CENTRAL TEXAS COLLEGE
SYLLABUS FOR SPRING 2007 COMM 1307
INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATIONS
SEMESTER CREDIT HOURS: 3
INSTRUCTOR:
Janna Lewis
Cell: (903) 316-7726
OFFICE HOURS:
By appointment prior to or immediately after each
class
I.
INTRODUCTION
This
is a survey course focusing on historical, technical, and governmental aspects
of the mass media industry.
Newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the news media will be covered. The course is useful for persons
interested in journalism and is required for all radio and television majors.
II. OVERALL OR GENERAL OBJECTIVES OF THE COURSE
Upon
successful completion of this course the student will be able to:
A. Relate the historical development of
the mass media industry correlating historical impact with modern industrial trends.
B. Describe and explain American media as
it currently exists with emphasis on the
inter-relationships among the structural elements.
C. Explain the process by which current
principles and practices evolved so there can be a better understanding of the present and an intelligent
anticipation of events which will
occur in the future.
D. Evaluate mass media as a factor in our
society.
E. Research a topic and write a
significant paper about that topic.
F. Use the Internet as a research tool for
mass media study and use computers to
collect, process, collate, and distribute information.
III.
INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL
Text:
Dominick, Joseph R., The Dynamics of Mass Communications, 9th Edition, NY, McGraw-Hill, Inc 2004.
IV. COURSE REQUIREMENTS
A. Reading assignments are to be completed
by the assigned dates. Assigned reading will be subject to examination in major
exams.
B.
Projects/oral reports/case studies/book reports/and research papers will be
assigned by the instructor. The methods of presentation, due dates/point values
and grading criteria will be given by the instructor at time of assignment.
C. Attendance policies are described in
the Central Texas College catalogue. Excessive absences will result in loss of
credit for the class.
D. Assignments are due on the date
specified by the instructor. Late assignments will be subject to a penalty of 10% of the total point value for
each day the assignment is late.
All assignments must be submitted to meet requirements for this course. Failure to submit and satisfactorily complete all assignments
required in this course as stated
in the syllabus will result in a grade of "F" for this course.
E. No class or laboratory assignment may
involve the production of illegal, obscene, or indecorous materials.
V. EXAMINATIONS
A. Exams will be given as major components
of study are completed. Exams will be announced with suitable lead time.
B. All exams will be objective in
nature-multiple choice, true/false, matching, fill in the blanks, or short
answer.
C. The instructor will review material to
be covered on each exam in class prior to the exam date.
D. If a student is absent during an exam,
a make-up exam will be administered to the student, only if documentation is
provided by the student which justifies an excused absence. Unexcused absences
during exams will not be entitled to a make-up consideration and will be
awarded "0" points for the exam missed. Excused absences will be
given for health reasons (doctor's note required), military assignments (Superior's note required), or
unavoidable work conflict, if arranged with the instructor prior to the absence.
E. A term paper will be assigned and will
be described separately.
VI. SEMESTER GRADE COMPUTATION
A. The student's grade for this course is
derived from the total points awarded on examinations and laboratory
assignments. The point value assigned to each of these requirements is listed
below:
Class participation 200 pts
Oral presentation 75
pts.
Mid Term 50
pts.
Final 75
pts.
Term paper 100
pts.
Total 500
pts.
B. The following table denotes the points
scored to letter grade scale used for this course:
500 - 450 = A
449 - 400 = B
399 - 350 = C
349 - 300 = D
299
- 0 = F
VII.
NOTES AND ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FROM COURSE INSTRUCTOR
A.
Course Withdrawal: It is the studentÕs responsibility to officially withdraw
from a course if circumstances prevent attendance. Any student who desires to, or must, officially withdraw
from a course after the first scheduled class meeting must file a Central Texas
College Application for Withdrawal (CTC Form 59). The withdrawal form must be signed by the student. CTC Form 59 will be
accepted at any time prior to Friday of the 12 th week of classes during the
16-week spring and spring semesters. The specific last day to withdraw is published
each semester in the Schedule Bulletin.
A student who officially withdraws will be awarded the grade of ÒWÓ
provided the studentÕs attendance and academic performance are satisfactory at
the time of official withdrawal.
Students must file a withdrawal application with the College before they
may be considered for withdrawal. A student may not withdraw from a class for
which the instructor has previously issued the student a grade of ÒFÓ or ÒFNÓ
for nonattendance.
B.
Administrative Withdrawal: An administrative withdrawal may be initiated when
the student fails to meet College
attendance requirements. The
instructor will assign the
appropriate grade on CTC Form 59 for submission to the registrar.
C.
Incomplete Grade: The College catalog states, ÒAn incomplete grade may be
given in those cases where the
student has completed the majority of the coursework but, because of personal illness, death in
the immediate family, or military orders, the student is unable to complete the requirements for a course.
. .Ó Prior approval from the instructor is required before the
grade of ÒIÓ for Incomplete is recorded.
A student who merely fails
to show for the final examination will receive a zero for the final and an ÒFÓ for the course.
D. Cellular Phones and Beepers: Cellular phones and beepers will be turned
off while the student is in the
classroom or laboratory.
E. Americans With Disabilities Act
(ADA): Students requiring
accommodations for disabilities are responsible for notifying the instructor. Reasonable accommodations will be
granted in full compliance with federal and state law and Central Texas College policy.
F.
Instructor Discretion: The
instructor reserves the right of final decision in course requirements.
G. Civility: Individuals are expected to be cognizant of what a constructive educational experience is and
respectful of those participating in a learning environment. Failure to do so can result in disciplinary action up
to and including expulsion.
VIII.
COURSE CALENDAR ¥
assignments/requirements are subject to change
January 16, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Course
overview, expectations, introductions, syllabus
Chapter
presentation topics assigned
Assignment:
read Chapter 1
January
18, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Chapter
1 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 2
January
23, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter
2 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 3
January
25, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Research day. Class will not meet. Use this time
to prepare for Chapter
presentations
January 30, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter 3 discussion, individual
presentation project assignment given
Assignment: read Chapter 4
February
1, 2007 ¥ Thursday
TERM
PAPER TOPIC DISCUSSION:
what are you going to write
about?
Chapter 4 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 5
February 6, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter 5 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 6
February 8, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Chapter 6 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 7
February 13, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter 7 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 8
February 15, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Chapter 8 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 9
February 20, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter 9 discussion
Assignment: have rough draft of Term
Paper ready to turn in on xxx;
prepare notes on issues you may be
having with your term paper at this
point in the semester
February 22, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Term Paper Check-Up: brainstorming/problem-solving in
class
Assignment:
have rough draft of Term Paper ready to turn in on 3/8
February 27, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Research day. Class will not meet. Use this time
to write your rough
draft of your paper.
Assignment: have your rough draft of
your paper ready to turn in on
3/8; read Chapter 10
March 1, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Chapter
10 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 11
March 6, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter
11 discussion
Assignment:
read Chapter 12
March 8, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Rough draft of term paper due! Turn it in at the beginning of
class.
Chapter 12 discussion
March 13, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
SPRING
BREAK
March 15, 2007 ¥ Thursday
SPRING
BREAK
March 20, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
In class TBA
Assignment: read Chapter 13
March 22, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Chapter
13 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 14
March 27, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter
14 discussion
Assignment: read Chapter 15
March 29, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Chapter
15 discussion
Assignment:
TBA
April 3, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
In
class TBA
Assignment:
read Chapter 16
April 5, 2007 ¥ Thursday
Research day. Class will not meet. Use this time
to write your rough
draft of your paper.
April 10, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
FINAL
DRAFT OF Term Paper due at beginning of class
Chapter
16 discussion
Assignment:
read Chapter 17
April 12, 2007 ¥ Thursday
In
class TBA
April 17, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter
17 discussion
Assignment:
read Chapter 18
April 19, 2007 ¥ Thursday
In
class TBA
April 24, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Chapter 18 discussion
April 26, 2007 ¥ Thursday
In
class TBA
May 1, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Final
Exam Review
May 3, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Study day. Class will not meet.
May 8, 2007 ¥ Tuesday
Final
Exam!
INTRODUCTION TO MASS COMMUNICATIONS
COMM 1307 TERM PAPER REQUIREMENTS
Description: Students will research and write a term
paper as a required component of the course, Introduction to Mass
Communication.
Due
Date: Topics must be submitted for
approval by Thursday, February 1, 2007. The completed paper will be due
Tuesday, April 10, 2007, at the beginning of class.
Length: The paper must be at least ten pages in
length, not including cover sheet, citation page and bibliography. It must be
double-spaced and written using a word processing program on a computer. At
least 6 sources must be used. A cover sheet, citation page and bibliography are
required. The paper should be stapled in the upper left corner. No folder is
necessary.
Form: The paper will follow research style
with all information attributed to the sources using citations in the form of
footnotes or endnotes. Citations should follow the MLA requirements for
citations.
Topic: Any topic or person discussed in the
text or in lectures may be selected as a topic for the paper. Examples include:
Yellow journalism, Hearst, some aspect of the magazine industry, the social
impact of a specific book such as Uncle TomÕs Cabin or To Kill a Mockingbird, Marconi, Sarnoff, fairness
doctrine, section 315, obscenity
and indecency, high definition television, interactive television, the social impact of a specific film, some
aspect of the Internet, a comparison of
public broadcasting in this country and some other country, or
censorship.
COMM
1307
Introduction
to Mass Communications
Semester_____________ Year _____________
STUDENT
STATEMENT
I,
____________________________________, hereby certify the instructor has fully explained the requirements
and objectives of this course.
I
understand my responsibilities regarding class attendance and assignments.
__________________________________
Student Signature
