Date
In class
Due
Wed. 8/31
Introduction: media across time
Language
Stephens, 1-40; *Wade, “The Leap to Language.”
Also, make sure you keep up with the news throughout the semester. You are responsible for scanning the top two screens worth of headlines on the homepage of the New York Times online every day and reading any relevant news that pertains to our class. You are also responsible for the reading the top story of the day. Alternatively, you may read the articles on the front page of the printed edition. Pop quizzes will include questions about the news.
Wed. 9/7
Oral versus Written
Stephens, 41-70
Printed News
Stephens, 71-131
Wed. 9/14
The Construction of News
Newspapers, incl. Publick Occurrences
Stephens, 133-206
Reporting
Stephens, 207-264
Wed. 9/21
The Explosion of the Mass Newspapers; Reporting
*New York Times Online; *Echo; *Drudge Report, and one other source of news. In the these four sources, read the top stories and be prepared to discuss any apparent biases that you find.
Not following the news
Mindich, Tuned Out 1-76
Wed. 9/28
Milgram and the persuasive message
Bring in advertisements
Ads
Kilbourne, from Deadly Persuasion, 17-75
Wed. 10/5
Ads: Dreamworlds
Midterm
Wed. 10/12
In class: Discussion of Watergate
Bernstein and Woodward, All the President’s Men,
Chapters 1 and 2; quiz on chapters and names and dates
10/13
7pm All the President’s Men
Phonographs, Movies
Jowett and Linton (handout)
Wed. 10/19
95 Triple-X, 95.5 FM 5:30-6pm, Thurs. (10/13);
National Public Radio 107.9 FM from 6-6:30pm, Thursday (10/13);
NBC Evening News (channel 5) 6:30-7pm Thurs. (10/13).
If you miss any of this, all will be on reserve at the library Thursday.
Please create a detailed log of what happens on air, including commercials. Write two or three sentences after each log discussing the show’s demographics.
Television
Mindich, Tuned Out, 77-136
Wed. 10/26
Television
*Stephens, “The
New TV”
Television and politics
*Mindich, “Agran”
Wed. 11/2
Group projects
Group projects
3-sentence paper proposal to dmindich@smcvt.edu
Wed. 11/9
Photoshop
*Stephens, “Expanding the Language of Photographs"
Paper expectations
Wed. 11/16
Paper Workshop
Paper draft is due
Paper is due (include worksheet, drafts)
11/23, 11/25
Thanksgiving; no class
Wed. 11/30
In class: Law and ethics
*Please research three important First Amendment cases:
Pentagon Papers. New York Times v. United States (decided by the Supreme Court, 6/30/71)
Jerry Falwell sues Hustler Magazine for pain and suffering. Hustler Magazine v. Falwell (Supreme Court, 2/24/88)
Supreme court limits nude dancing. City of Erie v. Pap's A.M. (Kandyland) (Supreme Court, 3/29/2000)
A good way to research these is to go to Lexis-Nexis and look at the news section, getting background on these cases. Make sure you get enough information to understand these cases thoroughly.
Then look at the actual cases themselves. They're long, so give yourself time to get through them.
Imagining the future I
Stephens, 266-302
Wed. 12/7
Imagining the future II
*Adversarial journalism
Hersh, Seymour M. "Up in the Air" in the New Yorker
and
Conclusion
9am: Exam