Communication 6605
Media Studies

Spring 1999
Th 6-8:50p, CIS 3064

Prof. Gil Rodman
Office Hours: Tu 1-2p, Th 5-6p and by appointment
CIS 3040 // 974-3025 // gbr@kcii.com

course description and objectives

This course is an introductory survey of scholarly approaches to the mass media. Given the exceptionally broad terrain covered by the term "mass media" and the diverse range of theories, methodologies, and agendas that travel under the "media studies" banner, this course has unavoidable biases and blind spots. We will not, for instance, devote a great deal of time to quantitative "media effects" research, "uses and gratifications" studies, or traditional rhetorical approaches to media texts. Topics that we will examine include:
required course materials


papers/presentations

You will write three 8-10 page essays for this course. Further information about all these papers (including a lengthy, though far from exhaustive, list of suggested books for Paper #2) is available here.
WebCT forum participation

The login page for the course's WebCT site is:

http://scholar.acomp.usf.edu:8900/public/SPC6605/index.html

Once there, click on the "Login" button to access the site. The server will ask for your "User Name" and "Password." Your user name will be your first initial and your last name, typed without spaces and completely in lowercase letters (e.g., if your name is Terry Johnson, your user name will be "tjohnson"). Your initial password is your social security number, typed without spaces or hyphens. Once you've logged in, you can change your password from within the system -- and I would strongly recommend that you do so ASAP.

The primary purpose of the WebCT forum is to provide an informal space that's always available 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.

Occasionally, the WebCT forum may be used to make course-related announcements (e.g., "please add the collected works of Marshall McLuhan to Thursday's reading") or to pass word on about other topics that may be of interest to the class (e.g., calls for papers, upcoming conferences, recently published articles and books, etc.). So check the site often.
grading policy

Those of you who've had classes with me before know that I'm not a big fan of grades at the graduate level. Presumably, your main concern here is your genuine desire to learn something, not whether you can maintain a 4.0 GPA. Assuming you show up consistently for class, participate regularly in our discussions (in class and online), and complete the assigned papers in satisfactory fashion, you should get an A. That being said, in cases where people seem to be slacking off, I do reserve the right to go deeper into the alphabet when I fill out my final grade sheet. Under such unfortunate circumstances, how deep into the alphabet I go will be based on the following grade schedule:
Attendance/participation 15%
WebCT Forum participation 15%
Paper #1 20%
Paper #2 20%
In-class presentation 10%
Paper #3 20%

date readings work due
7 Jan no readings -----
14 Jan McCloud, Understanding Comics -----
21 Jan Williamson, Decoding Advertisements -----
28 Jan Ohmann (ed.), Making and Selling Culture presentation choices
McCloud paper
4 Feb Williams, Television Williamson paper
11 Feb Ang, Desperately Seeking the Audience Ohmann paper
18 Feb Rose, Black Noise Williams paper
25 Feb Wise, Exploring Technology and Social Space Ang paper
4 Mar Penley, NASA/TREK Rose paper
11 Mar no class -----
18 Mar DeLillo, White Noise Wise paper
Penley paper
1 Apr presentation essays
25 Mar no class 8 Apr presentation essays
1 Apr 1 Apr presentation essays DeLillo paper
15 Apr presentation essays
8 Apr 8 Apr presentation essays 22 Apr presentation essays
15 Apr 15 Apr presentation essays -----
22 Apr 22 Apr presentation essays -----
29 Apr no class paper #3