Associate Professor Department of Communication Trinity University e-mail: hhaines@trinity.edu (210) 999-8140 (office, voice mail) (210) 999-8113 (Department of Communication)

IMPORTANT NOTE: You are responsible for carefully reading this course syllabus and for complying with its requirements. This course syllabus is posted on my University website, and Comm. 1301 students should consult the most current edition of the syllabus available in class. The course is revised on an annual basis, and the current syllabus distributed in class will vary somewhat from the version you see here. Purpose Comm. 1301 is a highly demanding introductory course intended to provide Communication majors and others with a detailed and sophisticated map of the U.S. media infrastructure. This course requires students to conceptualize mass media in ways that are often inconsistent with the limited understanding shared by mere consumers of media content. The course examines the current industrial structure of U.S. media by focusing on the contemporary production, distribution and exhibition process, various strategies of audience construction, and the accommodation of new technologies. The course emphasizes power relationships within a social system model that helps explain how all mass media industries operate. The course examines the internal relationships of media industries and conceptualizes them as parts of a complex social institution. All class members are encouraged to make connections between Comm. 1301 and other courses offered in a variety of other disciplines that examine different social institutions from a structuralist perspective. Communication majors are expected to build upon the foundation of Comm. 1301 as they move into production and internship areas. Other courses will require Communication majors to revisit the structural relationships examined in Comm. 1301, and majors are encouraged to save their books, papers, tests, course handouts, notes, etc. for future use. Comm. 1301 attempts to provide the student with a framework for understanding the dramatic organizational and technological changes occurring in U.S. media industries. Comm. 1301 examines the industrial processes and strategies responsible for media content and views content as symptomatic of industrial and social interactions. From our perspective, media content is a means to an end: the production of marketable audiences. Comm. 1301 is a required core course for Communication and Speech Communication majors and is listed in Trinity's Common Curriculum (Understanding the Human Social Context-- Interdisciplinary). The course attempts to foster a critical understanding of how mass media industries operate, not merely a descriptive---and mystifying---familiarity with current conditions. Back to top

Required Texts Croteau, David & William Hoynes (2000). The Business of Media: Corporate Media and the Public Interest. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press. Lowes, Mark Douglas (1999). Inside the Sports Pages: Work Routines, Professional Ideologies, and the Manufacture of Sports News. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. McChesney, Robert W. (1997). Corporate Media and the Threat to Democracy. New York: Seven Stories Press. Shaw, Donald L. (1991). The Rise and Fall of American Mass Media: Roles of Technology and Leadership, Bloomington, IN: Indiana University's School of Journalism. [Important: Copies are on reserve at the library.] Back to top

Other Required Reading You will receive a broad variety of additional reading in the form of course handouts throughout the semester. These readings are keyed directly to issues raised in the textbooks and in lectures. It would be helpful if you plan now to carefully organize these handouts for study purposes. Your success in this course is partially dependent upon your regular and careful reading of at least one of the elite newspapers and various trade publications that report and often analyze developments within media industries. You are expected to become familiar with these publications. Many of them are available for reading in the Communication Department's reading area, located on the fourth floor of the Richardson Communications Center (RCC), or in the Library. Students are encouraged to use the RCC fourth floor reading area for study purposes. The area is available to all students on weekdays, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., unless classes are underway. Back to top Here are some examples of publications you need to regularly scan for industrial news: New York Times Broadcasting & Cable Wall Street Journal Variety Los Angeles Times Billboard Washington Post Advertising Age Wired Editor & Publisher Brill's Content Columbia Journalism Review   Use one or more of these television and radio programs on a fairly regular basis: Entertainment Tonight, M-F 6:30 p.m. & Sat 6:00 p.m., Ch. 12/Cable 13 Nightly Business Report, M-F 6:30 p.m., PBS/Ch. 9/Cable 10 News Hour, M-F 7:00 p.m., PBS/Ch. 9/Cable 10 Week in Rock, Sat 5:00 p.m., MTV/Cable 34 Morning Edition, M-F 5:00-8:50 a.m., NPR/89.1 FM Fresh Air, M-F 11:00 a.m.-Noon & 11:00 p.m.-Midnight, NPR/89.1 FM All Things Considered, M-F 3:00-6:00 p.m., NPR/89.1 FM Marketplace, M-F 6:30-7:00 p.m. & 10:30-11:00 p.m., NPR/89.1 FM These television and radio programs regularly report on matters involving the industrial structure and the content of mass media. Members of the class are expected to be aware of the daily news developments that pertain to the industrial structure of mass media and to gradually place these reports within the broader, critical framework of our discussions and reading assignments. Back to top

Consultation with the Instructor The instructor makes available several hours of consultation time each week, and you are expected to take advantage of this unique and generous component of Trinity University's operation. Students are encouraged to approach these interactions in a professional way and to prepare for the meetings by developing specific questions and topics for discussion. The instructor welcomes the opportunity to meet with study groups. Communication majors are expected to show initiative in this process. Back to top

Small Group Assignment Class members will have the opportunity to work in small, task-oriented groups with the objective of presenting 15-minute class presentations at strategically scheduled moments throughout the semester. These 15-minute in-class reports will focus on important industry leaders, major media corporations, social and political issues influenced by media, current controversies involving media, and technological developments. The groups will be formed and specific topics will be assigned at our September 12th class meeting. Class members are invited to signal their preferences for collaboration on the attached Student Info Form. Directions and specifications for the small group assignment are available in class. Back to top

Individual Mini-Content Analysis Each class member will have the opportunity to perform a mini-content analysis of some media product. This assignment requires the careful analysis of some example of media content, emphasizing structure and linking the structure to industrial imperatives. For example, such a project might examine the content of The San Antonio Express-News sports section by counting the amount of editorial space relative to advertising space, by categorizing the various types of stories, and by discussing the findings in reference to our reading, lectures and discussions. Or, such a project might examine the content of a San Antonio local television newscast by counting the amount of news/weather/sports time relative to commercial time, by categorizing the various types of stories, and by discussing the findings in reference to our reading, lectures and discussions. Class members are asked to identify their objects of analysis by submitting a typed or computer generated proposal on September 19th. Directions and specifications for the mini-content analysis are attached to this syllabus. Back to top

Grading Policy: MIDTERM EXAMINATION (Nov 5): 20% FINAL EXAMINATION: 20% SMALL GROUP PRESENTATION: 20% MINI-CONTENT ANALYSIS: 20% PARTICIPATION: 20% Definition of Participation: The instructor perceives "participation" as a set of functional behaviors reinforced by the First Year Seminar experience at Trinity. These behaviors include active and knowledgeable discussion of relevant issues, careful and disciplined reading of the assigned texts and related publications, regular and punctual class attendance, the willingness to challenge assertions and to seek clarification, the demonstration of courtesy to all speakers, periodic and productive consultations with the instructor, and the habit of note-taking during all class meetings. The instructor rejects the consumer model of higher education and honors students as privileged participants in the academic process. Back to top

The use of video in class meetings From time to time, the instructor uses video pieces in conjunction with the assigned reading, lectures and discussions. Inexperienced students sometimes assume that the video content is a kind of "filler" that is unrelated to anything important, a dysfunctional attitude that may originate from exposure to a lackluster high school class or from a family setting in which mass media content was summarily devalued. The instructor warns you not to make this na•ve mistake! If you do not recognize connections between an in-class video piece and other components of the course (the assigned reading, for example), you are responsible for seeking clarification. Ideally, the in-class video pieces will intensify and illustrate our reading, lectures and discussions. The video pieces are not intended to entertain you or simply take-up time, and you should not assume that the scheduled use of a video piece is a signal for non-participation. Back to top

Reliance on the Internet as an Academic Resource The Communication Department recognizes the Internet as one of the most significant developments in the history of communication. We also recognize its current limitations. Simply, the Internet is an unevenly developed academic resource. On most important topics, the Internet provides resources similar to those of a good encyclopedia. In other words, the Internet---at its current stage of development---is a relatively inadequate source of credible material for in-class reports and written projects. Comm. 1301 students are expected to rely primarily on published materials found in the library. These materials include books, research journals, trade publications, and the elite press. Back to top

Unscheduled Quizzes Quizzes will be given from time to time, covering assigned readings, lectures, discussions, etc. Class members will be given the option of using any notes they may have taken on our reading and discussions. The grades will be figured into the final participation grade. Back to top

Attendance Policy Class members are expected to attend our meetings on a regular basis. A total of three absences is permitted, although it will be very difficult to catch-up if you fall behind in this course. Four or more absences will result in an automatic failure. The three absences include "excused" absences. They should be conserved like "sick leave" to be used in the event of family emergencies or illnesses. For those suffering serious illness or family emergency, etc., requiring more than two weeks (six absences), withdrawal from the course will be required. Incompletes will be given only when thoroughly documented criteria are presented consistent with University policy. Members of University team activities who will be absent at scheduled times during the semester should identify those dates immediately and inform the instructor in writing very early in the semester. CLASS MEETINGS BEGIN PROMPTLY AT 5:30 P.M. Students who are consistently late for class meetings constitute a disruptive element and will have their final grades in the course lowered by one full letter grade.

Attendance Sheet Class members are asked to sign the attendance sheet distributed at the beginning of each class meeting. The signed sheets constitute the official record of attendance. If you forget to sign the attendance sheet, you will be counted absent. Back to top

Food Ingestion Class members are privileged to work in a professional environment. Our class meetings will not offer the opportunity for meals. Plan early in the semester to eat and rink before or after our class meetings, not during our class meetings. Violations of this University rule will be reported to the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Back to top

Rules of Conduct Students are expected to know and to comply with the rules regarding plagiarism, etc., published in the Student Handbook. If you have not read this section of the Student Handbook, do so immediately. If you are uncertain of what constitutes plagiarism, ask the instructor for clarification during class meetings or privately. The University's policy regarding plagiarism requires, as a matter of contractual obligation, faculty members to report all suspected infractions, and the instructor will comply with the rules as published in the Handbook. Back to top

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