Office Hours: M-F 11:30 - 12:00 & by appointment

Course Objective/Description: The course provides an overview of print and electronic media, film and advertising. We will consider history, structure, functions, and effects of the various media. The course material is designed to give students a comprehensive understanding of mass communication and its various applications in contemporary society.

Course Web Site: http://www.udel.edu/comm245/comm245.html

Textbook Web Sites: http://www.abacon.com/vivian/

http://www.dushkin.com/annualeditions

Texts: Vivian, J. (2001). The media of mass communication (updated online ed.). Needham Hts., MA: Allyn & Bacon. [V]

Annual editions: Mass media. (2001). Guilford, CT: Duskin. [AE]

Course Readings. [R]

Grading: Grading will be based on five elements: exams, presentations, projects, computer assignments, class participation, and final paper.

Exams. Students will complete two exams, each covering half the course material (readings, lectures, and presentations). Each exam will have multiple-choice questions and short essays. Make-up exams will be given only (a) when arrangements have been made with the instructor in advance and (b) in case of illness verified by a physician's note. Each exam will count 50 points.

Presentations. Students will be organized into five teams that will make class presentations on five mass communication issues.

Each team will draw on information from class readings and library research (academic research and evidence from popular periodicals). Teams are encouraged to use audio-visual materials in their presentations. Check with the instructor to make sure that we have any equipment you need available the day of the presentation. The instructor will be available to help teams get leads and ideas. Grading will be based on content and presentation (this is a communication class!), so comprehensiveness and creativity both count. Teams will be given the entire class period for their presentation. The presentation should involve the class in discussion.

The presentation is worth 15 points.

Projects. Teams will also work together to complete five projects through the course. Each project will relate to course material and be the basis for class discussion. The instructor will help students locate resources. Each project is worth five points. Projects are:

1. Detail the corporate activities/division of a media conglomerate.

2. Interview someone who grew up without television. What kinds of media did they use for news? For entertainment? For socializing?

3. The music of your generation: What are its roots? From what older forms of music have the various genres evolved? (I will assign music genres in class.)

4. Using magazine ads, create the image of the ideal man and the ideal woman.

5. Find advertisements (print or electronic) that illustrate five propaganda devices (there will be a handout).

Computer Assignments. The Department of Communication is committed to training students in computer literacy. This course will also highlight how computers are becoming an important medium in mass communication. So, students will complete the following computer assignments.

1. By July 4, each student must send an e-mail message to the instructor (my e-mail address is at the top of the syllabus). This assignment is worth 5 points.

2. As we will learn, the Internet has become an important promotional/informational medium for mass communication industries. Students should locate WWW home pages for any five media industries (e.g., advertising, television, cable, radio, film, music, books, magazines, newspapers) and prepare a short (less than one-page) description of that home page. This description should include the address of the home page and a summary of the highlights of the information they provide. What is outstanding about the material? What is ordinary? On a scale of 1 - 10, where 1 is useless and 10 is outstanding, how would you rate this web site? Each WWW report is worth 5 points. Several links to media industries are located on the class web page. You may use these, however, I will be especially pleased if you locate sites that are not on the list. These WWW reports are due by the day that the industry is discussed in class.

Class Participation. I hope that we can have a lively class with a lot of discussion of ideas and issues. Class participation will earn 10 points.

Issue Paper. Each student will compete a 4-page paper that takes a stand on one of the following mass communication-related issues.

Should government funding continue for PBS?

Should television violence be regulated?

Is there a significant liberal or conservative bias in the media?

Is advertising's impact on U.S. society more positive or more negative?

Should all tobacco advertising be prohibited?

Are media messages about women improving?

Is the World wide Web a threat to traditional media?

Will Internet-based technologies increase citizen participation in politics?

Students may use the course textbooks for background material, but should based most of their arguments on evidence drawn from academic research and current media reports. I expect the typical paper to reference about 8 works. The paper is due on July 28 and is worth 20 points.

There will be a total of 200 possible course points. Grades will be assigned as follows:

Extra Credit: Because the Department of Communication is committed to advancing knowledge in our field, extra credit will be given only for participating in communication research. Research opportunities will be announced as they arise.

Course Schedule

Note: The dates on this course outline are approximate. You are responsible for any changes made in the schedule.