National Paralegal College717 E. Maryland Avenue

Phoenix, AZ 85014Tel: 800 - 371 - 6105Fax: 866-347-2744

e-mail: info@nationalparalegal.eduWebsite: http://nationalparalegal.edu

Media and Cultural Literacy

MED-201-1307

Syllabus and Course Guide

The NPC Media and Cultural Literacy course meets 15 times over the course of the 8-week term in the NPC interactive classroom. Each session consists of about 60 minutes of online lecture by the course instructor. After the lecture, students may ask questions and make comments on the material being studied.

There will be TWO alternative lecture times for this course:

2:00 PM, Eastern Time – taught by David Lipton 7:00 PM, Eastern Time – taught by Jonathan Sholem

Each lecture will cover the same material. So, there is no reason to attend more than one on a given day. You may attend either class and may switch back and forth if you choose. Attendance at either class will satisfy the weekly interaction requirement. All class sessions are recorded and may be viewed by students at any time.

To successfully complete the course, each student must satisfactorily complete:- 5 written assignments- 3 examinations

Unless an extension has been taken pursuant to the NPC Extensions Policy (see the end of this syllabus), all assignments and exams must be submitted by the course deadline which appears later in this syllabus. No extensions may be taken or granted unless the student has submitted one or more assignments or exams in advance of the original deadline. In addition, extensions are limited to no more than 30 days from the date of the original extension.

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COURSE DESCRIPTION:

We may not recognize it, but as Americans living in the twenty-first century, we are constantly bombarded with messages from the movies, television, the Internet, radio, and advertisements. The multitude of messages we encounter each day attempt to persuade us to buy new products, go to the latest movies, or even change our political affiliation. In this course students will learn about the history and current state of mass communication in the U.S., from early newspapers and periodicals to the rise of the Internet and global media corporations. By discovering how mass media shapes our culture and influences our decisions about everything from the clothes we buy to the politicians we elect, we will become more savvy consumers and more responsible citizens. Students will learn how to approach media from a critical distance, and will learn that to truly understand the messages sent by the mass media, we must understand the power dynamics inherent in our current system.

INSTRUCTORS AND CONTACT INFO:

Jonathan Sholem (jonathans@nationalparalegal.edu)

David Lipton (davidl@nationalparalegal.edu)

GRADERS:

Jonathan will be grading interactions and assignments and David will be grading exams.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

At the completion of this course, the student will have acquired knowledge and understanding of:

Mass media and the cultural landscape

The history and significance of sounds and images

How media conveys messages through words and pictures

The business of mass media

Democratic expression and the mass media

How media impacts our daily lives

Ethics and the production of media

How visual culture transforms the nation

How to approach media critically

The print revolution and the rise of the Internet

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Media and the law

Media’s role in governance

Mass Media and cultural change

The global effects of media

TEXTBOOK:The textbook for this course is:

The Media of Mass Communication, by John Vivian. Eleventh Edition. Pearson Allyn and Bacon, 2012.

ISBN-10: 0205029582 ISBN-13: 978-0205029587

Additional readings may be posted to the course message board.

It is expected that each student will obtain a copy of the textbook prior to the beginning of the course. The book may be obtained in any manner the student chooses to do so, including:

Direct from the Publisher:

http://www.mypearsonstore.com/bookstore/media-of-mass-communication-9780205029587

Amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Media-Mass-Communication-11th-Edition/dp/0205029582/

Textbooks.com:

http://www.textbooks.com/Media-of-Mass-Communication-11th-Edition/9780205029587/John-Vivian.php

READING ASSIGNMENTS:

All reading assignments refer to the textbook, and italicized titles refer to required reading available either as a PDF on the website or as a web link. Students should do the assigned reading before the beginning of each class. Students are encouraged to do some of the practice exercises at the end of each chapter to test their knowledge of the reading material. The instructor is available to answer questions on the reading assignments and/or to help the student with the end-of-chapter practice exercises. Students can also post questions to the course message board which is monitored by the instructor.

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WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS:

At the outset of the course, five assignments will be posted on the “assignments and exams” page. The 5 assignments will cumulatively count for 40% of the student’s grade for the course. Assignments are to be submitted via the section of the student menu entitled “assignments and exams.”

It is highly recommended that assignment answers be composed in a word processing program and then pasted into the NPC system rather than composing it in the assignment answer window. This is important because an inadvertent page refresh or login timeout could cause you to lose all unsaved work typed into the NPC assignment window.

PDF documents and images may also be submitted as part of your assignment. For a short tutorial on creating and submitting PDF documents, please see:

http://tinyurl.com/assignmentpdf

(You may have to log into Google to view this document.)

Each submitted assignment will be graded on the following scale: 4 - Excellent 3 - Good 2 – Satisfactory 1 – Poor 0 – Not acceptable (must resubmit) (Half-points may also be awarded in assignment grading.)

Please see the grading rubric on the following pages of this syllabus for more detailed information as to how assignments are graded and the key elements of assignments that instructors look for when grading assignments. In addition to a grade, students will receive written feedback from the instructor on their assignments, where appropriate. To the extent possible, it is recommended that students complete the assignments as the course proceeds rather than waiting until after the course ends.

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NPC DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE PAPER GRADING RUBRIC

This grading rubric has two parts. The first is a grading scoresheet. You can use it to follow the process by which a paper is assigned a mathematical grade. For each “Criterion,” multiply the “Score” by the “Importance” (which varies by assignment) to get each row’s individual “Subtotal.” Then add each row’s “Subtotal” to the next to get the overall “Total.” Finally, divide that “Total” by the maximum possible points for the percentage grade.

The second part of the rubric is a list of the criteria used in the scoresheet along with their definitions and explanations.

The rubric serves two purposes. First, and most importantly, it can be used as a tutorial for writing better papers. Referring to it before, during, and after completing a first draft of a writing assignment can help you to keep your argument and method of presenting your argument on track. Second, since it constitutes a list of graders’ criteria in assessing the quality of your work it can help you to get a better grade. Since it is only a general rubric, however, you should be sure to find out from your professor how its 10 criteria might be – or might not be – applied to your particular assignment.

Grading Scoresheet

Criterion Score Importance Subtotal

1. Relevancy

2. Facts and logic

3. Terms, concepts, and theories defined

4. Sentence and paragraph quality and structure

5. Structure and flow of argument

6. Cogency

7. Statement(s) of assumptions and limitations

8. Consideration of counterarguments

9. Efficiency

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10. Professionalism and citation

Total

Grading Criteria Defined

1. Relevancy. Degree to which the paper answers or responds appropriately and effectively to the question(s) or prompt(s) given in the description of the assignment. This is the sine qua non of every assignment. Papers which do not respond to the questions and prompts in the description of the assignment will be graded down substantially or may need to be re-submitted.

2. Facts and logic. Quality and/or quantity of facts, statistics, and/or logic employed. Generally, the greater the quantity and quality of careful logical reasoning and salient facts to an argument or paper, the better.

3. Sentence and paragraph quality and structure. The quality, organization and clarity in each sentence and paragraph. In particular, the meaning and significance of the facts, statistics, and/or logical reasoning in their sequencing and logical organization within each sentence and within each paragraph. Alternatively, this might be described as the quality not of each bit of information itself but rather its usefulness as it is employed to advance each paragraph's individual purpose.

4. Terms, concepts, and theories defined. When you are called upon to use terms, concepts, and theories from your readings and to explain how they relate to a fact or situation, you should also be sure to explain them adequately, that is, enough so that it is clear that you understand how they relate to the phenomena you are being asked about in the description of the assignment. Note that this may not be necessary for all papers, so please ask your professor if an explanation of all such generalities will be required for any particular assignment if it is not already clear.

5. Structure and flow of argument. The overall build or flow of your argument from introduction, to evidence and/or logic, to ultimate conclusion or outcome. This might alternatively be described as the quality of the paragraphs with each judged not for its endogenous qualities but rather for its appropriateness and utility as a building block in the progressive sequence of paragraphs that you use to present your argument. With respect to this criterion, while it is the paragraphs that are judged, they are not considered individually but rather by how well they all combine to advance the argument toward its conclusion.

6. Cogency. The degree to which the argument is presented in a convincing manner. One notes that this is greatly enhanced by a strong showing with respect to the other grading criteria.

7. Statement(s) of assumptions and limitations. If your argument will address or account for some but not all situations then it should be clear (implicitly) or make clear (explicitly) as to in what types of instances it would not apply. Note that while assumptions and limitations reduce the breadth of the context in which an argument is applicable they can also increase its strength

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and validity. Many great arguments do not address all eventualities and do not apply in all contexts. For example, the universally accepted health-related argument that human milk is better for babies than baby formula has a limitation: It is not true in the case of a nursing mother who carries HIV. A good argument that applies to most situations is far better than a meaningless or poor argument that applies to them all. Moreover, knowing and stating explicitly the limits of an argument usually makes it clearer and easier to apply.

8. Consideration of counterarguments. In assignments which ask you to take a position on a particular issue you can strengthen your argument by preemptively explaining why counterarguments are invalid, mistaken, or at least inferior to yours. This is not always necessary, but it becomes more necessary in cases of more obvious counterarguments. For example, suppose that you were to argue that right after the US Revolutionary War (during which the British arbitrarily detained Americans, forcibly quartered their troops in Americans’ homes, denied Americans’ freedom of speech, etc.) there was no need for the US to pass a Bill of Rights. In such a case you would need to explain why such rights were not in need of explicit constitutional protection. On the other hand, if instead you have presented your argument in such a way that it would be obvious to any reader as to why, compared to any possible counterargument, your argument better addresses the issue or is otherwise more advantageous or parsimonious (e.g. it explains more events with an equal amount of theory or less) then you will not need to mention competing views. However, if the description of an assignment explicitly asks you to address counterarguments then you should certainly do so directly.

9. Efficiency. Put simply, this is the ratio of the length of an argument to its overall cogency. While more complex arguments may require more verbiage to be explained, no argument benefits from a needlessly extended discussion of issues of little or no relevance to the main point. It is obvious (and a tautology) to say that longer papers have more opportunity to contain a greater amount of information in them. However, an argument that can be made in 250 words should not be extended to 500 lest the paper lose points for its inefficiency. It may be helpful to think about this on a more piecemeal level as a need to keep the number of words used to make each point of your argument to a comfortable minimum. Remember that it is superfluous, excessive, verbose, unnecessary, and prolix to be redundant in your writing. :)

10. Professionalism and citation. The use of appropriate formatting, spelling, grammar, punctuation, and citation in your paper. Citation refers to the format that should be used to cite the sources of your information, quotations, and arguments, if they are not your own.1 Unless your professor gives you specific instructions to the contrary, please use standard APA citation format (as explained at http://www.apastyle.org/learn/faqs/index.aspx). Information presented as fact without any citation of its source will not be considered to contribute to the argument, and thus not to the grade. In other words, if you want credit be sure to credit your source. With respect to each citation it should be clear as to whether you are citing the source of a fact or that of a whole argument.

1 While you are expected to present facts, views, and information from the readings and, if appropriate, outside sources, the copying or re-stating of another person's argument whether on a word-for-word basis or by paraphrasing it without putting the borrowed statement in quotes or a drop quote, or simply passing it off as one's own idea without appropriate attribution is considered plagiarism. More specific information regarding NPC's plagiarism policy may be found at: http://nationalparalegal.edu/pages/Plagiarism%20Policy.pdf

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NPC DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE STARTING ASSIGNMENTS & OUTLINE

How to Write a Paper for the Social Sciences

For the assignments in social science courses you will be writing five papers in which you will respond to certain readings and questions. Some assignments may ask you for your opinion regarding one or a variety of topics. While every assignment is different, students may find having some general guidelines to be helpful.

There is no one right way to start writing a paper. However, as a suggestion you may find it helpful before you begin to type the questions or prompts from the assignment sheet into your word processor (e.g. Microsoft Word). Then underneath each question (or set of questions, if they address the same issue) you could write an outline that you would follow to respond to it. For example, if you are asked to explain a situation using your choice of a theory your outline might look something like this:

I. IntroductionA. Introductory sentence (or two) very briefly extolling virtues of your chosen theoryB. Brief description highlighting the parts of the theory to be explained, if appropriate

II. Description of situation2

A. Descriptive element #1 of the situation and how it fits into the theoryB. Descriptive element #2 of the situation and how it fits into the theoryC. Descriptive element #3 (and so on) of the situation and how it fits into the theory

III. Explanation of why other competing theories are inferiorA. Introductory sentence of acknowledgment of existence of competing theoriesB. Very brief description of competing theory #1C. Failures or weaknesses of competing theory #1 to describe the situationD. Very brief description of competing theory #2 (and so on)E. Failures or weaknesses of competing theory #2 (and so on) to describe the situationF. Brief statement concluding that opposing theories are of lesser or no descriptive value

IV. ConclusionA. Summary of strengths of your argument

1. Strength #12. Strength #2 (and so on)

2 Note that this section (i.e. II. Description of situation) could also be written in reverse, that is, by detailing the theory and showing how the various aspects of the theory fit the situation instead of vice-versa. You should use whichever method will help you to make a stronger and more efficient argument.

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With your outline complete you would now insert your notes from the readings and your own thoughts, mostly into sections II and III of the outline. Finally, you would connect all of your statements and write the introduction and conclusion.EXAMINATIONS:

Examinations will be posted on the NPC website when indicated on the syllabus of the course. The examinations consist entirely of “short essay” questions. The 3 examinations will cumulatively count for 60% of the student’s course grade.

Examinations are non-cumulative; they cover only the material that has been covered since the previous examination. The instructor will provide specific information regarding the content of each examination as the examination time approaches.

All examinations are timed. A student may begin the examination any time after it is posted to the NPC website. Once begun, the examination must be completed within 4 hours.

Examinations will be graded on a conventional 0-100 scale. The number of points each question is worth is equal to 100 divided by the number of questions on the examination.

The amount of partial credit to be awarded, if any, for an answer that is not complete and correct is at the discretion of the instructor. Instructors are instructed to award partial credit that is proportional to the level of knowledge and legal skill displayed by the student in answering the question.

To the extent possible, it is recommend that students complete the exams as the course proceeds rather than waiting until after the course ends.

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NPC PLAGIARISM POLICY

All work done by NPC students on assignments, examinations and research projects are expected to be their own work. Quoting other sources as part of analyzing a subject is desirable and necessary in many cases. However, when other sources are quoted or used, they must be properly attributed to the original sources. This applies to direct quotes of sources and to paraphrasing other sources or using ideas obtained from other sources even if the exact text it not used.

Plagiarism means using the materials of others without appropriately citing the source and is an academic offence.

Under the NPC plagiarism policy, a student may not, as part of any assignment or exam submission:

1) quote any text from any other source without:

a) putting quotation marks around the quotes material; AND

b) appropriately citing the source of the quote

2) Pass off the work of another as his or her own, even if the student does not directly quote from the other source.

Please note that the NPC plagiarism policy does not mean that you cannot quote language from the courseware, textbook or slides as part of an answer to a question on an exam. These are resources that are meant to be used on an exam when applied in an appropriate manner. However, quoting other sources without attribution or quoting the text, slides or courseware without attribution in an assignment is plagiarism.

For more information regarding the NPC Plagiarism Policy, penalties and due process rights where plagiarism is alleged, please see the NPC Plagiarism Policy at:

http://nationalparalegal.edu/pages/Plagiarism%20Policy.pdf

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WEEKLY INTERACTION REQUIREMENT

To ensure that all students are involved and participating in the course as the course moves forward, each student enrolled in this course must, at least one during each week, either:

1) Attend a live lecture and take and pass a short quiz given during classOR 2) Submit at least one assignment OR 3) Take at least one examination OR 4) Answer a weekly “interaction” question or questions that will be posted on the “Assignments and Exams” page.

The weekly “interaction” question(s) will be simple and straightforward and will cover material covered in class that week. Answers to these questions should be short (typically 1-3 sentences) and to the point.

This student response (which is necessary only if the student does not attend a live class or take an exam or submit an assignment in the given week) will be graded on a pass/fail basis. The interaction questions will be posted no later than Monday of each week and must be answered on or before the following Monday.

The weekly interaction questions will be posted alongside the assignments. Students who do not attend a live class or take an exam or submit an assignment in the given week will be required to answer the questions presented. Students who did attend a live class or take an exam or submit an assignment in the given week may ignore the question.

Any student who does not fulfill this requirement during a given week will receive a reduction in his or her over-all grade of 2 percentage points from his or her over-all average.

Fulfilling the weekly interaction requirement is particularly important for students receiving financial aid. Federal regulations require the school to withdraw students who go 14 consecutive days without fulfilling an interaction requirement from financial aid and to return any outstanding financial aid money to the government unless the student interacts with the school prior to the time that the withdrawal is completed. If you are unable to fulfill a weekly interaction requirement, is critical that you stay in contact with the school so that other arrangements can be made.

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COURSE GRADES

The following formula will be used to calculate final grades

Cumulative exam scores + (assignment points x 10) = raw score

Because exams are worth up to 100 points and assignments up to 4 points each, the maximum raw score is 500. 10 raw points (2% of the raw point total) are deducted for each missed weekly interaction. Extra credit may be available for certain in class activities as may be announced by the instructor.

The following conversion chart is then applied based on the total raw points you have earned:>474 = A+ 445-474 = A 420-444 = A- 395-419 = B+ 365-394 = B 340-364 = B- 315-339 = C+ 285-314 = C 260-284 = C- 230-259 = D <230 = F 

All examinations and assignments are due no later than Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 11:59 PM EASTERN TIME; That’s EASTERN time. That means 8:59 PM Pacific time, 9:59 PM Mountain time, 10:59 PM Central time, etc.

Please see the end of this syllabus for a note on NPC course extensions policy!

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Lecture and reading assignments schedule

Class 1Monday, July 8, 2013

Reading: Mass Media LiteracyThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 1

Class 2Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Reading: Media TechnologyThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 2

Motoko Rich, “Literacy Debate: Online, R U Really Reading?” Posted in the “Slides and Documents” section of the NPC website

Class 3Monday, July 15, 2013

Reading: Newspapers and Magazines The Media of Mass Communication Chapter 4: Ink on Paper

Read the following Sections:- Print Media Industries- Newspaper Industry- Leading Newspapers- Magazine Industry- Reinventing Magazines

Janet Morrissey, “Librarians Fighting Google’s Book Deal” Posted in the “Slides and Documents” section of the NPC website

Class 4Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Reading: BooksThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 4: Ink on Paper

- Read the rest of the chapter.

Eric Alterman, “Out of Print Posted in the “Slides and Documents” section of the NPC website

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Class 5Monday, July 22, 2013

Reading: Sound MediaThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 5

Examination # 1 will be administered at this point.

Class 6Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Reading: Motion MediaThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 6

Michael Hirschorn, “The Revolution Will be Televised” Posted in the “Slides and Documents” section of the NPC website

Class 7Monday, July 29, 2013

Reading: New Media Landscape The Media of Mass Communication Chapter 7

Class 8Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Reading: NewsThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 8

Ana Kothe, “When Fake is More Real: Of Fools, Parody, and The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” Posted in the “Slides and Documents” section of the NPC website

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Class 9Monday, August 5, 2013

Reading: EntertainmentThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 9

Class 10Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Reading: Public Relations The Media of Mass Communication Chapter 10

AdvertisingThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 11

Examination # 2 will be administered at this point.

Class 11Monday, August 12, 2013

Reading: Mass Media Audiences The Media of Mass Communication Chapter 12

Mass Media EffectsThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 13

Thomas De Zengotita, Mediated (excerpt) Posted in the “Slides and Documents” section of the NPC website

Class 12Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Reading: Governance and Mass MediaThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 14

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Class 13Monday, August 19, 2013

Reading: Mass Media GlobalizationThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 15

Eula Biss, “Time and Distance Overcome” Posted in the “Slides and Documents” section of the NPC website

Class 14Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Reading: Mass Media LawThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 16

Class 15Monday, August 26, 2013

Reading: EthicsThe Media of Mass Communication Chapter 17

Examination # 3 will be administered at this point.

All examinations and assignments are due no later than Sunday, September 29, 2013 at 11:59 PM EASTERN TIME; That’s EASTERN time. That means 8:59 PM Pacific time, 9:59 PM Mountain time, 10:59 PM Central time, etc.

Please see the next page for a note on NPC course extensions policy!

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NPC EXTENSIONS POLICY

1) Extensions that conform to the rules below may be requested from the “assignments and exams” page on the NPC student website.

2) No extensions are possible unless the student has first submitted at least one assignment or examination.

3) No extensions of more than thirty (30) days beyond the deadline are possible for any reason at all.

4) Requested extensions are granted automatically. It is not necessary to give any reason for the request. However, for each day of extension you request, you will be penalized 4 raw points (of 500 that determine your final grade - see page 8 of this syllabus). This accounts for 0.8% of your course grade, per day of extension. This is necessary to compensate for the advantage that students who take more time to do their work enjoy over those who complete their work on time. This also means that a short extension (e.g., a day or two) is unlikely to affect your grade, but a long extension (e.g., two weeks) is guaranteed to affect your grade.

5) The penalty referenced in Paragraph 4 may be waived by an instructor in extreme cases only. Extreme cases include circumstances beyond the control of the student that caused the student to be unable to complete work for a significant period of time. Circumstances such as being busy at work or at home, vacations, family occasions or power or internet outages lasting a few days, are foreseeable life circumstances. Extensions may be taken for these reasons (or, for that matter, for any reason at all), but the grade penalty will not be waived for anything short of a true, unforeseeable emergency.

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