1. SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT: In compliance with the Americans Disabilities Act, it is the students' responsibility to contact their instructor concerning any special accommodations required for completion of course requirements. In compliance with the American Disabilities Act, students are encouraged to register with the Office of Student Disabilities for assistance with accommodations. It is the student’s responsibility to voluntarily and confidentially disclose information regarding the nature and extent of a disability. The college does not assume responsibility for providing accommodations or services to students who have not identified themselves as having a qualifying disability. The office is in the Campus Center, room 102.

2. Volunteer State Community College is an equal opportunity affirmative action educational institution. No person shall be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefit of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity of the college because of race, color, national origin, age or handicap. The college also complies with the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, as amended and with the Vietnam Era Veteran’s Readjustment Act of 1974 and the revisions of 2003. The commitment to equal opportunity applies to all aspects of recruitment, employment and education of individuals at all levels throughout the college.

3. Survey of Mass Communication (3) Survey of Mass Communication examines the media as a social institution by providing an overview of print, electronic, and computer-based media forms and reviewing the role of the media in society and its effects on culture. The course also teaches media literacy and criticism skills. Prerequisites: DSPW/DSPR 0800 or acceptable placement scores.

4. INSTRUCTOR: Howard E. Espravnik

Associate Professor of Communication

Phone and voice mail: 615-230-3218

E-mail: howard.espravnik@volstate.edu

5. OFFICE: Ramer Building Room 165

6. OFFICE HOURS: I am usually in my office or at WVCP when not in class. My specific schedule is posted next to my office door. Just drop by to see me, or phone ahead for an appointment if desired. If you are making a trip from off campus, always call ahead to make sure I will be in. Come see me early. I'm usually in at 7:00 A.M.

7. TEXT: Media Impact, An Introduction to Mass Media 9^th Ed., Shirley Biagi, Wadsworth Publishing

Students will need to have access to the book for class discussions and to study for examinations.

8. ATTENDANCE: This instructor feels that regular, prompt attendance is necessary to get the "full flavor and benefit" of the course. Students are strongly encouraged to attend all classes and to be punctual. Attendance is mandatory if you are on financial aid. Students who are receiving Title IV financial assistance (Pell Grant, Student Loan or SEOG Grant) must regularly attend class or be subject to repay PART or ALL of the Federal Financial Aid received for the semester.

The instructor will call the roll when it is time for the class to begin. If you are not present at that time, the instructor's book will show you absent for the day. Chronic absenteeism or tardiness could have a negative effect on your grade. You may miss information needed for an exam, an assignment, or occasional participation points when you don't attend. All students should see the instructor for a short conference following an absence to see what they have missed.

Athletes or other students with an excused absence must seek out the instructor each time within one week for a conference. Failure to do so will mean forfeiting the opportunity to make up work or receive points for in-class activities.

9. TARDINESS: Students that are tardy will come in and sit down without disturbing the rest of the class. Tardy students should not expect the class to back up for them or any other special considerations.

10. HEALTH AND PERSONAL INFORMATION: The instructor is a diabetic. You are asked to notify the instructor immediately if you have any type of health condition that could give you a problem during the course. This will help us know how to assist you if needed.

11. GRADING SCALE: The course is graded on a scale of points. Each homework assignment, project or activity is given a specific number of points. The grading scale applies to everything done in the class, including your final grade. At the end of the course you will need to have accumulated the following percentages of the possible points for the grade indicated:

90%---------------------------------A

80%---------------------------------B

70%---------------------------------C

60%---------------------------------D

12. STUDENT CONDUCT: Any student that disrupts the normal activities or mission of the college will be asked to leave. The VP of Student Services will be notified and Student Handbook procedures will be followed.

13. CHEATING: College students are on their honor and must be above reproach. Any student caught cheating will be dismissed from the course with a failing grade. The Vice President of Student Services will be notified and Student Handbook procedures will be followed.

14. PHONE CALLS: Do not call me, the Humanities Division office, or college switchboard to announce that you will not be in class. I can see that when I get there. Please turn off all cell phones before class begins.

15. ASSESSMENT: Students will be assessed on examinations, written homework, quizzes, a mass media research project and class activities. The instructor reserves the right to award points for unannounced quizzes or in-class participation. Tardy students that come in after the quiz or activity will not be able to make up those points.

16. HOMEWORK POLICIES:

A. Homework is assigned in advance and is due at the start of the period on the due date. You must appear with your work for it to be accepted.

B. Late work is NOT accepted.

C. Extra credit work is NOT accepted.

D. All students should see the instructor for a conference within 24 hours of their return to campus after every absence to find out what they missed.

E. Assignments should look like college work. Use ink. Do not turn in papers with ragged edges torn out of a notebook. Word process your work if at all possible.

F. Skip a line between paragraphs or answers.

G. Put your name and the course number one each page.

H. Leave a one-inch margin on every side of the page.

I. Staple pages together on assignments before turning them in.

J. According to the Volunteer State Community College Student Handbook, "Plagiarism is using other people's ideas as your own work, copying all or parts of someone else's work, having another person write the assignment, getting too much assistance in writing, or failing to document accurately the use of source material" (14). Plagiarism is punishable by possible failure in the course, to be judged by the teacher, and a definite zero on the project. Students are responsible for seeking help if they are unsure about how or when to cite sources; ignorance of the rules is not a justification for plagiarism.

17. MASS MEDIA RESEARCH PROJECT: Students are required to research a topic related to media and present the results to the class. The project will count for about one third of your grade in the course.

Do not write the project out word for word. Do not read the project to us word for word, but instead talk to us. Feel free to use a copy of your outline or note cards during the presentation. Know the material well enough that you can look down very briefly at the outline or cards and continue.

The class will have an opportunity for discussion, and to ask you questions after your presentation is over. During the actual presentation, you should present only. You should not ask the audience questions or try to engage them in conversation during the actual presentation. That will be afterwards.

The outline, bibliography, and all supporting materials must be neatly typed or word processed. This needs to be college quality work. These must be turned in right before you begin your presentation. The following format must be used and must be presented in this order. Points will be deducted if the format is not followed. It should be clear to the class where A, B, C, and D each begin and end.

If Power Point slides and graphics are used, a printed copy of them should be turned in with the outline and bibliography. If Power Point slides are used, the student must be familiar with good usage of this tool. That includes having sufficient contrast between backgrounds and lettering, avoiding information overload, and proper bullet point usage.

A. Introduction--The introduction should explain the topic of the project. You should explain the problem or aspect in mass communications that you are examining and why you feel it deserves attention.

B. Methodology--The second portion of the project should explain the methodology that you used to research the topic. You can tell the written sources you used from the library, interviews conducted with experts, surveys done, or other methods that you used to gather your information. Do not start the body of your findings until after your introduction and explanation of methodology is completed.

C. Findings--You should explain your findings and the results of your research.

D. Conclusions--Your conclusions and opinions on the project should be included at this point, after you have stated the facts. We must be able to distinguish where results and facts stop, and opinions and conclusions begin.

E. Bibliography--Your typed outline and bibliography should be turned in at the beginning of the presentation and should include at least five (5) sources of information. You must have a variety of sources and no more than three (3) of them may be from the Internet. Print an additional copy of the outline if you need it with you during the presentation.

F. Topic--The student should not start work on the project until

the topic is approved by the instructor. Dates for having the topic chosen will be announced in class. Students may choose their own suitable topic or get ideas from the possible topics listed below.

G. The outline should be similar to the example passed out in class. It should contain all of the information listed in A through E above. It should list your sub points under A through E.

H. Presentation--While the minimum presentation should not be under 9 minutes, no presentation should exceed 12 minutes.

I. Media Requirement--You should use some type of appropriate media or audio visual aid(s) in the presentation. These could include, photographs you have taken, slides you have taken, charts, graphs, enlarged magazine pictures, short audio clip, short video clip, short CD ROM segment, overhead transparencies, opaque projection, power point, a short videotape you have produced, or other media. All media must be clear, not overly complicated, large enough to be seen by everyone in the room, or loud enough to be heard by everyone in the room. Audio or videotapes should be cued to the exact spot as to not waste time during the presentation. Audio or video clips must not exceed two minutes of the presentation. Printing materials from the Internet and passing them around will not fulfill the media requirement.

J. ANYONE THAT DOES NOT GIVE A PRESENTATION AT THEIR ASSIGNED TIME WILL RECEIVE A FAILING GRADE IN COMMUNICATION 110.

K. Student research presentations will be due on a specific date between November 17th and December 10th. Your date will be assigned by October 1st.

POSSIBLE TOPICS:

*SHOULD SHOCK JOCKS BE TAKEN OFF THE AIR? FINED MORE?

*INTERVIEWING LOCAL CANDIDATES FOR OFFICE ABOUT MEDIA USES

*RETENTION OF PRINT MEDIA VS. BROADCAST MESSAGES

*ANALYSIS OF CONSUMER AWARENESS OF MAJOR NEWS ISSUES

*SEXISM IN NEWS, ENTERTAINMENT, OR PERSUASIVE MEDIA

*EFFECTS OF TV COVERAGE ON COURTROOM TRIALS

*STEREOTYPING IN TELEVISION AND MOVIE ROLES

*IS SPORTS COVERAGE BIASED?

*COMPARISON OF HOW DIFFERENT MEDIA COVER CONTROVERSIES

*WHERE DO STUDENTS GET THEIR NEWS VS. WHERE ADULTS DO

*ANALYSIS OF COMMUNITY CENSORSHIP OF MOVIES OR BOOKS

*LOCAL ATTITUDES TOWARDS OBSCENITY IN MEDIA/TV/RADIO

*VARIOUS APPEALS USED IN ADVERTISING

*RADIO LISTENING OR TV VIEWING HABITS

*CASE STUDY OF A PARTICULAR PAPER, MAGAZINE, OR STATION

*CASE STUDY OF A PARTICULAR AD AGENCY, OR OTHER MEDIA

*ATTITUDES ABOUT CABLE TV PROGRAMMING AND COSTS

*HOW DOES A PARTICULAR MEDIUM INFLUENCE TRENDS?

*HOW MUCH SHOULD PARENTS CONTROL MEDIA USE BY CHILDREN?

*DO POLITICAL DEBATES IN MEDIA INFLUENCE VOTERS?

*HOW MEDIA IS INVOLVED IN SOCIAL CHANGE

*DOES SENSATIONALISM IN MEDIA BIAS REPORTING QUALITY?

*WHERE DOES THE MEDIA'S RIGHT TO KNOW STOP, AND PRIVACY BEGIN?

*SHOULD REPORTERS BE FORCED TO TURN MATERIALS OVER TO COURTS?

*SHOULD REPORTERS BE FORCED TO REVEAL THEIR SOURCES?

*IS MTV TO BLAME FOR A GENERATION OF NON-READING YOUNG PEOPLE?

*WHO SHOULD CONTROL MEDIA CONTENT? CONGRESS? FCC? OTHERS?

*WHY DO BROADCAST STATIONS HAVE LAWS THAT OTHER MEDIA DON'T?

*SHOULD TAX DOLLARS BE USED TO SUPPORT PBS?

*HOW MEDIA COVERAGE CHANGES SPORTING EVENTS

*ARE NETWORKS LIBERAL? CONSERVATIVE? BIASED? FAIR AND BALANCED?

*THE INTERNET HAS CHANGED HOW THINGS ARE DONE IN AMERICA

*SHOULD MUSIC FILE SHARING BE LEGAL?

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO DEVELOP YOUR OWN TOPIC. THOSE LISTED ABOVE ARE JUST POSSIBLE SUGGESTIONS.

18. STUDENTS ARE ENCOURAGED TO PICK UP, READ AND KEEP COMMUNICATION MAGAZINES FROM THE STACKS AT WVCP. THEY MAY BE A POSSIBLE SOURCE FOR YOUR RESEARCH PROJECT.

A. Students will research a topic in Mass Media and present it to the class following the guidelines presented in this syllabus.

B. Students will articulate the role of media in American society and culture.

C. Students will analyze the power and importance of the First Amendment, free expression and other aspects of the democratic process in media content.

D. Students will describe how today’s communication networks function.

E. Students will perform research and analysis of media content and social issues.

F. Students will understand the legal and ethical responsibilities of media consumers and producers.

Please read the chapters by the dates indicated and be ready to discuss them in class. The class meets every Tuesday and Thursday, unless specified below—even if no activity is listed for a particular date.

Mon. Aug. 31---Fall 09 Classes Begin

Tue. Sept. 01---First Com 110 Meeting---Review of Syllabus

Tues. Sept. 01---Assignment: 3 Possible Research Topics Due on 9-15-09

Thur. Sept. 03---Chapter 1 Due--Media & Life: Intro to Mass Communication

Thur. Sept. 10---Chapter 3 Due--Newspapers

Tues. Sept. 15---3 Possible Research Topics Due

Thur. Sept. 17---Chapter 4 Due--Magazines

Thur. Sept. 24---Chapter 6 Due--Radio

Thur. Oct. 01---Chapter 8 Due—Television

Tues. Oct. 06---In-Class Review for Test 1

Thur. Oct. 08---Take Test 1, Over Chapters 1,3,4,6,8

Thur. Oct. 15---Chapter 9 Due—The Web & Digital Communication

Tues. Oct. 20---Fall Break—No Class

Thur. Oct. 22---Chapter 10 Due--Advertising

Thur. Oct. 29---Chapter 12 Due--News

Thur. Nov. 05---Chapter 14 Due—Law & Regulations

Tues. Nov. 10---In-Class Review for Test 2

Thur. Nov. 12---Take Test 2, Over Chapters 9,10,12,14

Tues. Nov. 17---Student Presentations

Thur. Nov. 19---Student Presentations

Tues. Nov. 24---Student Presentations

Thur. Nov. 26---Thanksgiving—No Class

Tues. Dec. 01---Student Presentations

Thur. Dec. 03---Student Presentations

Tues. Dec. 08---Student Presentations

Thur. Dec. 10---Last day of regular Com 110 class

Final Exam Period--To Be Announced In Class

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