Introduction to
mass communication

Professor Greg Downey
Spring 2008

University of Wisconsin-Madison
Journalism & Mass Communication 201

I, II; 4cr. (S-E); Comm B course. Open to Freshmen; closed to Seniors except by consent of instructor. Prerequisites: Completion of Comm A course (concurrent registration is not sufficient). Please see our superb Journalism undergraduate advisers for questions on course requirements.

3650 Humanities 9:55am – 10:45am MWF
plus one 75-min. discussion section each week
(see timetable for choices of discussion section)
All sections meet either on Tues, Wed, Thurs, or Fri

Please note: There is one "honors" discussion section with the professor (DIS 301), Friday, 11am, 4008 Vilas, and one "Chadbourne" discussion section with the professor (DIS 302), Tuesday, 9:30am, B21 Chadbourne.

Course web site  This course web site serves as your syllabus; you will receive a printout of the web site at the beginning of the semester, but you should check back weekly as scheduling and assignments are always subject to revision. Find the web site at www.journalism.wisc.edu/~gdowney/courses/j201/ 

Main lecture weblog  We use a weblog (or "blog" for short) for students, TAs, and guest lecturers to hold a virtual discussion outside of the physical classroom.  We also post outside instruction opportunities and extra credit opportunities to the weblog.  If you wish to post "replies" and "comments" to the weblog, you must register with Blogger at www.blogger.com and click on "create your own blog now" (this will give you a Blogger ID).  Find our weblog at j201.blogspot.com

Discussion section weblogs  Some TAs (including the professor) may set up their own weblogs for use by their particular discussion sections.  These are meant to supplement, not replace, the main course weblog.

Email list  To make sure that you receive all emails sent out about the class, check that your current email address is on file with UW by visiting either My UW-Madison (Student Record Tab, Preferred Email address module) or EASI (Extended Access to Student Information).

Why take this course?

To become a critical media consumer and producer

• Understanding the ideal and normative functions of our mass media system — what we want our mass media to do for use (and what we hope it doesn't do to us).
• Understanding the structural qualities of our mass media system – political, economic, social; following the money, tracing the power, seeing the disparities.
• Understanding the agency effects and feedbacks on the media systems – both the effects on individual thought and behavior and the power of individuals to influence what they see (through viewership, purchasing, democratic actions, or personal media production).
• Understanding the criticisms that the media industry faces and alternative ways of constructing the media industry (and why those criticisms and alternatives may be rare to appear in the media industry itself).

To fulfill the “Communication B” requirement

While not all of you will become professional journalists or strategic communicators, each of you will need to communicate clearly and effectively through the spoken and written word. This course fulfills the campus Communications-B requirement for this skill. You will spend time outside class, as well as in weekly discussion sections, refining your critical communication skills through oral presentations, written assignments, peer review, and revision. Please note, however, that our TAs are not expected to teach you the basics of spelling, grammar, usage, and proper sentence construction. (That's what high school is for.)

To apply for admission to the School of Journalism and Mass Communication

Some of you are considering careers in the media. This course should help you make informed decisions about your professional life and will serve as the prerequisite to entering the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. Please note: out of nearly 300 applicants to the J-School each semester, only 100 can be accepted.

Course plan

The course is divided into three units, each focusing on a different set of mass communication processes.

Mass communication and entertainment: Covers the overall shape and impact of mass media, with emphasis on the “entertainment” aspects of books/magazines, music/radio, and film/TV (and the profit-making potential of each).

Strategic communication in politics and economics: The journalism school uses this term to describe mass communication that (primarily) seeks to persuade. In practice, strategic communication means commercial advertising and public relations, or political advertising and public diplomacy.

Journalism and digital convergence: This unit focuses on mass communication that (primarily) seeks to report “truth.” Newspapers are primarily journalistic and books, magazines, broadcasting, and “the net” partially.

Assignments and grading

There are 100 points available in this course:

• Oral presentations - 10 points
• Written papers including peer reviews - 40 points
• Exams and quizzes including a final exam - 40 points
• Discussion section participation - 10 points
  

Your grade will be based on your point total:

Oral presentations (10 points)

Guidelines for delivering presentations

Do not read your presentation. Speak from simple notes that keep you on track, but allow the words to emerge spontaneously and conversationally.  A good strategy is to practice your presentation in front of a mirror, a tape recorder, or a friend.

Evaluation criteria for all presentations

Content:

• Do you accurately capture what the author was saying?
• Is your own claim clear?
• Is your evidence for your claim convincing?
• Have you turned in an acceptable written outline of your talk?

Delivery:

• Have you kept to the time specified?
• Do you project enough for everyone to hear you?
• Does your inflection and emphasis help convey your meaning (as in normal conversation)?
• Are you, like, avoiding the use of slang and, basically, all those crutch phrases like "like" and "basically"?
• Do you seem to be enjoying yourself (even if you aren't)?

Please note that if you are presenting an article during a particular discussion section, you will not be called on to respond to an article during that same section.

Papers and peer reviews (40 points)

You will write three four-page papers for this class, each tied to the class readings and each requiring some outside investigation.   Even though these papers are short, they should still each have the three basic components of an academic essay:

1. An introduction which clearly states a thesis (and please underline that thesis).
2. A body which develops the thesis, with one argument per paragraph.
3. A conclusion which not only restates the thesis, but leaves the reader with something more.

Guidelines for writing papers

• Use one-inch margins on all sides
• Double-space all text.
• Indent all paragraphs.
• No extra blank lines between paragraphs.
• Use 12-point Times, Times Roman, or Times New Roman font.
• Number your pages.
• Put your name and your TA's name on the first page.
• Turn in a one-page outline with each draft.
• Turn in a one-page list of references with each draft (APA style).
• Staple all pages (no paperclips or corner folds).

Citing outside sources

In each paper you are expected to use outside articles (from your reader, from the optional readings on this web site, or from your own literature search) to support your arguments.  You need to cite these outside articles whenever you use an idea, quote, or fact from these sources.  We recommend APA style when citing sources in J201 papers:

• In the text of the paper, use the author's last name, the year of publication, and the page number, like this: (Gitlin, 2002, p. 10)
• In the list of references at the end, organize alphabetically by author last name, like this: Gitlin, T. (2002). Media unlimited: How the torrent of images and sounds overwhelms our lives. New York: Henry Holt and Co.
• For all the details on APA style see this summary and this sample paper documented in APA style.
• If it is not your idea, cite it.  Failure to properly cite outside sources is plagiarism and academic dishonesty and may be grounds for failing both the assignment and the course. 

For each assignment, first you write a rough draft, then you receive TA and peer feedback, and only then do you write a final draft. 

Evaluation criteria for all papers

1. Following instructions.  Does your paper follow the instructions of the assignment? Was it turned in on time? Does it conform to our formatting guidelines?

2. Grammar and style.  Do you avoid grammatical, spelling, and usage errors? Do you have any run-on sentences or non-sentences? Are your sentences clear and concise? Are references in correct APA style?

3. Thesis and structure.  Does your introduction contain a clear thesis (underlined)? Does your conclusion end with a compelling idea? Do arguments and examples build logically in between, following your outline?

4. Use of sources.  Does your paper demonstrate that you understand the examples and arguments from the articles you use? Does your thesis deal with the central arguments rather than peripheral issues? 

5. Arguments and evidence.  Do you support your thesis with compelling evidence and arguments? Do you counter at least one possible argument against your answer?

6. Creativity and difficulty.  Finally, remember that we appreciate papers which find exemplary outside sources, represent an unusual challenge, take on a unique case, or come up with a creative point of view. 

Finding outside sources

In order to find an authoritative outside source, you should use the resources available at our campus libraries. But here are some suggestions to get you started:

• Search professional journalism web sites like Columbia Journalism Review, American Journalism Review, the Project for Excellence in Journalism, or the Pew Research Center for People and the Press.
• Search journalism activism web sites (from different points along the political spectrum) like Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) or Accuracy in Media (AIM). (But know the agenda and sponsorship of any organization before you accept its claims.)
• Search for academic journal research articles in the ProQuest Research Library or in UW-Madison QuickSearch for Articles
• Search national newspapers like the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times from ProQuest Newspapers or from Lexis-Nexis for news analysis articles.

Getting help from the Writing Center on your papers

Our campus is lucky to have a top-notch and easily-accessible Writing Center which is free for all students to use. The Writing Center is located on the 6th floor of Helen C. White Hall (the same building as the College Library). You should feel free to get assistance from the Writing Center staff on any of your four papers. Visit them online too.

Occasionally, after reading your rough draft or even your final draft of a paper, your TA may demand that you visit the Writing Center to help you revise your paper before receiving your final grade for that paper. In this case you must bring back a "receipt" from the Writing Center verifying that you did indeed visit to work on your J201 assignment.

Please note: While working with the Writing Center will almost always mean that you will earn a better grade on your paper, simply visiting the Writing Center — either on your own or after your TA demands it — is not a guarantee that you will receive full points on any particular assignment. Your work is still your own responsibility.

Exams and quizzes (40 points)

Each of the three units in the class ends with a closed-book exam to test your grasp of key terms and concepts. 

The first part of each exam will consist of several terms which students must both define and give the significance of in a few sentences.  For example, if the term is "Internet," a definition might be "A global network of computers which communicate using the shared TCP/IP protocol." But the significance might be "As both personal and mass communication move to the Internet, existing media companies are both facing competition from new market entrants and exploiting new opportunities for consolidation and profit."

The second part of each exam will consist of one or more conceptual questions which you must answer by writing an essay in a blue exam book which we provide for you.  For example, one question might be, "Define what you think the phrase 'public interest, convenience, and necessity' does (or should) mean, with respect to an important social purpose of the mass media; then pick one mass communication medium which you think serves that public interest well, and explain why and how it is able to do this."

One week before each exam, a review sheet will be handed out with sample short answer terms and essay questions to help guide you in your test preparation.  Students should prepare to identify all terms and answer all essay questions, as the instructor will choose which ones actually appear on the exam at the last minute. Please note that the terms and questions which actually appear on the exam may differ slightly from what is on the study guide. 

During exam weeks there will be no discussion section, no readings, and no other assignments due.

Discussion section participation (10 points)

This grade will be assigned by your section TA, based on both the amount and quality of your participation in weekly discussion. Points may be taken off, for example, for unexcused absences, regular tardiness, and disrespect of other students.  Some TAs may also require online participation in a section weblog.   If you never speak up in section, you cannot expect to receive full points for participation.

Extra credit (maximum 3 points)

Social science researchers have probably studied more college students than any other single group in our population. That’s because college students take courses like this one,
which can suggest – but not require – that you serve as a subject in the pursuit of “truth” and helping graduates students finish their degrees. J 201 offers extra credit points for research participation, not because we love those graduate
students, but because we want to expose you to research methodology.

You can participate either as a research subject or as an attendee at presentations about the methodology of the studies being conducted this semester. You will probably get the most out of the experience by serving as a subject and attendee for the same study, but you will only earn credit for the same experiment once.  You will receive one point for each experiment you participate in, up to a total of three points.

At the end of the semester you need to turn in a typed list of each experiment you participated in. We will compare your list against our master list of experiment subjects, so no academic dishonesty, please.

As each outside activity is announced, it will be listed on the course weblog at http://j201.blogspot.com/

Texts to purchase

There is no textbook for this course. Instead, we will read several articles on each of the mass media’s three main social functions: entertainment, strategic communications, and journalism.  We have produced a xeroxed (non-profit) "reader" for you to purchase from ASM Student Print containing most of these articles. The reader should cost about $25, which is 1/4 the cost of a standard textbook.  Two copies of the reader will also be put on reserve at the Journalism Reading Room.  You can expect about 50 pages of reading (two articles) each week.

NB: These articles were not chosen to be “unbiased” texts or to be the final word on how the mass media do (or should) function in society. Rather, I have picked these articles with three goals in mind: they are readable and interesting while still scholarly; they are relevant to current events; and, often, they are polemical in that they argue for a particular interpretation of the world which you may choose to agree with or to disagree with.

We will also use a guide to researching and writing in this course, available at local campus bookstores: 

Wayne C. Booth, Gregory G. Colomb and Joseph M. Williams, The craft of research, 2nd ed. (2003). "This manual offers practical advice on the fundamentals of research to college and university students in all fields of study. [It] teaches much more than the mechanics of fact gathering: it explains how to approach a research project as an analytical process." [from the publisher]

The total cost of your texts for this class, purchased new, should be about $50.  The course instructor receives no royalty from any of these books (or from the reader).

Films to watch

Films are an important educational resource and should be treated with the same seriousness as lectures and texts, meaning:

• Students need to attend in-class film screenings
• Students should take notes on the films
• Material from the films may appear on exams

You may (and should) use concepts, evidence, and arguments from the films in your written assignments

All films will be screened in Humanities 3650.

[Frontline] The Persuaders (2004). 60 min.  “In "The Persuaders," FRONTLINE explores how the cultures of marketing and advertising have come to influence not only what Americans buy, but also how they view themselves and the world around them. The 90-minute documentary draws on a range of experts and observers of the advertising/marketing world, to examine how, in the words of one on-camera commentator, "the principal of democracy yields to the practice of demography," as highly customized messages are delivered to a smaller segment of the market.” [from PBS] 

[Frontline] The way the music died (2004). 60 min. "The modern music scene was created in 1969, at Woodstock. Fans, artists and politics coalesced in a big bang moment that eventually would generate billions of dollars. But over the last 20 years, MTV, compact discs, corporate consolidation, Internet piracy and greed have contributed to a perfect storm for the industry. FRONTLINE examines how the business that has provided the soundtrack of the lives of a generation is on the verge of collapse."

SHE SAYS: Women in News (2001). 60 min.  “This program explores the impact of having more women in decision-making roles in journalism on the news, the news room culture and the society. Since the early days of the Women's Movement, the number of women in both print and electronic journalism has increased by more than 25%.” [from the producer]

Control Room (2003).  86 min.  "A chronicle which provides a rare window into the international perception of the Iraq War, courtesy of Al Jazeera, the Arab world's most popular news outlet. Roundly criticized by Cabinet members and Pentagon officials for reporting with a pro-Iraqi bias, and strongly condemned for frequently airing civilian causalities as well as footage of American POWs, the station has revealed (and continues to show the world) everything about the Iraq War that the Bush administration did not want it to see."

Guest lecturers

Regularly over the course of the semester, guest lecturers will speak to the class in order to provide expert views on particular topics.  Guest lectures should be treated with the same seriousness as regular lectures, meaning:

• Students need to attend guest lectures
• Students should take notes on the guest lectures
• Material from the guest lectures may appear on exams

All guest lectures will be held in Humanities 3650.

Students with special needs

McBurney Center

Persons with disabilities are to be fully included in this course. Please let me know if you need any special accommodations to enable you to fully participate. I will try to maintain confidentiality of the information you share with me. To request academic accomodations, please register with the McBurney Disability Resource Center.

Academic honesty and respect

Misconduct Guide

Academic honesty requires that the course work (drafts, reports, examinations, papers) a student presents to an instructor honestly and accurately indicates the student's own academic efforts. If you are unsure about what qualifies as academic dishonesty, please consult the Academic Misconduct Guide for Students.  Two points in particular to keep in mind:

• copying or paraphrasing material from web pages without proper quotation and citation is plagiarism
  
  
• copying or paraphrasing material from fellow students is plagiarism

Please remember that any plagiarism may be sufficient grounds for failing a student in the entire course.

The UW-Madison is committed to creating a dynamic, diverse and welcoming learning environment for all students and has a non-discrimination policy that reflects this philosophy. Disrespectful behaviors or comments addressed towards any group or individual, regardless of race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender, religion, ability, or any other difference is deemed unacceptable in this class, and will be addressed publicly by the professor.

Military call-ups

We recognize that those students serving in the armed forces may be called to active duty at any time.  The university has posted guidelines for students who are called to duty detailing options for withdrawing from, dropping, or completing courses.  In general, students called to military service may receive credit for this class if leaving after the midway point of the course, at the discretion of the instructor, based on the student's earned grade up to the time of departure.

About the instructor

Greg Downey <gdowney @ wisc.edu> is an associate professor with a 50 percent appointment in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication and a 50 percent appointment in the School of Library and Information Studies.  His teaching and research both center on the history and geography of information and communication technology and the often hidden human labor behind it.

Downey joined the UW faculty in 2001. He holds a B.S. and M.S. in computer science from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, an M.A. In liberal studies from Northwestern University, and a joint Ph.D. in history of technology and human geography from the Johns Hopkins University. Before coming to Madison, Downey spent a year as a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Geography and the Humanities Institute at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities.

His industry experience as a computer analyst includes three years at the Leo Burnett advertising agency in Chicago, and three years at Roger Schank’s Institute for Learning Sciences at Northwestern University. He has held short-term volunteer positions with both the Center for Neighborhood Technology in Chicago and the Community Information Exchange in Washington D.C. And he used to draw a daily comic strip when he was an undergraduate, believe it or not.

Downey's first book, Telegraph Messenger Boys: Labor, Technology, and Geography, 1850-1950, was published by Routledge in 2002.  His second book, Closed captioning: Subtitling, stenography, and the digital convergence of text with television, was published by Johns Hopkins in 2008.  He is currently working on his third book, a history and geography of library labor and technology in the US over the 20th century.

About the teaching assistants

Your TAs are all rather underpaid and overworked but whip-smart masters and doctoral students in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication.  Each TA will hold regular office hours (announced in section).

Name	Email (please add @wisc.edu)	Sections and Weblog (if any)
Greg Downey	gdowney	301 (honors) 302 (Chad)
Vanessa Alabarces	alabarces	314, 315
Ashley Anderson	aaanderson3	305, 323
Pori Borah	borah	318, 319
Rich Cleland	rcleland	308, 321
Andy Erdman	aaerdman	309, 317
Melissa Gotlieb	mrgotlieb	303, 316
Jen Janscha	jjanscha	322, 304
Aaron Veenstra	asveenstra	307, 311
Davita Veselanak	veselenak	324, 320
Emily Vraga	ekvraga	312, 313
(Bryan) Ming Wang	mwang24	306, 310

NB: TAs will meet with the professor each week on Monday at 11am after lecture.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is J201 offered in both Fall and Spring?
A: Greg Downey tends to teach J201 in the Spring. The Fall instructor for J201 is usually Jack Mitchell <jwmitch1 at wisc.edu>. Please contact him for details on his version of the course web site, readings, and assignments.

Q: I'm a senior and a really want/need to take J201.
A: J201 is generally closed to seniors because: (1) demand for J201 is so severe; (2) J201 is an introductory class (in both its writing skills and its substantive aspects) not appropriate for seniors; and (3) seniors do not have enough time after taking J201 to finish a Journalism and Mass Communication major.

Q: The section I want is full. Is there a waiting list?
A:There is no waiting list for J201. If you meet the course prerequisites but the section you want is full, you may try to continue to try to register electronically through the first two weeks of class (when many students drop the course). You may attend lecture while attempting to formally register, up to the university add/drop deadline. Often enough spaces open up in these first two weeks to accomodate all interested students. If you can be more flexible in your choice of discussion section, you will be more likely to get a spot in the course.  And remember: the class is offered both Fall and Spring!

Q: I have a class conflict with my section; can I switch?
As a university student, it is your responsibilty to sign up for a discussion section which fits your class schedule.  It is not possible for us to do your scheduling for you.  Our only advice is to try the online registration system to see if you can sign up for a new section and drop your old section through the official system. With over 400 students adding and dropping, section counts are in constant flux so you might want to check the system at different times of the day/week to try your switch.

Q: I represent [your student group here] and I would like to talk to your students for just five minutes before class.
A: Class time is too limited for me to allow any student groups to speak before class (even those related to journalism and mass communication). But if you send me a paragraph describing your organization, I will gladly post it to the class weblog.

Q: Why don't you put your lecture slides online before lecture, so students can print them and follow along?
A: Good idea, but it won't happen because (1) it encourages some students to skip lecture, (2) it discourages some students from taking their own notes, and (3) I am often still tweaking and editing the slides minutes before lecture begins. Slides will generally be available 24 hours after lecture.

Q: I have a [wedding, family reunion, Ren and Stimpy marathon] on the exam date. Can I take it another time?
A: University students are expected to attend all classes and all exams.  Makeup exams are only offered for documented medical reasons.

Q: On the exam review sheet, could you please explain to me the meaning of the following eight terms ...
A: The instructor and the TAs will not answer questions like this over email. Bring such questions to section or to the lecture that we devote to reviewing for the exam, or ask them on the class weblog to see if your fellow students can help. And study your notes and readings.

Q: I liked J201 and now I want to major in Journalism and Mass Communication. Can you write me a recommendation?
A: Our policy is that J201 instructors (including TAs) do not write recommendations for students to enter the J-School.

Q: Your class has too much [politics, economics, history, sociology] in it, which I think belongs in a [political science, economics, history, sociology] course and not in a mass communication course.
A: Welcome to the world of interdisciplinary, socially relevant, and intellectually complex university education.

Q: I heard that the poltergeists of Humanities 3650 have a rather malevolent grudge against you, cutting the power to your microphone, dripping water on your computer, and dumping acoustical wall tiles into the aisles at random moments during your lectures.
A: Please do not taunt the Humanities 3650 poltergeists.

Q: Do you mind if, while you are lecturing, I keep my laptop open at my seat and, though appearing to take notes, actually spend the whole class period surfing e-Bay for collectible Lego minifigures based on the short-lived 1980s science-fiction comedy series "Quark"?
A: Please do not taunt me either.

Q: Did I miss anything when I skipped your class?
A: The answer is here.

Did you know?

• UW-Madison has about 28,000 undergraduates, but there are only 19 courses which enroll over 400 students, and J201 is one of them.  (A colleague of mine likes to call it "stadium rock".)  But our discussion section size of 18 students falls well below the average UW course size (including all labs, lectures, discussions and seminars) of 28 students. [Source: Deborah Ziff, "UW profs aim to stir up giant classes," madison.com (25 Nov 2007)]

• According to the Vice-Provost for Teaching and Learning, UW-Madison students spend an average of over $700/year on textbooks and class materials.  However, rather than using a mass-market $100 textbook in J201 (which may be out of date the moment it is printed), we use a custom-crafted $25 course reader (which changes every semester), sold on a non-profit basis under Fair Use copyright laws with proceeds going to a student-run organization.

• Many of the extra-credit studies that J201 students participate in are published in major communication research journals, and many J201 TAs go on to become professors at top research universities around the nation.

• J201 was one of the first courses on campus to use weblogs extensively in course management and discussion.  But it was the students who figured out that the weblog could be used as a virtual study session to prepare for exams.

• From time to time the authors of J201 readings have commented on our class weblog.  Participants have included New York Times reporter (and former UW-Madison graduate) Marshall Sella, as well as Internet-saavy campaign consultant to Howard Dean and (now) John Edwards, Joe Trippi.

Other J-School weblogs

If you're thinking about majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication, you might want to start following the discussion on some of our other J-School weblogs:

• Sunrise on Media (Katy Culver)
• Media Trope (Sue Robinson)