CLASSES 17 and 18 - Media Law and Ethics

LAW: We discussed laws that affect media, from libel to copyright.

ETHICS: We discussed absolutist and situational ethics as they apply to mass media. Examples included photo manipulation, Internet child pornography, advertising and magazines.


BLOG 10: Media Ethics/Law Due Sunday Nov. 21 at midnight:
Describe a media law or media ethics case from 2009/10 involving one or more of the following:
· First Amendment/censorship
· Libel
· Privacy/intrusion
· Copyright
· Federal Communications Commission
· Misappropriation
Include a link to a Web news story about the case. Add your brief comments. Comment on other students' blogs.

CLASS 16 - Advertising

PUBLIC RELATIONS AND ADVERTISING: We discussed differences between public relations and advertising.

ADVERTISING: We viewed older TV ads, TV ads aimed at particular demographics and an analysis of consumerism. We discussed the VALS framework, which is an example of how advertisers target and respond to the demographics the clients want to reach.

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 14 - Media Law.

DUE on Tuesday Nov. 16: Bibliographic entries for Academic Research project. Use APA style at CitationMachine.net  to format your sources. Mostly you will be using "Journal Articles" and "Magazine Articles."

BLOG for Week 9: Propaganda in Advertising/PR (this is a change from the Blog handout) (due Sunday midnight)

Look up “Propaganda techniques” on wikipedia.org, then find an advertisement online that uses at least two propaganda techniques. Explain what the techniques are and how they are used Embed or post or add a link to the ad. Don't use examples we discussed in class!

CLASS 15 - Public Relations

POWERPOINT - We viewed videos about Edward Bernays and about various aspects of public relations. We discussed greenwashing, astroturfing, crisis management and celebrity image make-overs.


NEW BLOG ASSIGNMENT (due Sunday Nov. 14 at midnight): I am replacing the original blog topic (Electronic News) with the following:

 

Write 2-3 sentences about your Academic Research project and post a related media clip or image that you might want to use in your PowerPoint presentation. You don't have to commit now to using the clip. If you find your clip on YouTube or another site that includes an embedding code, you should embed it so that viewers do not have to go to another Website to view it. If you use an image, post it in the blog rather than using a link. If you are having trouble embedding or posting an image, click "help" in blogger or ask a classmate for help.

Class 14 - Electronic News

Class 14 - Electronic News

ASSIGNMENT: We discussed the "Academic Research/Annotated Bibliography" assignment. Topics and two printed articles are due in class for review on Thursday, Nov. 11.

DVD: We viewed the first half of Bowling for Columbine which examines gun violence in the U.S. and possible media links.

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 12 "Public Relations" and complete workbook assignments.

BLOG 7 - INTERNET (due Sunday at midnight): On Wikipedia.org, look up “social networking websites.” How many sites are listed? Which sites have you heard of? Do you know of any that aren't listed? Research and describe a site you’ve never heard of. How do you use social networking? Which sites do you use? Describe in 2-3 sentences one incident in which social networking got you in trouble or really helped you out. (If you have never used a social networking site, then interview someone who has.) Comment on one or two classmates' posts.

Class 13 - Internet

DISCUSSION - We discussed the pros and cons of online classes, and how students view professors "friending" them on Facebook. We looked at LinkedIn.com, a social networking site that helps people network at a professional level to post their resumes, seek jobs and update others about what they're up to in their jobs or careers.

ACADEMIC RESEARCH/ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY WITH POWERPOINT - This is the major assignment for the rest of the quarter. I will e-mail the file later today.

CHAPTER 10 QUIZ - This is an online quiz located at http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0073511951/student_view0/chapter10/multiple_choice_quiz.html due Sunday Nov. 7 at midnight.

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 11 - Electronic News. Complete workbook for Ch. 11.

CLASS 12 - Television

DISCUSSION: We discussed viewing habits and  favorite shows. We talked about characters who reinforce stereotypes and those who defy them. We viewed clips including this one from Family Guy about the Freakin' FCC:


HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 10, complete workbook.

BLOG Week 6: Television

Find and describe an online video (from YouTube or another video site) that explains or explores topics that are mentioned in the textbook. Videos should be under 10 minutes in length and should not be one that a classmate has already posted. For each video, give a link to the video and include:

· The length of the video
· A description of the video in your own words
· The name of the corresponding chapter in our textbook
· A course related quiz question to go along with the video
· An answer to the quiz question

An example (sorry it's a bit dated):



Length: 4:22

Description: Stats and facts concerning Social Media's accelerated assimilation into mainstream culture.
Chapter 2: Media Impact, Chapter 10: Internet, other chapters.
Quiz Question: In comparison to Facebook, which reached 100 Million users in a matter of months, how many years did it take for Radio to reach 50 million users?
Answer: 38 years.

Class 11 - Recordings & Radio

DISCUSSION: Students wrote as many music genres as they could think of, and we discussed which genres developed from sources that the musicians could have heard only through recordings (most of them). We discussed the wide influence of African roots on many American styles of music, including rock'n'roll. We looked at Wikipedia's list of music styles.

POWERPOINT: The history of formats, the growth of the recorded music industry. We watched the trailer for "Recording: The History of Recorded Music", Internet music collaborations, backmasking of Beatles songs and Internet music collaborations.


SHOW AND TELL: Edison's cylinder, shellack records, vinyl 45s and LPs, 8-track tape, and album of recordings of "Louis Louis" and a page from a book about the song and the FBI's investigation into its lyrics.

QUIZZES - Students will complete the quizzes for Chapter 7 - Recordings and Chapter 8 - Radio online. Click on the link. At the end of the quiz, e-mail the results to yourself and to me. If you do not see a confirmation pop-up, copy-and-paste your entire quiz and e-mail it to me. These quizzes are due Sunday Oct. 31 at midnight. Scary!

Class 10 - Movies

DISCUSSION: We discussed genres of movies, foreign and independent movies, duties of director and producer, and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) and its rating system.

SHOW AND TELL: We discussed the concept of "persistence of vision" by passing around a deck of cards and viewing Eadweard Muybridge's horse photos. We also looked at 8mm and 16mm film.

POWER POINT: We looked at clips from "Birth of a Nation" "The Jazz Singer," and "pre-Code" movies, the three movies worst ever made (from the DVD 50 Worst Movies ever made), movie cliches and product placement.

HOMEWORK: Read Chapters 7 - Recordings and 8 - Radio and complete workbook pages. The first question in "Recordings" is to list every genre of music you can think of. We will use the lists in class Tuesday.

BLOG: Choose one. Please note that the assignments have several steps. To get full points, complete all steps.

Week 5: Movies or Recordings

Write 1-2 sentences about your favorite movie of 2009-10 and why you liked it. Write 1-2 more sentences about your all-time favorite movie and why you like it. In which format(s) did you first see these movies? Add links to both in rottentomatoes.com or IMDB.com  Bonus: find and embed (not just link) a trailer for one of the movies.      

OR

Write 1-2 sentences about your favorite sound recording of 2009-10 and why you liked it. Write 1-2 more sentences about your favorite oldie and why you like it. In which format(s) did you first hear these recordings? Add links to Amazon.com, YouTube.com or other sites where others can listen to your recordings (or samples). Bonus: find and embed (not just link) a performance of one of your recordings.

View other students' blogs and comment on them!

Class 8 - Magazines

HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY:  We briefly viewed a history of photography from the website of National Geographic, the first magazine to publish color photos and later the first magazine to go all-color. National Geographic won many awards for this stunning cover photo of an Afghan girl from 1985. The story of her life until 2002, when a photographer tracked her down, can be found here. Warning: She has had a tough life.

ACTIVITY: Students completed the Magazine Content Analysis on p. 13 of the workbook. The analysis helped students determine the target audience of the magazines.

REMINDER:  The Internet Search Project is due tonight at midnight at TurnItIn.com. Our class ID number is 3452419, password: hello. If you have already used TurnItIn, you just need to add the class. If you are new to TurnItIn, create a new account.
 
BLOG 4 -Magazine Proposal
Write a proposal for a new magazine (either a print magazine or an online magazine), as if you were going to submit it to a publisher. Your proposal should include: 

· Name of magazine 
· Concept – how is your magazine different from existing magazines? 
· Readers – demographics and psychographics (may include age group, gender, ethnicity, income level, interests, self-image, self-identification, etc.) 
· Other magazines serving this demographic (your competition) – your investors will want to know how your magazine is different or better? 
· Five advertisers who you think would like to reach your readers 
· Five articles you might include in your premier (first) issue 
· Describe the cover of your premier issue (photo, graphics, color, words, etc.) 
· Bonus points: Draw (or create electronically) your proposed cover and bring it to class. Post it in your blog if possible.  You don't need to be artistic -- you can draw stick figures.

I will give prizes for the best magazine proposal (most original and feasible) and for the most artistic. 

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 6 (Movies) and complete workbook assignments.

Class 7 - Magazines

DISCUSSION: We discussed the three stages of media development, which apply to magazines and to other media we are studying:

• Elite stage -- Only the most wealthy, most educated have access
• Popular stage -- Most people have access, but choices are limited
• Specialized stage -- Everyone has access, but choices are fragmented

SHOW AND TELL: We looked at older copies of Life, National Geographic, Rolling Stone, etc. and examples of different types of magazines: Trade, public relations, consumer; and academic and professional journals.

MAGAZINE COVERS: We viewed online the best magazine covers of '09, and Time magazine covers. We didn't get a chance to view the  Top 40 covers of 1965-2005, which includes some classics you might be familiar with.

The magazine quiz will be on Thursday.

Due Thursday at midnight:  The Internet Search Project. Turn it in at TurnItIn.com. Our class ID number is 3452419, password: hello. If you have already used TurnItIn, you just need to add the class. If you are new to TurnItIn, create a new account.

BLOG 4 - Magazine Proposal -
Write a proposal for a new magazine (either a print magazine or an online magazine), as if you were going to submit it to a publisher. Your proposal should include:

· Name of magazine
· Concept – how is your magazine different from existing magazines?
· Readers – demographics and psychographics (may include age group, gender, ethnicity, income level, interests, self-image, self-identification, etc.)
· Other magazines serving this demographic (your competition) – your investors will want to know how your magazine is different or better?
· Five advertisers who you think would like to reach your readers
· Five articles you might include in your premier (first) issue
· Describe the cover of your premier issue (photo, graphics, color, words, etc.)
· Bonus points: Draw (or create electronically) your proposed cover and bring it to class. Post it in your blog if possible.  You don't need to be artistic -- you can draw stick figures.

I will give prizes for the best magazine proposal (most original and feasible) and for the most artistic.


HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 6 (Movies) and complete workbook assignments.

CLASS 6 - Newspapers

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  The Internet Search Project is due Thursday Oct. 14 by midnight at TurnItIn.com. Our class ID number is 3452419, password: hello. If you have already used TurnItIn, you just need to add the class. If you are new to TurnItIn, create a new account.

POWERPOINT: We looked at the history of newspapers, highlighting the development of:

- freedom of the press and the First Amendment in the United States
- The inverted pyramid style during the U.S. Civil War
- Yellow journalism during and before the Spanish-American war (resulting from a newspaper war between newspaper barons Pulitzer and Hearst)
- Tabloid newspapers such as the New York Post


DVD: We viewed a clip from The Paper, a 1994 movie about an ethical issue at a tabloid newspaper. Many journalists say that the newsroom scenes are the most realistic they've seen in movies.


HOMEWORK:  Read Chapter 5 (Magazines), complete workbook activities.

BLOG: 

Name three books you have read that had the most influence on you. In 1-2 sentences, describe why each one was influential. (Write in more detail than saying, «It was good» or «it made me laugh.» Say why it was good or made you laugh and how it stayed with you after you read it.) Add friendly links to the books on Amazon.com or another online bookseller, or authors’ websites.   

Adding friendly links:  Type in the words (e.g. title of a book), then select the words and click on the blue "Link" button  at the top of the posting box. Copy and paste the link into the "Edit Link" dialog box. 

Adding images to your blog:  Save the image to your computer. Click on the picture button at the top of the posting box. Browse to find the image you want, then edit the position and size.

Class 5 - Books

ANNOUNCEMENT: Internet Search Project is due Oct. 14. The assignment consists of 20 questions based on mass media Web sites, and it will take several hours to complete. We will discuss it in class Thursday.

DISCUSSION: Groups came up with lists of the six most influential books of all time. The lists included: The Bible, the Koran, Greek myths, Shakespeare and the I-Ching. More recent books included: Goosebumps, Harry Potter. Dr. Seuss and The Purpose-Driven Life. We compared the lists to Boston Public Library's list of most influential books of the last 100 years and Wikipedia's list of the 100 most influential books ever.

POWERPOINT: We examined the history of printing, the printing press and moveable type. We discussed banned and challenged book, electronic book readers such as the Sony Reader and Amazon's Kindle and copyright issues.

SHOW AND TELL: We looked at books including an illuminated manuscript, the Koran, Uncle Tom's Cabin, old textbooks, and Where's Waldo -- banned because of a topless woman in Waldo's beach scene.

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 4 (Newspapers) and complete Workbook exercises.

BLOG 3 - BOOKS
Name three books you have read that had the most influence on you. In 1-2 sentences, describe why each one was influential. (Write in more detail than saying, «It was good» or «it made me laugh.» Say why it was good or made you laugh and how it stayed with you after you read it.) Add links to the books on Amazon.com or another online bookseller, or authors’ Websites.
This week, comment on at least one other student's blog (see list on the right).

Class 4 - Media Impact

ANNOUNCEMENTS: We have 83 percent compliance on the blog assignment -- seven more to go. When everyone has a blog, we will have a cookie party. Thanks to all those who have posted!

 POWERPOINT: We reviewed key concepts from the textbook;

• Research methodology to measure media impacts (some borrowed from scientific research)
• Social science perspectives
• Flow theories
• How new innovations move through society.

QUIZ: Ch. 2 Media Impact

 HOMEWORK: Read and complete workbook activities for Chapter 3 (Books). Note: We will discuss workbook responses for Chapter 3 in class on Tuesday.

BLOG: After reading Chapter 2 on Media Impact, propose a media research project, based on what you learned in the chapter. You can research any aspect of how media impact people. E.g. Advertising, reality TV, movies, cartoons, magazine images, etc. Describe your project in 4-5 sentences, using some of the terminology from the textbooks’ margin notes. What are you researching? What methodology would you use? How would you test your hypothesis? What results do you predict?

Class 3 -- Chapter 1

DISCUSSION: "The audience is the arbiter of meaning." The senders may think they are sending one message, but ultimately it is the audience that determines what the message was.

VIDEO: "Sammy's Visit" from All in the Family , 1972, an example of the audience as final arbiter of meaning and technological and societal change.

VIDEO REVIEW: Discussion on the societal, cultural and technological differences between the early 70s and now, as seen in the video (media as a reflection of society).

HOMEWORK: Read textbook Ch 2, complete workbook Ch 2.

Mass Comm Introduction

DISCUSSION: Definitions of communication, mass communication, mediated communication.

LECTURETTE: Ways to categorize communication:

• Intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, organizational, public, mass
• Verbal and visual
• Mediated and non-mediated

POWERPOINT:  Basic model of communication (sender, message, channel, receiver, feedback, gatekeeper, noise) with discussion on feedback loop and types of environmental and psychological noise. Traditional mass media, converged mass media.

VIDEO: The Simpsons "Itchy Scratchy & Marge"  


DISCUSSION: Relevance of this video to our study of mass communication:

 - Does violence in the media affect or cause violence in society?

 - Marge catalogs violent actions in cartoon using "content analysis" -- a social sciences research method

 - Parents don't always have control over children's TV habits (can go to neighbors' houses and watch)

 - Talk show host does not provide equal time to both sides of the issue, despite having representation from both sides; TV news skims over important topics and doesn't go into depth; phony expert

 - The mass communication feedback process does not function as smoothly as the interpersonal communications feedback process, but there are options for it: boycotting products, picketing, going on talk shows, writing letters to management

- Cartoon writers: fun media job

 - First Amendment - freedom on speech - can you be for censorship of one type of freedom of speech, but not another?

- The model of communication

 
QUIZ: Practice quiz.

HOMEWORK: Read and complete worbook assignment for Chapter 1

BLOG ASSIGNMENT: Set up a blog in blogger.com and e-mail me the blog address. Post your first blog post.

BLOG 1: Media Autobiography

Write your short media autobiography. This should be a short essay (about 200-400 words) about you and your relationship with the eight types of mass media we are studying in this class: Books, Newspapers, Magazines, Movies, Recordings, Radio, Television and the Internet. Bullet points are OK.

  

Talk about your background with each of these media, your experiences (use/habits) with them, your likes and dislikes of them, and which ones are important to you now and when you were growing up. Tell if you have, had or would like a job or career in the media. If you have lived in another country, talk about the media there. Mention your major, if it is related to the media, and the name of the university you want to transfer to, if appropriate.

Do not write about other aspects of your life, unless they relate to the media. E-mail me your blog address!

Welcome to JOUR 2 at De Anza

Here's an illustration of the convergence of telephone, television, computer and music recording, leading to today's mobile devices.