TR YOUNG:

MASS COMMUNICATION

Spring, '97

  1. CONTENT: This course surveys uses of media in human history; examines the massification of media, society and social institutions. It is intended to provide the student with the understandings essential to democratic symbolic interaction as much as occupational skills.

  2. SOURCES OF INFORMATION: There are four major sources of information with which we can understand media in particular and symbolic interaction in particular.

    1. Classroom lectures.

    2. STRAUBHAAR and LaROSE: Communications Media.

    3. Current events, news reports, clippings and magazine articles on each form of crime and on new developments in social control.

    4. Classroom Reports and Dramatizations.

  3. EVALUATION:

    1. QUIZ: 30 points possible on the first quiz.

    2. MID-TERM EXAMINATION: 70 points possible.

      ***These two are required***

      you may take:
    3. FINAL EXAMINATION: up to 100 points possible.

      OR you may select:
    4. POINT MENU below: up to 100 points possible.

      FINAL GRADE = A: 180+ Pts B: 160+ C: 140+

  4. POINT MENU:

    1. Field Assignments as Available: 20 pts. Limit 20 students.

    2. Special Reports: 20 pts. Permission of Professor. 5 pages, typed.

      1. Early Mass Information-Flow Systems: Yodelling, Whistling, Drumming, etc.

      2. Early Data Storage Systems: Telling Knots, Hieroglyphs, Singers, Poets.

      3. Brief History of Mass Medium: Pigeons, Semaphore Stations, Wireless, etc.

      4. Underground communication structures in Jails, Schools, Stores and other places.

      5. Political Uses of Mass Media: Democratic, Fascist, Religious, Economic

      6. Folk Media: Music/Song, Dance, Morality Play, Religious Ceremony/Rituals

      7. The Fool, Clown, Trickster and Social Critique: Elements of a Public Sphere

    3. Special Projects/Class Reports: Video, Dramatic, Poetic, Dance, Electronic or other.

  5. 043 LECTURE SCHEDULE
    15 Jan. Wed.
    ABOUT THE COURSE: Content, Organization, Evaluation. Social v. Mass Media. Read Ch. 1 in S&L.
    17 Jan. Fri.
    Ch. 1. The Changing Media: From Social Media to Mass Media.Communication, Ideological Hegemony and Interactively Rich Mass Media. Types of Communication: Table 1.1. Creating Social Realities via Interpersonal Media. Massification of Society and Self via Uni-lateral Media.
    22 Jan. Wed.
    The Dramaturgical Society: The uses of Drama in Human History. The uses of Dramaturgy in Market Societies: Extraction of Surplus Value; Legitimation of the State/Mode of Production. Read Ch. 2.
    24 Jan. Fri.
    Ch. 2. Theories of Communications Media: Economy & Information(Fig. 3.2)
    A. Five Modes of Production & Massification of Media/Society
    B. Hierarchy and Ideological Hegemony: The Great Hydraulic Societies.
    C. The Stages of Capitalism: Commodity, Industrial, Financial...and the Massification of Production and Distribution of goods and services.
    27 Jan. Mon.
    THE INFORMATION SOCIETY: Work, Jobs, and Information Flow. (Fig. 3.3)
    A. The Information Sector: Markets, Data Management, Advertizing, Information Goods, Information Support Facilities. (Fig. 3.4)
    29 Jan. Wed.
    Critical Views on the Information Society: Pre-modern, Modern and Post-modern standings of Information, Knowledge and Social Realities. Missions and Methods of Human Knowledge. Read Ch. 4.
    31 Jan. Fri.
    Ch. 4. $. Media Economics and Ownership. Private v. Public Ownership of the Media: British v. US Model of Ownership. A Theory of Sports in Mass Market. Networks, Advertizing and Mass Marketing: Fig. 4.1; The Problem of Ownership of Electronic Information. Who Controls Content: Audience v. Programmers.
    3 Feb. Mon.
    Media Ethics: Policy, Regulation and the 1st Amendment. Fig. 5.1. Administrative Control of Media: FCC, NTIA, FTC, Justice Department, Courts and Congress. The 5th Estate and the Public Interest.
    14 Feb. Fri: Valentine's Day.
    Mini-Lecture: Nihilistic v. Affirmative Postmodern Sensibility. Return 30 pt Exam.
    17 Feb. Mon: President's Day...Read Ch. 4. Economic Issues
    19 Feb. Wed: Lecture: Models of Ownership
    The Politics of Private Ownership: Private Profit
    The Politics of State Ownership: Political Legitimacy
    Altenative Organization: Community/Narrow-Casting
    Interactive TV: The Delphi Project
    21 Feb. Fri:The Economics of Mass Media:
    State/Public: Subscriptions
    'Contributions'
    Private Ownership: Fig. 4.1, page 75.
    State Regulation of Use Fees/phone
    Advertizing and the Realization Problem
    25 Feb. Mon: Public Opinion v Social Opinion: the Content of the Media.
    27 Feb. Wed: Subverting the Public Opinion Policy Process.
    Organized political crime: PBS/Hedrich Smith Report
    1. Milking the PACs: tobacco, UPS
    2. Targetting Liberals: RepubNatComm
    3. The Price of Public Office:
    1994: $714 Million
    1996: $1.4 Billion
    2000: $?$?$?
    4. Changing Grass-Roots into Astro-turf
    Globalizing the Economy/Globalizing the Crime
    1. Bill Clinton in 1996
    2. Republicans all the time.
    29 Feb. Fri: Media Ethics and Media Policy: Chapter 5, text
    Ethical Imperatives: The Golden Mean/Kantian Imperative
    The Golden Rule/Utilitarianism
    Situation Ethics/Affirm Postmodern
    Federal Regulation: Fig. 5.1: the FCC & the NTIA
    State Regulation...the Golden Calf
    Ethical Questions: The First Amendment vs.
    Buying a Voice: Billions v.
    Hidden Cameras: media as court
    Children as Walking Commercials
    Pornography: women as body-parts
    Necessary vs. Surplus Repression
    3 Mar. Mon: The first, second, third, fourth and fifth Estate
    The role of the media in a free society.
    Ratings/Markets/Conflict and a free media
    The Marketplace of Ideas: monopolies and movements
    5 Mar. Wed: Owning the Knowledge Process:
    Copyrights: art, music, plays, books, movies, the human genome, pharmaceuticals, software/freeware
    Selling the Knowledge Process: Capture theory, page 103
    Building on the Shoulders of Giants
    7 Mar. Fri. The Public Airways: Who gets which part of the electro-Magnetic Spectrum...Allocation of Frequencies.
    Private companies/license fees
    the Military
    other countries
    Communities/discussion groups.


Decalogue for the Successful Media Student

Thou shalt live above thy means
with credit cards of golds and greens.
And pay these off, if in time,
you learn to live and love this Rhyme:

Thou shalt be on friendly terms
with the Gods of corporate firms.
Nor will thou speak with those
who write their articles for its prose:
Nor, above all, make love with such
Who think too much.

To the poor give questionnaires
and quizzes upon world affairs
but never let your bias show
when their answers don't make sense
and fail to help you sell
your goods

Thou shalt do as Business pleases;
thou shalt write thy master's thesis
upon successes of Japaneses.

Thou shalt worship those researches which
tend to make the richer rich
or pacify customers.

At Christmas time, hang your bauble,
and send out cards with mercy mild;
But first of all take the trouble:
Find out how to sell the Child

If thou must choose between the classes,
don't take chances;
chose the one which best advances
your career and your finances.

When you send off compositions
make sure your audience won't ebb;
check your media for circulations
or send them off to World Wide Web:

If, from this list of skills promotive,
You work real hard and are assertive,
I guarantee that you'll win the game
or have, at least, a famous name.

...by TR Young with many thanks to Arthur Clough, Emily Dickenson, & A.E. Housman and others.