF HARTFORD
SCHOOL OF COMMUNICATION
CMM 449: MEDIA AND SOCIETY
FALL 2002
Instructor: Edward
T. Vieira, Jr. Email: vieira@hartford.edu
Class Meeting Times: W:
4:20-6:50 PM edvieira@cox.net
Classroom Location: Computer
Center, Rm. 117 Off.
Tel.: (860) 768-5418
Office Hours: M:
10:45-12:45 PM, Place: H.J.G. Rm. E-225
W: 3:00-4:00 PM, & Mailbox:
H.J.G. Rm. E-222
F:
11:00-1:00 PM or by appointment
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK: - A Cognitive Psychology of Mass Communication by Richard J. Harris (1998).
COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course
examines the relationships between media and society. It explores how
the various media influence individuals and society. Students study the role
and responsibility of mass media in relation to American institutions including
societal, political, and economic institutions. Emphasis is placed upon mass
media impact on culture and human behavior. The major topics addressed are
media influence on violent, antisocial, prosocial, and voting behaviors.
Government regulation is covered as well. Whether or not the media have such
effects on individuals and society, in the aggregate, is open for class
discussion, and presented by students in debate and position paper formats.
PREREQUISITE: CMM 240 (Introduction to Media).
COURSE REQUIREMENTS: This course meets once per week. It is my role to
provide a stimulating lecture and facilitate active classroom discussion. You
are expected to attend lectures; you are expected to have done the reading
associated with that lecture; you are expected to participate in any classroom
discussion, including the topical discussion point activities, which are part
of the participation grade. In order to have a successful semester, we must
each hold up our end of this arrangement. In addition, in order to pass this
class, all course requirements must be completed. Since the class meets once
per week, attendance is crucial.
COURSE GRADING: Midterm Examination: 30%
Position
Paper: 20%
Participation
(Incl. topical disc. pts.) 20%
Final
Examination: 30%
EXAMINATION MATERIAL: Exams will cover all text
readings, handouts, homework assignments, lectures, and videos viewed in class.
Exams are not cumulative per se; however, the material builds on itself, and, in
that sense, one must be cognizant of previous concepts covered through the
midterm test for the final examination.
GENERAL CLASSROOM POLICY: Please note that
food and beverages are not allowed in the classroom, and cell phones must
be turned off while class is in session. Also, this syllabus is subject to
modification at the instructor's discretion.
UNIVERSITY POLICY: Academic Honesty Statement from The Source and Manual of Academic Policies and Procedures. All students are expected to observe generally accepted principles of scholarly writing in all examinations, compositions, papers, essays, tests, quizzes, reports and dissertations whether written in the classroom or outside. Sources of information used by a student in the preparation of work submitted as a basis for credit, or for a grade, or to satisfy graduate or undergraduate thesis requirements shall be clearly indicated in some conventional manner, such as by the use of quotation marks, footnotes, and bibliography. Also, students are forbidden to submit as their own any project, paper, or creative work which is in whole or part the work of another. Next, the use of a term paper writing service, such services being prohibited by Connecticut law, is academically dishonest and violate rules of scholarship. Moreover, all examinations and quizzes are to be completed without reference to books or notes, except when the instructor of a course shall have given explicit authorization for an "open-book examination" or some other specified sort of assistance. Except as authorized by the instructor, no student is to give or receive assistance in the completion of an examination or a quiz.
DATE TOPIC REQUIRED
READINGS
9/4 Introduction, review syllabus,
introduction to theory; social learning theory; Chapters
1 & 2
(Wed.) cultivation theory; media as perceived
reality; & view video: Images & Reality
9/11 Excitation transfer; priming; mood
management; uses and gratifications
9/18 Content analysis, method; portrayal of
gender portrayal of race; Chapter 3
Selective exposure vs. selective
perception; & View video: Merchants of Cool
9/25 Advertising—humor; fear Chapter
4
10/2 Families and television-content analysis,
effects of conflict/talk time Chapter
5
Review
for midterm exam
10/9 Sports on TV (mood management, aggression) Chapter
6
MIDTERM EXAM DURING FIRST HALF OF
CLASS PERIOD
10/16 News, effects of news & recall of news Chapter
7
10/23 Politics—negative and positive Chapter
8
10/30 Violence in the media, introduction;
Government regulations; Chapter
9
past and current content analyses,
NTVS violence in the media-
theories of positive (catharsis;
aggression anxiety) & negative effects
SLT,
excitation transfer negative effects, priming, desensitization,
cultivation
and alternative explanations for cultivation. Fear—intro. to
Piaget
and development and effects studies
11/6 Pornography— introduction, industry,
effects on attitudes, effects on behavior Chapter
10
11/13 POSITION PAPER PRESENTATIONS
11/20 POSITION PAPER PRESENTATIONS
**POSITION PAPERS ARE DUE AT THE
BEGINNING OF CLASS**
12/4 POSITION PAPER PRESENTATIONS
Review for the final exam
12/11 POSITION PAPER PRESENTATIONS
Review for the final exam
12/18 FINAL EXAMINATION DURING THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED CLASS TIME
NOTE: Homework assignments and additional advertising
article readings will be given accordingly.
Supplemental
Materials
Topics for position papers:
1. Catharsis v. Social Learning
Theory/Cultivation?
2. Does pornography really prime
individuals?
3. Should media frame programming
to address social issues, albeit subtly?
-Is
there a social responsibility?
-What
about manifest and latent content?
4. Primarily does the media
influence individuals (effects are the dependent variable) or do individuals
use the media as they see fit (Uses and Gratifications)?
5. Is the Reflection Myth really a
myth?
6. Do people actually develop a TV
version of “reality?”
7. Does agenda setting go beyond
the cusp, or does it serve a “useful” purpose? Cover the role of gatekeepers.
8. Do online technologies violate
an individual’s privacy?
9. Does government have aright to
censor news coverage in the name of “national security?” This takes on new
meaning since 9/11.
10. Are foreign countries concern
with the “Americanization” of their culture through mass media a validate
concern?
11. Does advertising create desires
for products/services no one needs?
12. Do the paparazzi and the press
have a right to report the news even if it compromises personal privacy?
13. Has the quality of news
diminished or improved?
14. Should large transnational
media corporations be allowed to merge?
15. Should web programs designed to
make it nearly impossible to exist a site be illegal?
16. Does the media lobby wield too
much power in Washington?
17. Are sports and other programs
the “opium” of the masses?
18. Do shows focusing on minorities
serve the societal interests of those particular groups?
19. In covering
political campaigns, do the media focus on personal issues and irrelevant
blunders at the expense of covering substantive issues?
20. Is it ethical
for advertisers to take advantage of impulsive and/or compulsive buyers?
Position
Paper Rubric
1. This is a group
project, consisting of approximately 3-4 students per group (depending on
enrollment), and will be 20 minutes in length.
2. The paper must
contain 5-8 pages of content, exclusive of the cover, table of contents, and
works cited pages. Graphics are not considered in the 5-8 page requirement.
3. The cover page
must include: title of paper, full name of group members, date, course name and
title, and my full name.
4. The table of
contents should include an introduction, stating in summary your position,
sections according to the Toulmin Model of Argumentation, and a works cited
page.
5. Your supporting
material must consist of at least 5 scholarly journal articles no more than 5
years old. The citations must be according to APA format. Also, Internet
sources are unacceptable unless it is an electronic version of a recent
academic journal article.
6 Font will be
10-12, and the paper must be submitted in hardcopy format.
7. Any late
submissions will result in a significant grade reduction for the entire group.
8. The paper must be
submitted before class commences.
THE TOULMIN MODEL OF ARGUMENTATION
TWO-SIDED
ARGUMENT FORMAT
TOULMIN’S MODEL FACILITATES LOGICAL ANALYSIS IN A
USABLE AND USEFUL MANNER.
A CLAIM WITHOUT DATA IS SIMPLY AN ASSERTION. IT BECOMES AN ARGUMENT ONCE IT IS SUPPORTED BY DATA-ONCE IT IS
WARRANTED.
THE COMPONENTS OF THE MODEL ARE AS FOLLOWS:
I. CLAIM
II. DATA
STATS
EXPERT OPINION
EGS
FACTS
EXPLANATIONS
DESCRIPTIONS
NARRATIVE
III. WARRANT
IV. QUALIFIER
V. RESERVATION
VI. BACKING
Discussion Point
Topics
1. Is market-driven
journalism a serious issue and is it influencing the quality of news content?
2. Discussion of the
issue of sexism in advertising from both a male and female perspective?
3. Presently, what
is the impact of radio on society?
4. Is the current
entertainment, casual, conversational format to reporting news on the radio
influencing the quality of the news content?
5. Television “news”
magazines: are they news or are they entertainment?
6. Media literacy:
is it real or a matter of convenience?
7. Is the Web
addictive to the average online surfer?
8. The influence of
mass media branding on society: positive or negative?
9. Is targeting
minorities as consumers to get to other market segments ethical?
10. What is
happening to the quality of news content?
11. Should
transnational media companies be reined in?
12. Do Paparazzi
have free speech First Amendment rights protected under the U. S. Constitution
concerning their pursuit and reporting of celebrity “news?”