Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Instructor
Dr. John Edward Campbell Office: Tomlinson 219 Phone: 215-204-1926 E-mail: campbell@temple.edu Office Hours: Monday, Wednesdays, Fridays, 11:00 am 1:00 pm
Teaching
Assistants
Kathryn Beardsley Stephanie Palmieri kathryn.beardsley@temple.edu stephanie.palmieri@temple.edu
Course
Readings
The required text for this class is available at the Temple University Bookstore. Intro to Mass Comm Theory edited by John Campbell (2010) Readings posted on Blackboard The following titles are not required, but they are recommended readings: Aronson, E. and Tavris, C. (2007). Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts. New York: Harvest Books. Carr, N. (2010). The shallows: What the Internet is doing to our brains. New York: W. W. Norton & Company Chabris, C. and Simons, D. (2010). The invisible gorilla: And other ways our intuitions deceive us. New York: Crown Books. Hoggan, J. (2009). Climate cover-up: The crusade to deny global warming. Berkeley, CA: Greystone Books. Maltby, L. (2009). Can they do that? Retaking our fundamental rights in the workplace. New York: Portfolio Books. Nathan, R. (2005). My freshman year: What a professor learned by becoming a student. New York: Penguin Books.
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Grading
Grades in this course serve one function only feedback. Grades should only be interpreted in this respect. A grade is not a reward nor is it a punishment. A grade is neither an assessment of a students potential nor a students ability. A grade is not a comment on a students character. A grade is only an index of a students performance on a particular assignment or exam. In no way should a grade be interpreted as an indicator of what type of person the student represents. The very notion that complex human beings can be effectively classified into types is deeply problematic. Every student has the potential to earn an A on an assignment just as every student has the potential to earn a C or an F. Thus, such claims as Im an A student or Im not a C student hold no creditability in this course. The final grade for the course will be based on the following breakdown of assignments:
Requirement Possible Points
Exam 1 Exam 2 Exam 3 (final) Written Assignment: The Vaccine Wars Analysis Total Possible Points for Course
The total points accumulated over the semester will be divided by four to devise an average grade for the course. In some instances, bonus points may be available on the exams. Any bonus points will simply be added into the total point accumulated over the semester and divided by four to devise an average grade. The following grade distribution will be used in assigning a letter grade for the course: A AB+ B 100 93 92 90 89 87 86 83 Grading Distribution B82 80 C+ 79 77 C 76 73 C72 70 Page 3 of 3 D F 69 60 Below 60
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Course
Schedule
Week 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Week of August 29 September 5 September 12 Class Topic What is theory? Readings & Assignments Chapter 1
Philosophical perspectives on theory and research Chapters 2 & 3 No class on Monday, Labor Day THEORIES ON THE COGNITIVE PROCESSING OF MEDIA Cognitive Dissonance Theory Chapter 4
THEORIES ON THE SOCIAL EFFECTS OF MEDIA MESSAGES AND TECHNOLOGIES September 19 Media Effects Chapter 6 September 26 October 3 October 10 October 17 Media Ecology Theory Cultivation Theory Exam 1 on Monday, 10/03 Agenda-setting Theory Spiral of Silence Theory Chapter 8 Chapter 7 Exam Chapter 12 Chapter 13
MAJOR CONTINENTAL THEORIES INFLUENCING MEDIA STUDIES October 24 Semiotics Chapter 10 & excerpts from Introducing Semiotics October 31 November 7 November 14 November 21 November 28 December 5 December 12 Structuralism and Poststructuralism Written Assignment Due on Monday, 10/31 Marxism and Critical Theory Exam 2 on Monday, 11/07 Cultural Studies Cultural Studies No class on Friday, Thanksgiving Break Postmodernism Postmodernism No class on Friday, Study Day Final Exam on Friday, December 16 from 8:00 am to 10:00 am Chapter 10 Assignment Due Chapter 9 Exam Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Exam
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
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