Mass Media Syllabus
Online class Spring 2008
©2007 by Rich Cameron
Rich Cameron
Issue date: 5/15/02 Section: 100x MM Online
Media and Society
Note: This is the syllabus for the online class. If you are taking the day class, please see the syllabus for that version.
Journalism 100 teaches the student to be a more discerning consumer of the mass media. Topics include the origin, development, and contemporary role of the newspaper, magazine, radio, television, books, and other mass media in shaping the political, economic and social fabric of society. The course meets lower division requirements for most communication-related majors and is transferable to California State University and the University of California.
An online class is not necessarily easier than the traditional format. This is NOT a self-paced class. Please see my online article Online: Is the option for you?
TEXTS
Media/Impact (Wadsworth 7th Edition) by Shirley Biagi. (Campus bookstore cost = approx. $60). If you purchase the book from an online bookstore be sure to get the 7th edition. You WILL need the text to pass tests.
WEB PAGE AND E-MAIL INFO
The web site for this class is located at www.cerritosjournalism.com.
Technology is an important part of a journalism education and you should become familiar with use of the World Wide Web. The web site includes copies of this syllabus, assignment information, lecture notes, and more.
In addition to use of the web page you should also become familiar with the use of e-mail. Important information may be distributed to you via e-mail and you can use e-mail to communicate with each other.
You can contact the instructor at rcameron@cerritos.edu. Please start the subject line of all messages with J100x. Include your last name. And include a keyword to explain the message. If the message is a question, the key word should be "Question." (J100x-QUESTION-YourName).
J100x
Not J100, Jx100, x100, Jour100x, etc.
GRADING
Grade reports will be e-mailed to you periodically throughout the semester. It is your responsibility to check these reports and report any omissions.
Tests Cumulative Totals . . . . . 25 percent
There will be five tests. They will be multiple choice and based on the materials covered in class and in the text. Approximately one-third of the questions will come from lectures and two-thirds from the text. You WILL need the text to pass tests.
Tests are open book, open note, but you should not wait until the test to familiarize yourself with the contents of the chapters. For your convenience, lecture note outlines are available on the course site.
All tests will be online.
Tests will be online and must be taken any time on the days the test is scheduled. Tests may be scheduled for different days of the week, so be prepared to make arrangements to take them when they are scheduled. If this creates a hardship for you please make other arrangements with the instructor THE WEEK BEFORE THE TEST. No other makeups will be allowed.
Note that there are practice tests for each section of the class. Practice tests are optional and ungraded; they are there for yor benefit. You may take them any time during the section.
There will be 5-10 homework assignments and five concept reports designed to get you to think about your involvement with the mass media. Regular homework assignments will be worth 10 points. When appropriate assignments MUST be typed.
Concept assignments parallel the five sections of the class and can be looked upon as study guides. They are worth 20 homework points and are always due at test time. All concept assignments must be typed. Do not plan on completing concepts assignments after a test.
No late assignments will be accepted. If for some reason you have problems with your computer, contact the instructor immediately. DO NOT MISS A WEEK OF CLASS AND EXPECT TO CATCH UP LATE.
First Amendment Project . . . . . 25 percent
Specifics of this assignment will be announced later, but its intent is to have you take a closer and critical look at First Amendment freedoms in today's society. See the online file on how I grade the First Amendment Project. Also note the file on grade distribution that shows a high correlation on Project grades and final grades.
Lectures/Attendance . . . . . 25 percent
Lectures will are presented online. You will be notified once a week (Sunday night/Monday morning) by e-mail which lecture and other assignments are due that week. Read the lectures online and answer the questions at the bottom of lecture. E-mail the answers to me to verify that you've completed the assignment. Assignments will be due twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday).
Extra Credit
Inevitably someone doing poorly on tests or homework assignments will ask about extra credit. From time to time there may be extra credit opportunities; they will be announced. But, in general, you should concentrate on improving scores on tests and assignments to improve your grade. I do not always have extra credit assignments.
Did I mention, you WILL need the text to pass the tests?
GO TO THE MOVIES
We all love the movies and there have been a number of movies that create our images of the media. We don't have time to show them all in class, but you will be asked to view some of them outside of class. Questions about the plot of each movie will be included on the tests and you will need to provide prood of viewing by answer plot questions. Movies you will need to see outside of class include:
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the semester, students will be able to identify:
Work submitted in this class is expected to be your own and should represent your abilities. Plagiarism, fabrication of information and quotes, work done by others, cheating, etc. will not be tolerated and may incur penalities including an automatic F in the class or other institutional discipline. Collaboration and study groups are encouraged as long as final work represents individual effort.
This is particularly true with the First Amendment Project, where students are expected to gather information from other sources, but be proficient in identifying what was borrowed and from where.
EXTRA CREDIT
I will not have extra credit opportunities available at the end of the semester. From time to time throughout the semester I MAY have extra credit opportunities that require you to attend a workshop off campus. These workshops, when they occur, focus on some aspect of what we are studying. They are sponsored by outside organizations and many are free. They usually occur on evenings or on Saturdays. To get credit you will need to attend and write a report. You need to take advantage of the opportunities as they occur if you want to rely on extra credit to bolster your grade.
Extra credit should not be considered to make up for work you did not do, but rather to help your grade in areas where you did not perform as well as you wish you had.
In general, do not expect there to be many extra credit opportunities and none will be available in the waning weeks of the semester.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
R i c h C a m e r o n
Office hours = M-Th 12:30-1:30
Phone = (562) 860-2451, x2619 -- Fax (562) 467-5044
E-mail = rcameron@cerritos.edu
The best way to reach me is by e-mail, not phone. Be sure to put J100x-QUESTION-YourName in the subject line.
Note: This is the syllabus for the online class. If you are taking the day class, please see the syllabus for that version.
Journalism 100 teaches the student to be a more discerning consumer of the mass media. Topics include the origin, development, and contemporary role of the newspaper, magazine, radio, television, books, and other mass media in shaping the political, economic and social fabric of society. The course meets lower division requirements for most communication-related majors and is transferable to California State University and the University of California.
An online class is not necessarily easier than the traditional format. This is NOT a self-paced class. Please see my online article Online: Is the option for you?
TEXTS
Media/Impact (Wadsworth 7th Edition) by Shirley Biagi. (Campus bookstore cost = approx. $60). If you purchase the book from an online bookstore be sure to get the 7th edition. You WILL need the text to pass tests.
WEB PAGE AND E-MAIL INFO
The web site for this class is located at www.cerritosjournalism.com.
Technology is an important part of a journalism education and you should become familiar with use of the World Wide Web. The web site includes copies of this syllabus, assignment information, lecture notes, and more.
In addition to use of the web page you should also become familiar with the use of e-mail. Important information may be distributed to you via e-mail and you can use e-mail to communicate with each other.
You can contact the instructor at rcameron@cerritos.edu. Please start the subject line of all messages with J100x. Include your last name. And include a keyword to explain the message. If the message is a question, the key word should be "Question." (J100x-QUESTION-YourName).
GRADING
Grade reports will be e-mailed to you periodically throughout the semester. It is your responsibility to check these reports and report any omissions.
Tests Cumulative Totals . . . . . 25 percent
There will be five tests. They will be multiple choice and based on the materials covered in class and in the text. Approximately one-third of the questions will come from lectures and two-thirds from the text. You WILL need the text to pass tests.
Tests are open book, open note, but you should not wait until the test to familiarize yourself with the contents of the chapters. For your convenience, lecture note outlines are available on the course site.
All tests will be online.
Tests will be online and must be taken any time on the days the test is scheduled. Tests may be scheduled for different days of the week, so be prepared to make arrangements to take them when they are scheduled. If this creates a hardship for you please make other arrangements with the instructor THE WEEK BEFORE THE TEST. No other makeups will be allowed.
Note that there are practice tests for each section of the class. Practice tests are optional and ungraded; they are there for yor benefit. You may take them any time during the section.
Unit One -- Intro to MediaHomework . . . . . 25 percent
Unit Two -- Intro to Print Media
Unit Three -- Intro to Media Law/Ethics
Unit Four -- Intro to Broadcast Media
Unit Five -- intro to Issues/Effects/Movies/PR/Advertising
There will be 5-10 homework assignments and five concept reports designed to get you to think about your involvement with the mass media. Regular homework assignments will be worth 10 points. When appropriate assignments MUST be typed.
Concept assignments parallel the five sections of the class and can be looked upon as study guides. They are worth 20 homework points and are always due at test time. All concept assignments must be typed. Do not plan on completing concepts assignments after a test.
No late assignments will be accepted. If for some reason you have problems with your computer, contact the instructor immediately. DO NOT MISS A WEEK OF CLASS AND EXPECT TO CATCH UP LATE.
First Amendment Project . . . . . 25 percent
Specifics of this assignment will be announced later, but its intent is to have you take a closer and critical look at First Amendment freedoms in today's society. See the online file on how I grade the First Amendment Project. Also note the file on grade distribution that shows a high correlation on Project grades and final grades.
Lectures/Attendance . . . . . 25 percent
Lectures will are presented online. You will be notified once a week (Sunday night/Monday morning) by e-mail which lecture and other assignments are due that week. Read the lectures online and answer the questions at the bottom of lecture. E-mail the answers to me to verify that you've completed the assignment. Assignments will be due twice a week (Wednesday and Saturday).
Extra Credit
Inevitably someone doing poorly on tests or homework assignments will ask about extra credit. From time to time there may be extra credit opportunities; they will be announced. But, in general, you should concentrate on improving scores on tests and assignments to improve your grade. I do not always have extra credit assignments.
Did I mention, you WILL need the text to pass the tests?
GO TO THE MOVIES
We all love the movies and there have been a number of movies that create our images of the media. We don't have time to show them all in class, but you will be asked to view some of them outside of class. Questions about the plot of each movie will be included on the tests and you will need to provide prood of viewing by answer plot questions. Movies you will need to see outside of class include:
- Section Two
- "The Paper"
- "The Front Page" (Lemon/Matthau edition)
- l "Shattered Glass"
- "The Front Page" (Lemon/Matthau edition)
- Section Three
- "All the President's Men"
- "Absence of Malice"
- "Absence of Malice"
- Section Four
- "Network"
- "Broadcast News"
- "Broadcast News"
- Section Five
- "Singing in the Rain"
- "Citizen Kane"
- "Citizen Kane"
STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the semester, students will be able to identify:
- At least three of the major roles of the mass media in society.
- The five clauses of the First Amendment.
- The seven major mass media in the country.
- At least one of the major rationales for regulation of broadcast media in this country.
Work submitted in this class is expected to be your own and should represent your abilities. Plagiarism, fabrication of information and quotes, work done by others, cheating, etc. will not be tolerated and may incur penalities including an automatic F in the class or other institutional discipline. Collaboration and study groups are encouraged as long as final work represents individual effort.
This is particularly true with the First Amendment Project, where students are expected to gather information from other sources, but be proficient in identifying what was borrowed and from where.
EXTRA CREDIT
I will not have extra credit opportunities available at the end of the semester. From time to time throughout the semester I MAY have extra credit opportunities that require you to attend a workshop off campus. These workshops, when they occur, focus on some aspect of what we are studying. They are sponsored by outside organizations and many are free. They usually occur on evenings or on Saturdays. To get credit you will need to attend and write a report. You need to take advantage of the opportunities as they occur if you want to rely on extra credit to bolster your grade.
Extra credit should not be considered to make up for work you did not do, but rather to help your grade in areas where you did not perform as well as you wish you had.
In general, do not expect there to be many extra credit opportunities and none will be available in the waning weeks of the semester.
INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION
R i c h C a m e r o n
Office hours = M-Th 12:30-1:30
Phone = (562) 860-2451, x2619 -- Fax (562) 467-5044
E-mail = rcameron@cerritos.edu
The best way to reach me is by e-mail, not phone. Be sure to put J100x-QUESTION-YourName in the subject line.
