Class Schedule: #1109 Summer 2009
Instructor: Ron Smith, Professor of Public
Communication
E-mail: smithrd@buffalostate.edu
Phone: 878-6039
Fax: 878-6730
Office: Bishop
210
Catalog Description: Capstone study of the role of communication in society; exploration of contemporary issues of mass media and related disciplines; focus on ethical responsibilities of communication professionals.
Prerequisites: Required of all Communication majors after completion of 90 credit hours overall and 30 COM/SPC credit hours.
Required Text: Grossberg, Wartella, Whitney & Wise (2006). MediaMaking: Mass Media in a Popular Culture (2nd ed.). (Sage. ISBN 0-7619-2544-9)
Angel: Student interaction with this course is facilitated through Angel, accessed through "MyBuffState" at www.buffalostate.edu. For help on printing through Angel, see Angel Help Page.
Typical Class, Summer Session: (120 minutes/day. Total 38 hours)
Student Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course,
students will be able to:
Students in COM 450 will be treated as they can expect to be treated in the work place; that is, as adult professionals, each responsible for his/her own performance.
Attendance: You are expected to come to every class meeting on time and prepared to participate. Because of the compressed nature of a summer term, more than two absences will result in the lowering of a grade by a letter. Note that there is no distinction between an excused and an unexcused absence. Being late and/or leaving early by 10 minutes more than two times constitutes an absence.
Participation: Active class participation involves more than mere physical presence. You are expected to be actively involved in this class. Take the initiative in discussion and projects; ask relevant questions; contribute to the over-all learning environment of this class. This is known as active learning. Class discussions will be wide-ranging and open; no relevant topic will be off-limits. Students are encouraged to share their media experiences, insights and professional observations. Candor is encouraged but all class discussions must be conducted in an environment of respect and tolerance – for both people and their ideas.
Cell Phones/Text Messaging: Unless you are on call for your part-time job as an EMT or your significant other is expecting a baby within 48 hours, turn off all cell phones. It is your instructor's belief and presumption that outside distractions and/or your social life are significantly less important than your active participation in this class. Do not even think of texting during class time.
Taping Class Sessions: Students may tape record class sessions to help them in studying or to accommodate a classmate who finds it necessary to be absent.
Class Notes: Notes for each class sessions are posted at the class website. Students should download and read these prior to each class session.
Assignments: You will receive ample notice of assignment
deadlines. All writing assignments must be typed and proofread. Assignments are
due at midnight on the assigned day. Late assignments will be accepted no later than midnight the
next day, with a 10-point late penalty. Any assignment turned in after that
will receive more higher than the minimum passing grade of 60 points.
- Note 1: Working on an assignment is no excuse for missing or coming late
to class.
- Note 2: Make sure that you turn in your best effort. Because of the
accelerated intensity of a four-week summer program, there will be no time for
students to revise assignments after they have been submitted.
- Note 3: Students agree that by taking this course, all required papers
will be submitted through Turnitin.com (Class ID = 2734480. Name = COM 450 Communication & Society (Summer 2009). Password =
Bishop). This service provides an Originality Report for each paper,
identifying material that originated in other sources. All submitted papers
will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database
solely for the purpose of detecting undocumented material.
Food: Water or soft drinks are permitted. Pizza, subs and beer must be shared with the instructor.
Workload: Each student begins this class with the presumption that s/he is an average student capable of advanced undergraduate work. Students will determine their grade from this basis according to their academic performance. (D grade means below average; C grade means average; B grade means above average; A means outstanding.) SUNY criteria for minimal out-of-class work is two hours for each hour of class time; students should expect to spend adequate time in reading, researching and writing homework assignments, and studying for exams. This is known as independent learning, a hallmark of an educated person.
Academic Integrity: Each student is expected to make an honest effort in this class and to be scrupulous in maintaining academic integrity. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated, and college guidelines on academic misconduct will be enforced. See departmental guidelines for avoiding plagiarism. Additional college assistance in avoiding plagiarism is available at avoiding plagiarism (Butler Library).
Special Needs: Students with disabilities or special needs should contact the Office of Disability Services (878-4500). Based on recommendations from that office, students may receive needed assistance, such as additional time or a quiet space to take exams, a reader for exams, and so on.
Calculation of Final Grade: The course grade will be calculated according to the following formula:
Essays: Two 4- to 5-page essays (double spacing) related to course themes. These are not formal research papers, though they do require APA documentation of any published sources used. These essays should be your original professional insight and analysis into themes of your own choosing. Submit these essays through Turnitin.com with the heading: Surname-Essay#.doc (For example, Sally Jones would title her essay Jones-Essay 2.doc).
Themes for Essays should be narrowly defined. For example, "Advertising" would be too broad, but "The Effect of Cereal Advertising on Children" would be appropriate. Other appropriate topics you might select could be coverage of events such as war, crime, same-sex marriage initiatives; media coverage of issues/processes such as science, religion, courts; regulation of media; or social impact of media. Another way to identify a theme is to interview somebody about media use or concerns. Or deal with a concept, theory or practice discussed in the text or in class. Or react to a news report related to media and society. Or develop a topic associated with a recent book, such as Ethnic Minorities and the Media (2000), Provacateur: Images of Women and Minorities in Advertising (1999), Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controvesial Issues in Mass Media and Society (2004), or The New Anti-Catholicism (2003) with chapters on news media and film.
People use the media in the following ways that fulfill their personal wants and needs:
Surveillance: Obtaining news and information to learn what is going on
Diversion: Using media for entertainment (stimulation, relaxation or emotional release)
Decision Making: Gathering information to make decisions
Social Interaction: Using media as a basis for common activity and shared discussion
Self Understanding: Gaining insight into your own personal attitudes and behavior
Requirement: Using media as a necessary part of your job or education
Keep a log for one week (a full seven days), identifying all of your uses of eight categories of media: Books, magazines, television, radio, movies & video, newspapers, recorded music, and Internet. Use the following format:
- Grading Criteria for Media Use Analysis
- Part 1 (10%): Overview of the total time you spent with media, the percentage of awake time with all media and percentage of media time with each media category
- Part 2 (20%): Amount of time you spent with each specific medium, specific title of media program or publication (if unknown, name of radio station, cable TV station, etc.), and your reason for using the medium
- Part 3 (20%): Patterns you observe in your media use
- Part 4 (20%): How your media use both reflects and influences your attitudes, beliefs, interests and values
- Part 5 (20%): What you learned from this assignment
- (10%): Writing, flow, professional presentation
Because the Communication Department requires a minimum C grade for a major course such as this, the instructor will report passing grades only of C or higher. Any grade calculation below the C level will result in an E as the final reported course grade.
Disclaimer: This syllabus and the associated schedule are guidelines for this course. Class interests and current events may result in additional themes. The schedule and other elements may be adjusted at the instructor's discretion to better serve the needs of the class.
Connect with Ron Smith's home page.
Contact Ron Smith at smithrd@buffalostate.edu.