COMM 502 Seminar in Media Studies, Autumn 2006
Mondays, 4 6:30 p.m. Call No. 10573
University of Illinois, Chicago, BSB 1155
Kevin G. Barnhurst, Ph.D., Professor & Head, Department of Communication
Office BSB 1148A. Hours Wednesdays 2 3 p.m. or by appointment
(312) 413-3231 E-mail <kgbcomm(a)uic.edu>
Course Web Site
http://wiki.comm.uic.edu/index.php/Main/Comm502-Fall06
This seminar provides an in-depth, intensive examination and discussions of theories, perspectives, and approaches to media studies. The assignments include weekly participation on line and in person, extensive reading collaboration, four individual research problems, and midterm and final examinations.
To investigate the symbolic social practices that communication media help sustain.
To examine the political, economic, and cultural implications of those practices.
To understand the history of how scholars have conceptualized and studied the communication media.
These are general objectives; the seminar offers neither information nor facts per se. It is an extended conversation about a series of texts we will share, which will enable us to analyze and research the media of communication.
The course is interactive, with reading, discussion, reflection, and critical thinking equally emphasized, and expected of you. The seminar will help you examine the way people live day to day and the ways people organize and conduct life in a media-saturated society.
Because the course includes a full range of scholarship in the history of media studies, each session includes a list of articles, chapters, and books. For each class, the readings appear in chronological order and marked to help you plan. You might start by checking out the overview reading (*), which may appear in some weeks, and allow extra time for the longer readings (see the page range for each reading). Use the pages you create (or link to) on the wiki to summarize and discuss the readings.
One strategy for getting through all this material, which you¹ll need to master right away, is available in the article, ³Reading in the Social Sciences² (http://www.uic.edu/~kgbcomm/didact). A second strategy you will need immediately is to write a brief, comprehensive Reading Summary (see the preceding link). The most important strategy is to work collaboratively, using the wiki. Seminar members in previous semesters have met in person or on line to divide up the participation is required each week.
Readings come from three sources: library electronic reserves plus the following two books (order used or discounted through the internet for the best price on line):
Peters, John Durham, and Peter Simonson, eds. Mass Communication and American Social Thought: Key Texts, 19191968. Lanham, Md.: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004. List $50.96 Paper ISBN 0-7425-2839-1
McQuail, Denis. McQuail's Reader in Mass Communication Theory. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2002. New $51.95 Paper ISBN 0-7619-7243-9
Electronic reserve readings are held at http://uic.docutek.com/eres/coursepage.aspx?cid=489
The following two books are also useful as recommended references:
McQuail, Denis. McQuail's Mass Communication Theory, 5 ed. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2005. New $44.95 Paper ISBN 1-4129-0372-6
Katz, Elihu, John Durham Peters, Tamar Liebes, and Avril Orloff, eds. Canonic Texts in Media Research: Are There Any? Should There be Any? How About These? London: Polity Press, 2002. New $28.95 Paper ISBN 0-7456-2934-2
As a key element of the course, you will write four research proposals, each tied to a different school of thought. After reviewing the readings and our discussion, propose a research question dealing with a current issue or problem, but based on the questions and concerns the earlier authors from that school of thought might pose and pursue. Write about three pages including the following headings (length in paragraphs is in parentheses):
1. Introduction (1), a brief prologue to a) capture interest, b) indicate the issue or state the problem, c) state in a few words what is known about it, d) refer to how you would study it, and e) assert why it matters;
2. Literature (35), a short general description of any bodies (1 each) of relevant articles or books you have found, looked at, and would consult in more detail, indicating where (in which disciplines and journals) the literature exists and how it is organized and citing key works, plus a brief summation (1) to a) relate your problem to the assigned school of thought and b) position your problem in the topical literature;
3. Method (1), an indication of what specific research techniques and analytical strategies you would use, appropriate to the issue or question at hand and consonant with the characteristic tools and approaches of the assigned school of thought;
4. Significance (1), a concluding statement of why the issue matters or has importance; and
5. References, a list of all books and articles you found pertinent to two aspects of the proposal: the topic of your proposed research and the school of thought as related to your specific proposal (for items listed in the course bibliography, give only the author and year). Use the UIC electronic resources (http://www.uic.edu/depts/lib/resources/refshelf/cit.shtml) for a guide to citation styles and for computer software to compile the reference list.
All writing will receive a grade for the prose ‹ spelling, grammar, and style (read a guide such as Strunk & White) ‹ as well as a primary grade for the content in the format above.
The two take-home exams happen at midterm and during finals week. Several short essay questions may cover any of the readings from the seminar. Questions generally present an issue or social problem related to the media and leave open several options for you to answer based on your areas of interest and strength. In short, each exam is comprehensive ‹ covering all previous material ‹ but also flexible. Course grades follow this formula:
Problems, 40 percent (10 percent
each);
Participation (advance preparation, wiki work, and in-class discussion), 35
percent; and
Exams, 25 percent (10 percent for the midterm and 15 percent for the final).
Students with disabilities who require accommodations for access or participation in this course must register with the Office of Disability Services: (312) 413-2103 or 0123 (TTY).
If you must miss class for a religious holiday or observance, please notify me well enough ahead of time to allow for arrangements that will not disadvantage you in the course.
If you have an illness or emergency that affects your work in the seminar, please meet with me during office hours (listed above) to discuss an appropriate action. Any adjustments in deadlines and assignments will require documentation.
Late assignments will be accepted for one week after the original due date, dropping one full grade. For work more than one week late, feedback is available, but no grade.
Read the Guidelines Regarding Academic Integrity (http://www.uic.edu/depts/sja/integrit.htm). You must do your own original work. Do not turn in anything the same or substantially the same as work of another person or the same as work you completed for another course. Cite the ideas of others thoroughly and consistently:
1. Citing in the text the author(s) and year for any ideas drawn from others, including all direct, indirect, and paraphrased statements, as well as their concepts or thinking,
2. Using quotation marks around any words of a phrase (2 words) or more in length drawn from any other author or source, whether in print, on line, or from personal correspondence or interaction,
3. Providing page numbers for all direct (word-for-word) quotations, and
4. Giving the full bibliographic citation for each source in a list of references.
Students who plagiarize the work of others, including material from the internet, or engage in any academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade for the course. Department policy requires reporting all suspected cases to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs for review.
If for any reason you¹re unable to read and/or write on the wiki before class, send notice by e-mail or in person and then come to class and participate as much as you can.