The final syllabus will be available in the Learning Management System.
This is a past syllabus providing a general idea of what the course entails. This does not represent the current course's syllabus, requirements or expectations.
This course is designed to introduce you to the role that media plays in modern society and how scholars determine what that role is. We will begin the semester by examining the historical and scientific origins of media, how the introduction of each medium affected the societies that received them, and how media are currently being shaped. The majority of the semester is designed to introduce you to the various theories that describe how mass media is expected to influence society – both individually and structurally – and how to interpret evidence of those presumed effects.
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At the end of this course, students should be able to… |
Course topics that advance these objective are: |
This objective will be evaluated primarily by: |
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LG1 |
Demonstrate an understanding of the development of mass media, and communication as a field Murrow Learning Goals:
WSU Learning Goals:
SSCI Learning Goals:
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This is discussed through the first third of the course, weeks 1-5 |
The first exam
Historical Innovation assignment
The final exam |
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LG2 |
Utilize library resources to effectively identify source material for media related topics. Murrow Learning Goals:
WSU Learning Goals:
SSCI Learning Goals:
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This is discussed in preparation for all assignments |
Library tutorial assignment
Historical Innovation assignment
Theory in Action assignment |
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LG3 |
Demonstrate awareness of how social science theory is generated and tested Murrow Learning Goals:
WSU Learning Goals:
SSCI Learning Goals:
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This will be discussed in the last two thirds of the course, weeks 6-14 |
The second exam
The third exam
The final exam
Theory in Action Assignment |
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LG4 |
Demonstrate awareness of conflicts that exist between various media theories. Murrow Learning Goals:
WSU Learning Goals:
SSCI Learning Goals:
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This will be primarily addressed during weeks 6-10 |
Theory in Action assignment
The second exam
The final exam |
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Demonstrate awareness of the various theories that describe economic constraints within media systems and how those effects are assessed. Murrow Learning Goals:
WSU Learning Goals:
SSCI Learning Goals:
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This will be addressed during weeks 11-14 |
The third exam
The final exam |
This course is an introduction to mass communication and mass media, with a strong focus on media literacy, the history and development of mass media, and the effects of media on individuals and society. The following points are central to our approach.
Other course related information and material will be available on the course website (http://public.wsu.edu/~taflinge/com101home.html) [please note the spelling of my name in this URL (and in my email address) – it’s t-a-f-l-i-n-g-e. There’s no “r” at the end. I’ve been online so long that I go back to when a filename could only have 8 letters, and my name has 9 – so sue me.]
There will be five exams comprised of half multiple choice and half true/false questions, four short exams of 33 questions each and one hour to complete, and the final exam which will have 66 questions and two hours to complete . Of the four shorter exams only three will count toward your final grade: this will afford you the opportunity to skip an exam for any reason (e.g., illness, hangover, unforeseen circumstances, "I didn't check the course schedule") without losing points toward your final grade. Because I give you this opportunity there will be no make-up exams for any reason whatsoever -- don't even ask.
Each exam will open at 12:01 AM of the day listed in the course schedule, and close 24 hours later. You may begin taking the exam at any time during that 24 hours, but you must complete the exam in the time allotted (1 hour for the interim exams, 2 hours for the final exam) all in one go. Budget your time wisely: the exam will automatically close one hour after you begin regardless of if you've answered all the questions, and you cannot start an exam, leave, and come back later to finish.
The exams will cover only the lectures and readings from the previous section with the exception of the final exam, which will be half new material and half cumulative. There will not be a review period so make sure you are keeping up on the material and ask questions as we go along if any of the material is confusing to you. Cheating on a test, of course, like any assignment will result in an automatic F for the course and referral to the Office of Student Conduct.
It is extremely advisable that you go to the Study Hints link to your left to get hints on studying and test taking. This page gives you strategies for studying and test taking with examples, and is the only study guide you’ll get for the exams.
Everything for this class will be turned in via the Canvas dropbox and must be typed using 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced, and have one-inch margins. Everything should be written in typical paragraph format using complete sentences and paragraphs. All sources for assignments must be cited, both within the text and on a reference page, and must conform to either APA, Chicago, or MLA style. There are no excuses for late assignments, and you only have a 24 hour grace period to obtain a reduced grade. You can always turn in assignments early. If for some reason you are having problems with the dropbox, you must notify me beforehand to get me an alternative digital copy. It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignments are properly submitted. Digital copies must be submitted in .doc, .docx, or .pdf format. If you fail to submit in this format, and I must request a new copy, it will be considered late and receive a 10% penalty. All assignments are run through the anti-plagiarism software Turnitin, which includes an examination of possible AI creation. Please note that self-plagiarism is still plagiarism and everything you turn in for this class should be created for this class, in this semester. That is, you cannot turn in a paper you submitted in a prior attempt at this course, or in a different course. To do so will result in a score of zero.
I will be as fair and impartial as is humanly possible in the grading process. Each of you will be graded on the same basis. Because of this, no extra work, extra credit, or special assignments will be given. Grades are earned; they are not gifts. Grades are awarded on the basis on the quality of the work performed, not the amount of time expended.
We will have two written assignments over the course of the semester. You will be allowed (but not required) to revise one of the written assignments you submit (your choice) and turn it in for an improved grade. You will be able to add up to half of the points you lost when you turn in your revised paper (e.g., if your initial submission resulted in a score of 60 out of 75, you could revise and resubmit it for a maximum score of 67.5 out of 75, in this case your revise and resubmit score being the maximum of 7.5 (the difference between 60 and 75 = 15, half of that is 7.5). You can only revise something that was originally turned in. That is, revising your paper is an opportunity to improve your writing based on feedback, it is not an opportunity to delay turning in an assignment. Unlike the original paper, there is no grace period for a late submission.
For this paper you will need to research a media innovation that was invented prior to your birth and explore how it changed the media environment. To do this, you will need to use library resources to research your chosen media innovation. You will turn in two things for this assignment: 1) a paper describing your media innovation, and how it changed the media environment at the time, and 2) a write-up of your information search experience using library resources. The entire assignment description and rubric are available on Canvas.
The goal of this paper is to get you to critically think about the various ways information can be presented, and the variety of potential explanations that exist for effects based on exposure to media content. To do this, you will need to apply two media effects theories to public opinion data and explain how the two different theories could explain the observed results. The entire assignment description and rubric are available on Canvas.
There are two discussions to participate in, a self introduction and your take on how stereotypes and other aspects of race, gender and ethnicity influence your life. Please include how media messages may contribute to this influence. There is no specific due date: you may participate at any time. However, the last day to participate is in the course schedule.
On Canvas there is a link to an online library tutorial put together by the Communication librarian, Erica Nicol. The tutorial will teach you how to use the library resources we have on campus and give you instruction on how to assess the quality of the sources you are using. This tutorial will help you succeed in your written assignments which require you to use library resources. There are two assignments within the tutorial that require you to search for information and must be completed to obtain credit for this assignment.
| Assignment | Points |
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| Exams(4 at 100 points each, lowest dropped + 1 at 200 points) | 500 |
| Historical Innovation Written Assignment** | 85 |
| Theory in Action Written Assignment** | 85 |
| Library Tutorial Completion | 10 |
| Discussions (2 @ 25 points each) | 50 |
| TOTAL | 730 |
There is a handout on Canvas to help you keep track of your grades and to help you approximate your final grade. I suggest you use this form rather than just looking at what Canvas auto-calculates for you. In addition, I maintain my own separate Excel grade book which I will use instead of Canvas to calculate your final grade.
Letter grades will be calculated using this formula:
| Grade | Percent | Grade | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 93+% | C | 67 - 70% |
| A- | 88 - 92% | C- | 63 - 66% |
| B+ | 84 - 87% | D+ | 59 - 62% |
| B | 79 - 83% | D | 55 - 58% |
| B- | 75 - 78% | F | 55- |
| C+ | 71 - 74% |
I don’t round up. I will keep scores posted on Canvas- it is your responsibility to check it and make sure you know where you are at by comparing it to this chart.
After the final exam score is posted, I will calculate your final grade in the following way:
I add together your top three interim exam scores (your lowest score being dropped), your final exam score, your two paper scores, two discussion scores, and the library tutorial score. I then calculate your average (your total score divided by the maximum points possible). Whoever has the highest average (whatever that average may be) sets the A, and everyone else is adjusted accordingly. For example, if the highest average is 91%, I will add 2% to that to make it 93% (an A as listed in the above chart), and add 2% to everyone else's average. Those averages will result in the final grade, again according to the above chart. So, for example, if your average is 82% (an uncurved B), adding 2% would make your average 84%, a curved B+.