HONR 1340 Smarts Syllabus

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HONORS 1340(1)—Social Systems & Issues • Syllabus

MEDIA SMARTS—Making Sense of the Information Age (H)

Professor Ted Pease (ted.pease@usu.edu)
Department of Journalism & Communication
Utah State University
Fall 2008

TR 3-4:15 p.m.
Ray B West 114
Office: 308B Animal Science (797-3293)
Office Hours: MW 10-12; TR 130-3 & by appt.

Teaching Assistant: Jylisa Doney (jylisa.doney@aggiemail.usu.edu)

Preamble: Some Wisdom

“I don’t fret about TV because it’s decadent or shortens your attention span or leads to murder. It worries me because it alters perception. TV, and the culture it anchors, masks and drowns out the subtle and vital information contact with the real world once provided.”

—Bill McKibben, author, The Age of Missing Information, 1993

“Question Authority!” –1970s slogan

“Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones, in the right order, you can nudge the world a little.”—Tom Stoppard, playwright, 1967

“I believe television is going to be the test of the modern world, and that in this new opportunity to see beyond the range of our vision we shall discover either a new and unbearable disturbance of the general peace, or a saving radiance in the sky. We shall stand or fall by television—of that I am quite sure.” —E.B. White, author, 1938

• • • • •

What we’ll do:

Welcome to HONR 1340—Social Systems & Issues. The “social systems” in this case are the mass media—journalism, movies, advertising, books, TV, the Internet, radio. The “issues” include these: 1) We’re being lied to, boys and girls. 2) The way we are told to see the world is not necessarily the way it really is. 3) Trying to operate in a free and participatory democracy without accurate knowledge and information is like piloting a boat through the fog without chart, radar or GPS.

That is the last time I’ll refer to this class as “Social Systems and Issues.” The real name of this course is Media Smarts—Making Sense of the Information Age (the Honors Edition), a label I think you’re find more descriptive.

The central question driving Smarts is this:

How do we know what we (think we) know about ____________? (fill in the blank).

In this information age (what author Bill McKibben said should more correctly be termed an age of misinformation), nearly every waking moment is somehow affected by the mass media, which subtly teach us to see the world in particular ways. We are taught to value certain lifestyles and norms and to reject others; we are taught to desire certain products—food, cars, gadgets, political candidates; we are taught how to perceive different groups of people, based on their gender, racial background, skin color, height, weight, religion. This constant diet of mass media images and values skews how we as individuals and we as a society see the world. The goal of this course is to help you see past the mass media’s version of the world, and to give you the analytical and critical thinking skills you’ll need to make sense of the world for yourself.

During the semester, we will critically explore whether, when, how, and to what extent the mass media—both news and entertainment—have influenced people’s worldview and events in the United States (and beyond), focusing on how mass media messages can cultivate perceptions, perspectives and attitudes, particularly in areas of gender, racial diversity, violence, children, and as regards how Americans “know” their own history. We’ll start with general principles of media literacy, and then focus specifically on how movies represent reality, historical and otherwise, by comparing how films frame what happened with the actual historical record.

Course Goals:

To expand students’ recognition of the role of mass media versions of “truth,” and their critical thinking and analytical skills to make them more savvy consumers of mass media. In particular, the course will ask students to analyze and evaluate various mass media versions of historical events, cultural norms, and individuals in society.

This Honors edition of Media Smarts will examine the unique and essential social interaction between the individual and the mass media, focusing especially on

a) how Hollywood frames the press, culture and participatory democracy;
b) how stories of cultural norms (race, gender, society, politics) are told in film and on television; and
c) how individuals learn to frame important segments of the world through such lessons. The underlying question: How do we know what we think we know about the world, and how sure are we of our assumptions?

Children, of course, are the most susceptible victims of media images and messages. Humor columnist Erma Bombeck once said, “In general, my children refuse to eat anything that hasn’t danced on television.” Most Americans under the age of 50 were raised on such a diet; the world has been created for us, and isn’t real unless we’ve seen it on the tube. In predicting more than 40 years ago how the information age would change the world, Canadian sociologist Marshall McLuhan used the analogy of a fish. He said he didn’t know who discovered water, but he was fairly certain it wasn’t a fish. Like fish, he suggested, most residents of the information age, immersed from birth in media messages, are equally unsuspecting and uncritical about the mass media environment in which they live.

This represents an enormous responsibility both for the producers of mass media messages and for individuals who consume them. As Allen Ginsberg said, “Whoever controls the media—the images—controls the culture.” The fundamental assumption of Media Smarts is that most of us are so accustomed to the mass mediated world of the 21st century that—like McLuhan's fish—we don’t even notice the environment in which we live, the mass media diet that we consume and digest, and which becomes part of what and who we are, and how we think about and perceive the world.

“Television tends to be the main centerpiece in our culture,” says Professor Gary Edgerton. “TV in a sense creates instant history . . . that shapes how we think about an event.” Even beyond the sit-com or reality show fads, Edgerton asserts, most Americans know what they think they “know” about historical events and people from how they are depicted and framed in TV or movies. For example, students can “understand” the events of Pearl Harbor only with Ben Affleck in the middle of them. Many Americans “know” what they know about the death of President John F. Kennedy from Oliver Stone’s movie. The story of D-Day is told by Tom Hanks going ashore at Normandy to find a soldier named Ryan.

This is how many college students “know” the world. I believe that today’s students—you guys—are so steeped in mass media that you need remedial skills to help you recognize how entertainment media are affecting your (and society's) perceptions of both current and historical “reality.”

Filmmakers—and all communicators—purposively and subconsciously select what to include and exclude when they make movies, what to highlight or downplay. They make such choices to achieve goals that transcend merely aesthetic or historical considerations—or, for that matter, mere truth. Historical “truth” is often diluted, distorted and fabricated in the Hollywood version to privilege social class, gender, race and otherwise to reshape social reality and historical memory.

In the process, in a mass media marketplace that has become more “real” for most Americans than reality itself, the stories we tell and the stories we learn through films, TV and more broadly in popular culture, pre-empt truth, and reshape reality for most American media consumers.

In this edition of Media Smarts, students will first develop a set of media literacy skills and insights. Then you will analyze how popular, mainstream Hollywood films have distorted or reshaped historical reality about real-life individuals, about gender norms, race and ethnicity, social institutions and socioeconomic and cultural realities, by comparing the Hollywood film versions to historical accounts.

Students also will examine the various contemporaneous economic, political, and cultural constraints that influence the ways in which the representations of historical realities have been depicted and limited by Hollywood. By the end of the semester, students will have practiced critical and analytical skills in several areas that will help them become more critical consumers of all media products. This edition of Smarts will ask students to apply their media literacy skills in the specific context of a series of important (and flawed) Hollywood accounts of historical/social/cultural truth.

Pedagogy (how we’ll do it):

The course will focus on a series of films, documentaries and TV productions, Hollywood’s interpretations of real, historical events. The course will require students to evaluate these accounts in the larger (factual) context in which they appeared. For example, students may watch movies such as All the President’s Men, Shattered Glass, Iron-Jawed Angels, Control Room, etc.—all based on real events—and evaluate them for truth, balance and for how they translate into the collective social memory. Aside from developing basic media literacy skills—becoming more discerning consumers of mass media versions of “truth”—the course will help students learn to evaluate and interpret critically mass media accounts of history and social movements, and how our understanding of events and times are shaped by popular mass media.

Students will view films and other mass media, and then work individually and in teams to evaluate them and to analyze them critically in social, historical and cultural context. Teams will lead class discussions, and provide framework for analysis; students will write analytical essays individually.

In addition to the historical film assignment, the class will gather some five evenings during the semester (dates tba) to view and discuss other kinds of films about the role of journalism in society.

Texts and course materials:

Because this course exists within a context of journalism and the role and performance of the press, our readings will generally be assigned as online articles or other materials placed on the class website. The only text is:

Howard Good, ed. Journalism Ethics Goes to the Movies. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2008, click on this link immediately to order your copy from Amazon.com ($24.95; $14.95 used).

Additional readings are listed in this syllabus, and can be found online, or posted online (temporarily at AskDrTed!)

Assignments and Grading: (Subject to change)

This is a critical thinking course. It’s also a talking and writing course. Students will present to the class in teams and individually; write reaction essays, critique mass media content, and write longer papers comparing film versions of “truth” to recorded history of the events, people, etc. Students will work in teams to facilitate discussions and debates on set subjects and issues identified in the films and readings.

1. Quizzes on readings/news 10 pts
2. Critical essays/reaction papers (2 pp.) 10 pts/10 pts
3. Weekly chatroom participation 10 pts
4. Midterm 10 pts
5. Team Film Project
In-class team presentation 10 pts
Individual 10-pp. paper 20 pts
6. In-class & team participation 10 pts
7. Final Exam 10 pts
100 pts

• Critical Essays: Two short essays on assigned topics.

• Chatroom: We will discuss readings and class-related issues on the class blog. Students must engage substantively at least once a week (details to follow).

• Team Project: Teams will view an assigned historically based film, research the historical record, and make a 15- to 20-minute in-class presentation.

• Movie Night: About five times during the semester we will schedule times to watch films about journalism, followed by discussions. These are required. Details and schedule to follow.

• Participation: In addition to my evaluation of your enthusiastic in-class participation, students will evaluate teammates on their contributions to the team project. Participation points are earned (or lost) through attendance, class participation and your teammates’ assessments of your contributions to the final project.

• Final Exam: A comprehensive essay and short-answer exam. The final is optional: If you are satisfied with your grade before the final exam, you may opt out and apply the exam’s 10 points toward your quiz score (e.g., quizzes would then count 20 instead of 10 points).

• Other grading issues: The instructor takes no prisoners when it comes to writing, grammar, spelling, mechanics, etc. Fair warning. Obviously, DEADLINES ARE ABSOLUTE. That’s why they’re called deadlines. In the real world, missing deadlines means you don't get in the paper; in this class, missing deadline means zero for the assignment.

Housekeeping Details: Attendance, Honesty & Other Stuff

Some cautions, instructions and threats. Ask anyone; Professor Pease is an irascible old poop and can be testy at times.

Attendance: Regard this class as a professional commitment; I do. Be here for every meeting and be here on time; tardiness is insulting. No makeups. In the real world, you can't make up a missed assignment, so don't even ask if you can here.

If you do have to miss class, let me know AHEAD OF TIME. If I think you have a reasonable excuse, I'll let it go. After the second unexcused absence (the equivalent of one week of the total coursework), each missed class will lower your final grade by half a letter grade. In cases of excused absences, quizzes may be made up within one week.

Academic Honesty: The University expects students and faculty alike to maintain the highest standards of academic honesty (for a complete definition, see University Catalogue or the Code of Policies and Procedures for Students at Utah State University, Article V, Section 3). The policy states: “[C]heating, falsification or plagiarism can result in warning, grade reduction, probation, suspension, expulsion, payment of damages, withholding of transcripts, withholding of degrees, removal a class, performance of community service, referral to appropriate counseling” or other penalties as the university judiciary may deem appropriate.

Because public trust and personal credibility are essential to journalists and other professional communicators, I adhere to the JCOM department’s zero-tolerance policy regarding academic dishonesty: As per the USU Student Code, any documented form of academic dishonesty—including plagiarism—will result in an automatic F in the course and a report to the Honors director, the dean of the college and the USU vice president for student services. If you have questions about what’s acceptable work under strict codes of academic honesty, see the USU Code of Policies and Procedures for Students, or consult your professor. Any suspicious work may be submitted to a web database. For guidance on plagiarism and how to avoid it, see this site.

Decorum: We’re all in this together. That means that we will need each other to succeed. And that means that everyone is expected to treat everyone else with fairness, civility, courtesy and honesty. Central to this subject matter is the willingness to examine our own beliefs and how we arrived at them, and to acknowledge that others may see the world differently. So I hope we all will be able to express and consider opinions collegially, in the spirit of open inquiry. Let us agree to disagree, if necessary, and to accommodate contrarian viewpoints and differing perspectives. Disruptive or abusive behavior will not be tolerated.

Disability accommodations: If a student has a disability that will require some accommodation by the instructor, the student must contact the instructor and document the disability through the Disability Resource Center (7-2444), preferably during the first week of the course. Any requests for special considerations relating to attendance, pedagogy, taking of exams, etc., must be discussed with and approved by the instructor. In cooperation with the Disability Resource Center, course materials can be provided in alternative formats, large print, audio, diskette, or Braille.

Disclaimer: The instructor has no desire to offend anyone’s personal or cultural beliefs, and he apologizes in advance if he does so inadvertently. But students should be aware that journalism (and advanced education) often deals with issues and content that some may find disagreeable—from profanity and offensive attitudes and perspectives that may make you uncomfortable. But that’s the business or examining society and becoming media-savvy and making sense of the world. It’s a critically important job for every citizen of a free society. Please do tell me if you have problems with any of the material, and we will try to accommodate if possible.

Finally, any rumors that you may have heard that Professor Pease is a heartless,
obdurate, irritable, demanding, tough, pugnacious, unpleasant SOB probably falls short
(and wide) of the truth. The fact is that I will press you hard this semester to develop
an advanced level of critical thinking and analysis required for success
in the information age. But if you’re having a problem—with this class or
anything else—please feel free to find me in my office or at home for a talk, a coke,
career advice, a crying towel or whatever.

• • • • •

SCHEDULE
HONR 1340 (1)—Media Smarts Schedule F08 (subject to change)

NOTE: There may be a news quiz on any given day. Fair warning….

WEEK 1 Aug. 26/28 OPENING DAY—Intros, instructions, syllabus. What Is Media Smarts? READING: Intro chapter: “Media Smarts—Making Sense of the Information Age,” by Ted Pease & Brenda Cooper (online)

WEEK 2 Sept. 2/4 How Do We Know What We (Think) We Know?
READING: “What is media literacy?”; “Key Concepts”; “Some principles of media literacy”
Mass Communication Theories

WEEK 3 Sept. 9/11 Journalism Ethics—NOT an Oxymoron!
READING: Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics
READ Howard Good, Intro, Chs. 1-2
WATCH: History in photos.
READ: New file from Professor Pease about NYU junior Alana Taylor’s criticism of “Old Media.”

WEEK 4 Sept. 16/18
Monday, Sept. 15: SPEAKER: Antonin Scalia, associate supreme court justice, speaks at TSC Ballroom, noon-1 p.m. EXTRA CREDIT
Tuesday, Sept. 16: READ Howard Good Ch. 4, on “Absence of Malice.”
MOVIE NIGHT: Tuesday (9/16), 7-9 p.m. “Absence of Malice,” AnSci 303.

WEEK 5 Sept. 23/25
Thursday, Sept. 25: Library Primer—Research librarian Britt Fagerheim leads session on how to use the Cazier Library to research team historical film project. Meet at Library.

WEEK 6 Sept. 30/Oct. 2
• Tuesday, Sept. 30: “Lost Boy of Darfur” John Bul Dau speaks in TSC Ballroom, 1 p.m., and appears in Smarts 3-3:45 p.m. Preparation is needed. See websites.

WEEK 7 Oct. 7/9
• Tuesday, Oct. 7: Matt Wald, New York Times environmental reporter, speaks at 3 p.m. in TSC Ballroom. Details to follow.

WEEK 8 Oct. 14/16

WEEK 9 Oct. 21/23

WEEK 10 Oct. 28/30

WEEK 11 Nov. 4/6

WEEK 12 Nov. 11/13

WEEK 13 Nov. 18/20

WEEK 14 Nov. 25/27
• Team Presentations

WEEK 15 Dec. 2/4
• Team Presentations

~details to come~

NOTE: The syllabus is a constant work-in-progress, updated frequently. Check it often for changes.

Future attractions (mark your calendars; more to follow)
• Movie Nights: Dates, times and place to be discussed/set