Class 17 and 18 - Media Law and Ethics

DISCUSSION - We discussed media law and ethics, including the First Amendment, historical examples of the Payola scandals it the 1950s, the blacklisting of Hollywood actors, screenwriters and production people, the Quiz Show hoax, cartoons of the prophet Mohammed, etc. 



RESEARCH PAPER was due Thursday June TurnItIn.com. I am accepting later papers, but they will be marked down.

PRESENTATIONS: Here's what you should include in your presentation. You can include a discussion question for the class at the end if you think you will not fill the time (5 minutes min.): Brief description of two sides of controversy; something interesting or surprising from your research findings Media clip if relevant (1-3 minutes) Images if relevant Your opinion POWERPOINT:  Here are some tips about PowerPoint presentations. You can find more tips and videos on YouTube.com.  If you don't have PowerPoint, you can use Google Docs Presentation. Go todocs.google.com and sign in with your google ID. ·         No more than seven words across, seven lines down ·         Use bullet points ·         Use photos, graphics, video clips ·         Video should be limited to 1-3 minutes ·         Limit animations GRADES: Your may view your grades at TurnItIn.com.  WORKBOOKS will be due Thursday June 16 (last day of class). BLOG TOPIC:  Week 9: Media Ethics/Media Law (15) Describe a media law or media ethics case from 2010-11 involving one or more of the following: ·         First Amendment/censorship ·         Libel ·         Privacy/intrusion ·         Copyright ·         Federal Communications Commission ·         Misappropriation  Include an embed or link to a site about the case. Add your brief comments.

Class 15 and 16 - Public Relations and Advertising

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

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. We discussed viral advertising and viewed examples from epipheo.

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 14 - Media Law.

Blog topic:  Week 8: Propaganda in Advertising/PR (20)

 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 Add a link to the ad. 

Class 14 - Internet

DISCUSSION:  We discussed distance learning, Internet addiction and teachers/professors on Facebook. We reviewed the history of the Internet, the World Wide Web and new vs. old media.

RESEARCH PAPER:  Information on the Research Paper is available on my De Anza Website:  http://faculty.deanza.edu/deckcecilia/

DUE TUESDAY:  Quiz makeups http://faculty.deanza.edu/deckcecilia/stories/storyReader$53
And Research Paper topics.

READ and complete workbook for Chapter. 12 - Public Relations.

Class 13 - Electronic News

DISCUSSION: The evolution of electronic news from radio to Internet. We did this chapter out of order. 

QUIZ: Take-home quiz for Chapter 10.

MAKE-UP QUIZZES: Due Tuesday May 24. E-mailed.

Class 12 - Television

DISCUSSION: We discussed viewing habits and  favorite shows. We talked about classic TV, the golden age of TV, 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 -- it can be about any media, not just TV. The video 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: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIFYPQjYhv8&

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 - Radio

DVD:  We watched the feature film "Radio Days" produced by Woody Allen. It's the story of a family on Long Island, NY during the 1940s and how their lives intersect with the main medium in their lives: radio. Notice the parallels between the types of shows they listened to and shows on TV now. A few things in the movie are based on true stories, like the fictitious "War of the Worlds" broadcast about an alien invasion and the story of the girl i the well. Students discussed what life would be like if radio were the last invention (no TV, no Internet). Weird.

TAKE-HOME QUIZ:  Crossword puzzle and/or essay question. You can do either the puzzle or the essay for normal quiz points (up to 20) or BOTH puzzle AND essay for up to 40 points. These are bonus points, not part of the Extra Credit total for the course.

FOR THURSDAY:  Read Chapter 9 - Television. Complete workbook assignments for Chapter 9.

Class 10 - Audio Recordings

8-Track, a format on the losing end

DISCUSSION: Students wrote as many music genres as they could think of. We looked at Wikipedia's list of music styles. We discussed formats and the history of recorded music, and rock'n'roll as the catalyst that launched the industry to new heights of sales in the 1950s. We watched Elvis Presley perform "Hound Dog" on the Milton Berle show.

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

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 8 - Radio and complete workbook. Turn in take-home Chapter 7 quiz on Tuesday!

BLOG 5: Movies or Recordings (20 points). Please note that the assignments have several steps. To get full points, complete all steps. To make the experience more pleasant for your readers, use friendly links and embeds. You can find instructions for links and embedding on YouTube.

Write 2-3 sentences about your favorite movie of 2010-11 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  Find and embed a trailer for one or both of the movies.      

OR

Write 2-3 sentences about your favorite sound recording of 2010-11 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 or embed links to Amazon.com, YouTube.com or other sites where others can listen to your recordings (or samples).

Visit other students' blogs and leave your comments!

Class 9 - Movies

DISCUSSION: Students listed the movies they had seen over the weekend in any format. Half the class had seen movies on the Silver Screen (in the theater), led by Fast Five. We talked about the pros and cons of the big screen vs. other movie formats. 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. Because of technical difficulties, we didn't quite get to watch the three movies worst ever made (from the DVD 50 Worst Movies ever made), movie cliches and product placement. A movie now showing in theaters, The Greatest Movie Ever Sold by the director of Supersize Me is all about product placement, which we will discuss again in the chapter on Advertising.

Class 7 - Magazines

Former Student's Magazine Proposal

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,  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, andTime magazine covers. 

The magazine quiz will be on Thursday. 

BLOG 4 - Magazine Proposal - 25 points (due Sunday midnight)

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 issue

·         Describe the cover of your premier issue (photo, graphics, color, words, etc.)

·         Draw (or create electronically) your proposed cover, including the name of the magazine and highlighting top articles, and post it on your blog and/or bring it to class. Stick figures are OK. Here's a template to create a cover electronically.

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


Due Thursday May 5 at midnight:  The Internet Search Project. Turn it in at TurnItIn.com.

Class 6 - Newspapers

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  The due date for the Internet Search Project has been changed to Thursday May 5. I will explain the assignment next week and you will turn it in at TurnItIn.com.


DISCUSSION: We discussed the history and future of newspapers. 

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 2-3 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.

Embedding video from YouTube:  This video explains how, but it needs one update. In YouTube, the "Embed" button is no longer to the right of the video. You need to click on "Share" below the video and then "Embed." Choose the size of screen you would like.

Class 5 - Books

DISCUSSION:   Students discussed which books they consider influential on the whiteboard. Books included: The Bible, the Koran, the dictionary, 1984, To Kill a Mockingbird, Shakespeare plays, The Diary of Anne Frank,  The Jungle, Teo Te Ching, The Art of War and the Torah.

We compared our list of influential books with "100 Most Influential Books Ever Written" by Martin Seymour-Smith and a "100 Most Influential Books of the Century" from the Boston Public Library. We looked at lists of banned books.

POWERPOINT:  We looked at images and video illustrating the history of books, paper and printing. The Bible (in Latin) was the first book printed on the Gutenberg Press in the mid-1400s. Until that time, Bibles had been hand-copied by Christian monks. We watched “Introducing the Book” about a monk struggling to keep up with the "new" technology. We discussed copyright and considered cases involving J.K. Rowling (Harry Potter) and Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Code).

SHOW & TELL: 
Books mentioned in the text and historical books:

• Mc Guffey's Eclectic Reader (1904)
• Arithmetic book (1940)
• Spelling book (1909)
• Koran
• Book about typography

Books that have been banned or challenged:

• Satanic Verses ( a death sentence was placed on the author by an Iranian leader)
  
• Captain Underpants 
  
• Where’s Waldo (a beach scene had a partially bare woman's breast; the book was reissued with a bikini top drawn on her.

One of the books often mentioned as influential, which has also been challenged is in the news. A version of "Huckleberry Finn," has been release in which the n-word has been changed to “slave.” Many people disagree with the release of this version because it is tampering with the original meaning. (See "Sanitized Editon of 'Huckleberry Finn' Causes Uproar.)


QUIZ: Chapter 3: Books

HOMEWORK: Read Chapter 4, complete workbook activities for Chapter 4.

Class 4 - Media Impact

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

Also videos about Dr. George Gerbner's research on TV and movie violence, and Dr. Frederic Wertham's flawed research on comic books.

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: Media Impact (15)

After reading Chapter 2 on Media Impact, can you think of a different example (not in the book or the videos we watched) you have heard about when someone blamed media for real-life problems? Describe the situation and find a website or web video that explains it more fully. Embed or use a friendly link.

Class 3 - Introduction to Mass Communication

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

Class 1 - Introductions

DISCUSSION:  Models of basic communication - traditional and converged. See Chapter 1.


HOMEWORK:  Buy the textbook, review the Table of Contents, Glossary and Timeline.


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

Week 1: Media Autobiography  (20)

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.

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.

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