Communication 4714 (SPC 4714)
Communication, Culture, and Community
Spring 1998
Prof. Gil Rodman
CIS 3040, 974-3025
grodman@chuma.cas.usf.edu
Tu, Th 4-5p and by appointment
Course objectives
This course will examine questions of communication, culture, and community, with a special emphasis on the relationship between public and private life. The main goals of this course for the student are:
- to develop an understanding of how community life is created, maintained, repaired, and transformed
through communication,
- to critically examine questions of commitment and participation, place and identity, conflict and
cohesiveness, and issues of class, gender, race, and ethnicity as they are inflected across various
dimensions of contemporary community life, and
- to explore firsthand the practical, ethical, moral, and political problems that arise in contemporary
community life.
This course is part of USF's Liberal Arts Curriculum. It satisfies an Exit Requirement in the category of Major Works and Major Issues. This course addresses the following dimensions: Values and Ethics; Race and Ethnicity; and Gender. It also stresses analytical thinking and writing skills.
Required course materials
- Photocopied essays
The readings listed on the syllabus are all required and can be found at the USF Library reserve desk.
- An e-mail account
Participation in the listserv (CCC-L) that has been set up for this course will require you to have (and use)
an e-mail account. For those of you who don't already have an e-mail account, information on how to sign up
for one is available on a separate handout.
- Regular access to local newspapers
For the newspaper journal (see below) as well as our in-class discussions, you will need to read the local
news stories in at least one local daily paper (for most of you, this will be either The Tampa
Tribune or The St. Petersburg Times) and in the Weekly Planet on a regular
basis. For those who don't already know, the Planet is a weekly paper, and is available free all
around the Bay area (including several locations on campus). And while you are not required to subscribe to
a daily newspaper to meet this part of the course's requirements, doing so might not be a bad idea.
Volunteer work
You are required to do regular volunteer service with an off-campus community organization. This service may take a variety of forms, but it must be done weekly and on a consistent schedule throughout the semester. All told, your service time for the semester needs to total at least 20 hours.
The precise type of organization and volunteer work that is acceptable will vary, but it must fall within the following broad guidelines:
- This is volunteer work. If you're getting paid for it, it doesn't count.
- The organization in question must be off-campus. Part of the goal here, after all, is to get involved in
community life, not just campus life.
- The service involved must be primarily community-oriented. In most cases, this will mean you'll be
working for a non-profit organization of some sort.
- Organizations devoted primarily to electoral politics will not count. Political work per
se is not out of the question (though you should double-check with me before signing up with an
explicitly political organization), but volunteering to help out with someone's (re-)election campaign does
not count as a form of community service for this course.
By 20 January, you must turn in a typed proposal (2-3 pages) outlining the nature of your intended volunteer work. This proposal must include the following:
- name and location of the organization where you're volunteering
- description of the type of work you will be doing
- the days and times you are scheduled to work
- name and phone number of the person supervising your volunteer work
- the reason you chose this particular organization
- what you expect to learn from the experience
While I will provide some basic guidance in helping you locate possible volunteer opportunities, the ultimate responsibility for finding a suitable organization is yours. Proposals that seem to be at serious odds with the spirit of the course will be rejected (should such a situation arise, you will need to submit a revised proposal for a more suitable form of volunteer work).
I reserve the right to make unannounced "spot checks" to confirm that you are, in fact, completing the volunteer work described in your proposal. Failure to complete the volunteer service requirement for this course will be sufficient grounds to receive a failing grade for the semester, regardless of the quality of your other work. Falsifying or misrepresenting your reports on your volunteer service will be construed as a form of academic dishonesty and dealt with accordingly.
Grading schedule
Thought paper 10%
Newspaper journal 5%
Two (2) response papers 20% (10% each)
Final report 25%
Listserv 10%
Group work 10%
Participation 10%
Attendance 10%
Writing assignments
Your written work must be typed and double-spaced. The page lengths given are based on pica-sized type (10 characters per inch) and one inch margins, and should be seen as estimates of how much you'll need to write to complete the assignments well. I will not automatically penalize shorter papers, but it's highly unlikely that you will be able to do "A" work if your papers are shorter than 3 pages. Also note that fudging margins and font sizes to make your papers look longer will not help your grade -- so concentrate on writing good papers, not (what appear to be) long ones.
Thought paper
This assignment (3-4 pages, due 13 January) will be ungraded. Assuming you turn the paper in, you should receive full credit (10% of your final grade) for doing so. I reserve the right, however, to give partial or even no credit to papers that fail to meet the assignment's requirements. Further details concerning this paper can be found on a separate handout.
Newspaper journal
You will write five (5) one-page critical responses to local news stories, editorials, and/or opinions
columns from a local newspaper (see "Required course materials" above). The specific due dates here are semi-flexible, but you need to follow these guidelines:
- You must turn in a copy of the newspaper article/essay in question with your journal entry, making sure
to include the newspaper's name and the date of publication.
- You must turn your journal entry in within one week of the publication date of the piece to which you're
responding.
- You must turn in one journal entry sometime within each three-week section of the course as noted on the
syllabus (e.g., journal entry #1 is due by 22 Jan; #2 is due by 12 Feb; etc.)
Your journal entries should be critical responses to the articles in question (i.e., not just summaries of them) and should take into consideration relevant issues raised by our other readings, our discussions (both in-class and on the listserv), and your own volunteer service work. Grades for journal entries will be calculated on a "check"/"check-plus"/"check-minus" basis.
Response papers
You will write two 3-4 page papers, each of which will be a critical response to one or more of the assigned readings listed on the syllabus. Each paper is due by 5 pm on the Thursday of the week following the one in which the reading in question is assigned (e.g., if you're writing about the reading assigned for 17 February, you must turn in your paper by 5 pm on 26 February). Your first paper must be turned in by 5 March; your second paper must be turned in by 28 April. You will not receive credit for writing a paper in response to material presented by your small group (see below). Further details about this assignment will be made available on a separate handout.
Final report
This will be an 8-10 page analysis of the volunteer work that you've done over the course of the semester. The objective of the paper is to assess your own volunteer work with respect to the various community-related issues raised by our readings and in our class meetings. This essay requires you to do more than merely describe your experiences as a volunteer; it requires you to engage in critical reflection on the issues raised by the course and their relationship to the volunteer work that you've done in the community this semester.
Listserv participation
The primary purpose of the listserv is to provide an ongoing informal forum for discussion of the issues raised by the assigned readings and our class sessions. Prompts intended to spur on the dialogue will be posted as necessary.
Because listservs tend to be somewhat freeform in nature, there is no neat and simple formula for assessing grades for this aspect of the course. The minimum contribution to receive a passing grade, however, will be five substantial (i.e., more than a paragraph long) posts addressing material from five different sections of the syllabus. Of course, if you expect to receive an A or a B for this portion of your grade, you will need to contribute more than the minimum.
- To join the list, send an e-mail message to LISTSERV@nosferatu.cas.usf.edu
consisting of subscribe CCC-L your-firstname your-lastname
- To post to the list, send an e-mail message to CCC-L@nosferatu.cas.usf.edu
To be eligible for full credit (10% of your final grade) for this portion of the course, you must (a) be subscribed to the list by 2 pm on 10 February and (b) have made your first on-topic post to the list by 2 pm on 24 February. The penalty for missing either of these deadlines will be a grade point for every week (or fraction thereof) that you're late (e.g., not subscribing until 19 February will cost you 2 points and not posting for the first time until 27 February will cost you 1 more point). Additional information about the list and how to use it will be sent to you when you subscribe.
Listserv tips
- If you're new to e-mail, get your account set up right away. This gives you plenty of time to get used
to using e-mail early on and still do well on this part of the course.
- Subscribe to the list. If you're not subscribed, you can't post. If you can't post, you can't
participate. If you can't participate, you've given up 10% of your final grade.
- Post often. Five posts addressing questions from five different units are worth more than five posts all
on the same topic.
- Post in a timely fashion. While it is better to post late on a topic than not at all, it's worth far
more to post while an issue is still under active discussion.
Group work
By the end of January, I will divide the class up into six small groups, each of which will be responsible for one of the six weeks of the course between spring break and finals. (Groups will be assigned to their respective weeks by random drawing.) Your group's responsibilities here include:
- Choosing a particular topic or issue (relevant to the course's theme, of course) for our discussions to
focus on during your week.
- Choosing roughly 20-30 pages of reading appropriate to your topic/issue for the class as a whole to read
in preparation for your week.
- Starting off your week's class session with a 30 minute presentation on your chosen topic/issue.
Guidelines for possible topics (and reading materials) will be made available on a separate handout at the time that groups are assigned.
Each group will need to meet with me no later than the date given on the schedule below to discuss their proposed topic/issue with me and present me with a copy of the proposed assigned readings.
Group # Presentation date Meet with me by
1 Mar 17 Feb 19
2 Mar 24 Feb 26
3 Mar 31 Mar 5
4 Apr 7 Mar 19
5 Apr 14 Mar 26
6 Apr 21 Apr 2
Because of the need to provide the rest of the class with ample time to do the necessary readings for these sessions, groups that fail to meet with me by the relevant date listed above will find their grades for this portion of the course docked accordingly.
You will be required to provide candid assessments of your group-mates' individual contributions to the group's project. Your individual grades for your group work will be based on the overall quality of your group's presentation, as modified by the group's self-assessments: e.g., if I feel that a group's overall presentation merits a grade of B, but the self-assessments indicate that the workload was carried unevenly within the group, I would be inclined to give A's to the students who did most of the work and C's (or worse) to the others.
Participation
This course is geared towards in-class discussions, not extended lectures. It will thus be more enjoyable for all of us (and you'll do better) if you (1) attend class regularly, (2) do the required reading and (3) come to class prepared to discuss what we've read. I expect everyone to contribute to our in-class discussions on a regular basis, and this portion of your semester grade will depend on the quantity and quality of your participation in those discussions over the course of the semester. While not everyone has to (or can) speak up every time a question is put on the table, if I have to work to remember if you've spoken up in class in the past few weeks, it's a sign that you're not participating as much as you need to be -- and your grade will suffer accordingly.
Attendance
Attendance will be taken every class period, with absences, late arrivals, and early departures noted. If you have more than two unexcused absences (or if you consistently arrive late and/or leave early), I reserve the right to lower your semester grade by more than just the 10% listed for attendance on the grade schedule above.
Beginning with the first week in February, we will not meet as a class on our normally scheduled Thursday sessions. The rationale behind this policy is to help free your time up a bit more for the volunteer service portion of the course. Our Thursday hour will also serve as the default meeting time for the required small group meetings with me (see below), though I'm willing to accommodate other scheduling requests from individual groups if the need arises.
In keeping with the University Policy on Religious Observances, students who anticipate being absent from class due to a major religious observance must provide notice to me in writing by 13 January concerning which class period(s) you expect to miss and why.
Quizzes
Consistently lackluster discussions will force me to take drastic measures (i.e., pop quizzes) to assure me that y'all are doing the required work. In the event quizzes become necessary, final grades will be calculated on a revised schedule:
Thought paper 0%
Newspaper journal 5%
Response papers 20%
Final report 25%
Listserv participation 10%
Group work 10%
Participation 10%
Attendance 5%
Quiz(zes) 15%
Miscellaneous
- Late work will generally not be accepted except in cases of genuine emergency. In the event
that I do accept late work, I reserve the right to reduce its grade in direct proportion to its lateness.
The minimum penalty in all such cases will be one full letter grade.
- The purchase and/or sale of written notes and audio recordings of our class meetings is strictly
prohibited.
introduction
Jan 6
Jan 8
- no assigned reading
- in-class visit by Metropolitan Ministries
communication, culture, community
Jan 13
- Thought paper due
- Carey, "A Cultural Approach to Communication"
- Williams, "Culture Is Ordinary"
Jan 15
- Williams, "Communications and Community"
corporate america and community values
Jan 20
- Volunteer service proposal due
- In-class film screening: Roger and Me
- Moore, Downsize This! [excerpts]
Jan 22
- Last day to turn in newspaper journal entry #1
- Pollan, "Town-Building Is No Mickey Mouse Operation"
individualism and interdependence
Jan 27
- Slater, "I Only Work Here"
Jan 29
- Coontz, "My Mother Was a Saint"
the family
Feb 3
- Coontz, The Way We Never Were [chs. 1-2]
democracy
Feb 10
- Last day to subscribe to listserv without penalty
- Carey, "A Republic, If You Can Keep It"
- Bellah et al., "Democracy Means Paying Attention"
***Feb 12 -- no class
- Last day to turn in newspaper journal entry #2
the mass media
Feb 17
- Stabile, "The Emperor's New Clothes"
- Snider, "Radio Free Tampa"
- Roe, "Left of the Dial"
- Baal, "Access or Excess?"
- Libin, "In South St. Pete, Did TV News Do the Right Thing?"
public space
Feb 24
- Last day to make first post to listserv without penalty
- Oldenburg, The Great Good Place [chs. 1-2]
education
Mar 3
- Edmundson/Shorris, "On the Uses of a Liberal Education"
- Johnson, "At Risk: The Future"
***Mar 5 -- no class
- Last day to turn in newspaper journal entry #3
- Last day to turn in response paper #1
spring break
***Mar 10 -- no class
***Mar 12 -- no class
small group #1
Mar 17
- readings to be determined
small group #2
Mar 24
- readings to be determined
small group #3
Mar 31
- readings to be determined
***Apr 2 -- no class
- Last day to turn in newspaper journal entry #4
small group #4
Apr 7
- readings to be determined
small group #5
Apr 14
- readings to be determined
small group #6
Apr 21
- readings to be determined
***Apr 23 -- no class
- Last day to turn in newspaper journal entry #5
finals week
Apr 28
- Final report due
- Last day to turn in response paper #2
- Last day for listserv posts