Political Science 1110 "Mass Media"
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Professor Darrell M. West |
Website: www.InsidePolitics.org |
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9:00-10:20 a.m., Tues/Thurs |
Spring, 2008 |
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Office:
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Phone: 863-1163 |
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Office Hours: 10:30-12 Tues/Thurs |
Email: Darrell_West@brown.edu |
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Course Rationale: A revolution has unfolded in the
structure and operations of the mass media in the
Course Format: Students are expected to attend class and complete the reading assignments by the assigned time. This course will feature a variety of instructional techniques, including lectures, videos, readings, paper assignments, discussions, and Internet website materials.
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Required Texts (available for purchase in the Brown bookstore):
Frank Luntz,
Words That Work: It’s
Not What You Say, It’s What People Hear, (
Glenn Reynolds, An Army of Davids: How Markets and Technology Empower Ordinary
People to Beat Big Media, Big Government and Other Goliaths, (
Darrell M. West, The Rise
and Fall of the Media Establishment, (
Tom Rosenstiel,
We Interrupt This Newscast: How to
Improve Locals News and Win Ratings Too, (
Richard Fox and Robert Van Sickel, Tabloid Justice: Criminal Justice in an Age of
Media Frenzy, (
Robert McChesney, Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times, (New York: The New Press, 1999)
Darrell M. West, Air Wars:
Television Advertising in Election Campaigns,1952-2004,
4th ed, (
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Media Viewing: There are a number of media outlets to which you should devote attention. Throughout the semester, you should read a daily newspaper, watch the evening news on television, and explore politically-oriented websites. Pay attention to what gets covered, how it gets covered, and what the differences are across media outlets.
Videos and Documentaries: There are a number of videos and documentaries that we will incorporate in this class. These presentations will only be shown in class during our course lecture time. You need to come to class to see these materials. Videos will not be lent out!
Paper Assignment One: Choose a current political controversy and compare mainstream news coverage (such as New York Times, Washington Post, NBC, or CNN) to that of “citizen media” (such as Instapundit, DailyKos, Hot Air, Powerline, Talking Points Memo, or Little Green Footballs). Write a 2,000 word paper in which you analyze how citizen journalism compares to the mainstream news. Who does the best job? Make sure you define your criteria of what constitutes “good coverage”. Your analysis is due at 9 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 14. The paper is worth 100 points. Late papers penalized two points per late day.
Paper Assignment Two: Pick a political commercial that aired during the 2008 presidential campaign and write an in-depth, 2,000 word analysis of it. Answer the following questions: How was the ad put together? What audience is it designed to appeal to? What image is the candidate attempting to project? How effective is the ad likely to be? In the appendix to your paper, include the ad text and a description of audio/visual aspects of the ad. Your analysis is due at 9 a.m., Tuesday, March 11. The paper is worth 100 points. Late papers penalized two points per late day.
Paper Assignment Three: Write a 2,000 word research paper on media coverage of a policy issue. Choose a public policy issue that you care about (such as abortion, immigration, health care, education, crime, poverty, the environment, or foreign policy) and write a paper assessing the job reporters did in covering that issue. Describe how different media outlets (television, newspapers, radio, or the Internet) reported that issue, evaluate the differences in coverage, and make specific suggestions as to how journalists could do a better job covering that issue. Your analysis is due at 9 a.m., Thursday, April 24. The paper is worth 100 points. Late papers penalized two points per late day.
Final Exam: There will be a cumulative final exam in this class during exam period which will cover material we have gone over in the course: readings, lectures, and videos. The final is worth 100 points. It must be taken at the time scheduled by the Registrar: 9 a.m.,Wednesday, May 7.
Online Discussions: We have set up a class blog at http://mycourses.brown.edu. You are required to post comments on our readings, videos, and class discussions. At various points during the semester, we will raise specific questions and ask you to post replies on the blog. Your participation in this online discussion is worth 100 points toward your final grade.
Grading: There are a total of 500 points in this class. Course grades will be based on the three papers, class participation, and final exam, each comprising 100 points of the grade.
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Course Outline
Jan. 24 The Media Revolution
Course introduction and overview
Jan. 29 Media Roots
in the 19th Century
Darrell M. West, The Rise and Fall of the Media Establishment, chapters 1, 2, 3
Jan. 31 The Objective Media
Video: March 4, 1933 Inaugural Address of President Franklin Roosevelt (first newsreel broadcast of a presidential inauguration)
1976 Movie Segment: "All the President's Men" (the Watergate scandal)
Darrell M. West, The Rise and Fall of the Media Establishment, chapter 4
Feb. 5 The Rise of Television
1960 Kennedy/Nixon Television Debate video
Video, “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism” (2004)
Darrell M. West, The Rise and Fall of the Media Establishment, chapter 5
Feb. 7 Media Fragmentation and the Internet
Darrell M. West, The Rise and Fall of the Media Establishment, chapter 6
C-SPAN video, "Matt
Drudge: The Internet, the People's Media," National Press Club speech,
June 2, 1998 (Matt Drudge speech to professional journalists at the National
Press Club)
Video, “Orwell Rolls in His Grave”
Feb. 12 The Emergence of Citizen Journalism
Glenn
Reynolds, An Army of Davids, all
Video, “Control Room” (2003)
Feb. 14 The View from the Trenches (paper one due)
Panel discussion with guests from media and politics fields
Feb. 19 No Class--President's Weekend
Feb. 21 Covering Campaigns
Video: NBC Saturday Night Live "Presidential Bash" (political satire by entertainment shows)
Feb. 26 Celebrity Politics
PBS Video: "Taking on the Kennedys" (documentary of congressional campaign of Patrick Kennedy and Kevin Vigilante)
Feb. 28 The Commercialization of
TV documentary, "Classics of TV Commercials" (video of classic product ads)
March 4 Campaign Advertising I
Video: "The Classics of Television Advertising" (clips from historical political ads)
Darrell M. West, Air Wars: Television Advertising in Election Campaigns, 1952-2004, Fourth edition, chapters 1-4
March 6 Campaign Advertising II
Video: "Contemporary Ads" (clips from political ads)
Darrell M. West, Air Wars: Television Advertising in Election Campaigns, 1952-2004, Fourth edition, chapters 5-10
March 11 The View from the Trenches (paper two due)
Panel discussion with guests from media and politics fields
March 13 Language and Stereotyping
Frank Luntz, Words That Work, all
March 18 Public Susceptibility to Media Coverage
Video: Presidential General Election Debate with Dial Meter Responses (study of audience reactions during a debate)
March 20 The Fight over Health Care
"Health Care" video
dealing with battle over
April 1 The View from the Trenches
Panel discussion with guests from media and politics fields
April 3
Covering Courts
Video: A and E Investigative Reports, "How OJ Simpson Won" (closing prosecution and defense arguments in Simpson murder trial)
Richard Fox and Robert Van Sickel, Tabloid Justice, all
April 8 Media Portrayals of Date Rape
ABC 20/20, "When Yes
Means No," March 28, 1997 (report on date rape controversy at
NBC Dateline video , "Jane Doe No. 5: Bill Clinton and Juanita Broaddrick," February 24, 1999 (report alleging that
Bill Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick in
Tom Rosenstiel,
We Interrupt This Newscast: How to
Improve Locals News and Win Ratings Too, all
April 10 The Case of War:
WWII,
CBS 60 Minutes II video,
"Memories of a Massacre" (Senator Bob Kerrey case)
April 15 The Case of War:
Bill Moyers
PBS video, “Buying the War”, April 25, 2007
April 17 The Politics of Protest
April 22 Public Evaluations of the Media
Robert McChesney, Rich Media, Poor Democracy, all
April 24 The Future of the Media (paper three due)
Darrell M.
West, The Rise and Fall of the Media Establishment, chapter 7
May 7 -- 9 a.m. Final Exam