9
JAMS 661 DRAFT SYLLABUS Fall 2012 Jeff Smith
3:30 to 4:45 p.m. MW MER 347
SEMINAR IN MEDIA COMMUNICATION AND SOCIETY
War News, Entertainment, and Persuasion
The news, entertainment, and opinion media seek audiences and revenue, but often deal with sensitive topics. National security issues and the experiences of armed conflict are typically represented in ways intended to serve the purposes of the communicator. The meaning making can be analyzed with media studies concepts such as agenda setting, framing, myth, news management, press freedom, propaganda, professionalism, public relations, self-censorship, and sensationalism. Students in this course use skills in research, discussion, writing, and critical thinking to investigate how wars test cultural values and indicate where power actually resides. Course presentations will analyze mediated communication with references to professional standards, industry objectives, laws, public opinion, and military-presidential practices.
Required text: Smith, Jeffery A. War and Press Freedom: The Problem of Prerogative Power (1999). (Copies will be loaned to students at no cost.)
Grading: The course grade will be based on a research paper (40%), three assignments (10% each), a final examination (20%), and in-class participation and oral presentations of the assignments, prospectus, and research paper (10%). The main criteria for grading written work will be clarity and correctness of writing style, quality and quantity of primary (documenting information) and secondary (scholarly) sources used, and soundness and sophistication of understanding and analysis. The main criteria for spoken contributions will be how logical, informed, and substantial the observations are. Assignment and course average grades (which are not rounded up) will be: 95-100 A, 92-94 A-, 89-91 B+, 86-88 B, 83-85 B-, 80-82 C+, 77-79 C, 74-76 C-, 71-73 D+, 68-70 D, 65-67 D-, below 65 F.
My office hours in 135 Johnston Hall (414-229-6851) are 2 to 3:15 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. Appointments can be made for other times. E-mail: . Consider me readily available for consultation and questions.
The class D2L site has the syllabus, weekly topics, a discussion forum, videos, and handouts. D2L sites are at http://uwm.courses.wisconsin.edu.
Extra credit of 1 to 3 points in the course average grade can be obtained by informative and perceptive participation in optional discussion of course topics on D2L under “Discussions.” Each post should be a discerning reflection based on some primary (documents and media coverage) or secondary (scholarly) source research you specify (with a link if possible). In other words, use facts or perspectives beyond course content to offer a fresh insight or critique. Do not simply repeat what sources say. Extra credit points are based on quality and quantity (up to a semester total of 750 words).
Research papers are expected to expand existing knowledge by providing an original interpretation of events and trends. In order to understand and write about the forces at work, scholars need a sufficient number of high-quality primary sources (first-hand material from the time period being examined) and secondary studies (peer-reviewed scholarship about the topic). A critical evaluation of previous research will show the gaps and debates the paper can address. To focus the project, fill in the blanks: I am studying ______to discover ______to understand ______.
Communication effects are difficult to document, but the analysis of the creation of media products can include factors such as individual decisions (biography, intellectual context, etc.), media practices (such as sensationalism), extra-media occurrences (such as wars), and ideologies (general systems of beliefs and values such as democracy). Determine the concepts (e.g., media ethics, moral panic, marketplace of ideas, etc.), criteria (ethical, philosophical, prudential, etc.), and level(s) of analysis (e.g., individual, group, organization, nation, etc.) to use.
All of the written work for the course is strengthened by solid research. Common problems with the research paper are 1) a lack of digging into primary sources (including media content) in order to have something fresh to interpret 2) a failure to cite relevant secondary sources on the precise topic and/or somewhat larger subjects and 3) research questions that are too broad, not researchable, or without a problem to solve.
Good places to begin research are Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com/), Google Books (http://books.google.com/), and the UWM library homepage (http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/) where you can find the PanterCat book catalogue, library guides, and databases (“Resources A-Z”) that include full-text articles.
The instructor will suggest sources for each research paper. UWM librarians can also be helpful. To locate books in PantherCat, try subject searches such as: Freedom of the Press—United States; Propaganda; Reporters and Reporting—United States—History; War and Emergency Legislation—United States; War Correspondents; War Films; and War Photographers.
Library databases are helpful for locating scholarship, much of which is available in full-text versions. Recommended UWM library Web site databases for articles: Academic Search (various academic fields), America: History and Life (history), Lexis-Nexis (law and journalism), Military Library (military), and Readers Guide (magazines). WorldCat is especially helpful for finding scholarly, media, and archival materials. For these and other databases, go to: http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/databases/
Books and articles not available at UWM can be obtained through inter-library loan at http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/ris/ill.html Books will be delivered to the UWM library circulation desk. (Try the U.W. System search for best and quickest results.) Articles will be sent by e-mail.
The Wisconsin Historical Society has one of the nation’s best media history collections. Materials from those holdings can be delivered to the UWM library archive room (http://www.uwm.edu/Libraries/arch/) for your use. Search at: http://arcat.library.wisc.edu/ For archival sources in Wisconsin, go to: http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/wiarchives/
For many additional primary sources, consult the Library Resources and Web and Database Resources for Media History handouts for this course on D2L.
Participants in seminars such as this one are expected to communicate the results of their individual inquiries on the general topic. Oral presentations of the class assignments and of the research papers should provide necessary context and summarize main points. Brief use of video or Internet material may be possible. Make clear and concise arguments backed by stated evidence. Avoid simply reading notes. Five minutes will be allowed for assignments and ten minutes for research papers. Some additional time will be available for questions or comments.
Schedule
Wednesday, September 5: Introduction.
Syllabus.
Larger issues for discussion: How should we think about war? What purposes does it have? What do we want to know about the role of the media in war today?
D2L Handouts: SPJ Code of Ethics, Media Studies Concepts, From The Craft of Research, Research Paper Steps, Sherlock Holmes Methods.
September 10 and 12: Current Coverage of War.
Show-and-tell oral presentations: Bring a war-related opinion piece, news story, or persuasive message from the print/online media to describe and critically analyze with criteria (ethical, conceptual, philosophical, prudential, etc.) you specify. Plan on three minutes for presentations followed by one or two minutes for discussion. Please email a link to the media content being analyzed (or the content itself) to the instructor on Monday before 3 p.m. The presentation is part of the participation grade, but is not turned in. Presentations we do not have time for on Monday will be made on Wednesday.
Larger issues: Should war be a subject of humor?
Discussion: Selecting research topics that are a) researchable in media content, documents, etc. available to you b) fresh in terms of what scholarly books and articles already exist, and c) related to your interests and perhaps career plans.
Schedule Assignment 1 presentation dates and times.
September 17 and 19: Media Performance, Theories, and Concepts.
Assignment 1 presented in class on Monday or Wednesday and due in the D2L drop box at 10 p.m. on Friday. Length: 600 to 750 words. Write a letter to the editor, op-ed piece, journalism review column, or blog to evaluate a specific example (include a link if possible) of media performance on a war-related subject with selected ethical criteria (e.g. those found on the SPJ and ASNE sites), philosophical (e.g., democratic processes) perspectives, or media studies concepts you state. Do not use more than 50 words merely describing what is in the example. Please email a link to the media content being analyzed (or the content itself) to the instructor on your presentation day before 3 p.m.
Larger issues: Which media studies theories and concepts seem to be the most and least credible and useful? Why? What monitorial (supplying information), facilitative (supporting processes), radical (critiquing the status quo), and collaborative (cooperating with authorities) roles do the media play?
Sites on critical thought:
www.criticalthinking.org
http://www.austhink.org/critical/pages/media.html
http://www.salon.com/technology/dan_gillmor/2011/01/12/mediactive_excerpt_2
Site on media studies:
http://www.mediastudy.com/media.html
UWM library databases with media studies concepts (under Resources A-Z):
http://www4.uwm.edu/libraries/
ComAbstracts
Communication and Mass Media Complete
September 24 and 26: Power and Press Freedom in Wartime.
Text reading: Smith, pp. vii-125. Each student is required to bring one discussion question about the text material this week.
Larger issues: How much power should a president have in wartime? What does the press clause protect? Is James Madison’s absolutism too radical? How and why is freedom of expression violated in wartime? What roles do human emotions and political biases play in wartime suppression? How and why did battlefield censorship arise in American history?
October 1 and 3: Power and Press Freedom in Wartime.
Text reading: Smith, pp. 127-228. Each student is required to bring one discussion question about the text material this week.
Larger issues: How has wartime censorship been bureaucratized and what techniques have been used? Should military-presidential power be used to decide what the public should know about armed conflict? What is constitutional, just, and practical? How do the media frame war? What perspectives are missing from the discussions?
Schedule individual meetings and Assignment 2 presentation times.
Week of October 8-12: Individual meetings with the instructor on research projects. 135 JOH. No class meetings this week.
October 15 and 17: Analyzing and Advising.
Assignment 2 presented in class on Monday or Wednesday and due in the D2L drop box at 10 p.m. on Friday. Length: 600 to 750 words. Please email a one-page summary of your main points to the instructor on the day of your presentation before 3 p.m. Choose one of two options: 1) Use primary and secondary sources to write a historical case study of war-related suppression of information or expression. Critically analyze the reasoning used in the suppression and discuss the outcomes. Do not rely solely on information and/or insights in previous writings. 2) Write a briefing paper advising the president of the United States on a media policy or practice issue (such as a leak, suppression, or propaganda) that his administration has recently faced or may soon face in the area of national defense. (You can find topics by examining recent media stories, journalism reviews, trade journals, and the Web sites of organizations such as those mentioned in the Introduction and Current Coverage topics on D2L.) The briefing paper should consist of a) up to 100 words of background information and b) a list of talking points backed up by facts and logic supporting your position and answering objections that may arise. Try to make your solutions constitutional, just, and practical.
October 22 and 24: The Safety of Journalists.
Larger issues: What are the dangers in war coverage and what precautions can reporters take? What reasons do they have for taking dangerous assignments?
October 29 and 31: Seeking Solutions.
Assignment 3 presented in class on Wednesday and due in the D2L drop box at 10 p.m. on Friday. Length: approximately 500 words. Prepare a research paper prospectus with 1) a title, 2) a bibliographical list of the main primary (documents etc.) and secondary (scholarly) sources, 3) a research question, and 4) a brief outline. Please email a one-page summary of your prospectus to the instructor on Wednesday before 3 p.m. Presentations will be limited to three minutes.
Larger issues: Can the media contribute to the resolution of armed conflicts?
Recommended reading on D2L: Smith, Jeffery A. “The Media and Moral Force.” Keynote address, symposium on Media, War, and Terrorism, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel, May 20, 2002.
November 5 and 7: War Photographs and Documentaries.
Larger issues: What “evidence” does photography supply? When should self-censorship be used on images of war?
November 12 and 14: Wartime Propaganda and Public Relations.
Larger issues: How is wartime propaganda constructed and for what purposes?
Monday, November 19: Optional individual meetings with instructor in JOH 135. Schedule a time. No class meeting this week. Thanksgiving break is November 21 to 25.
November 26 and 28: Hollywood Imagery.
Larger issues: How does the motion picture industry respond to official and unofficial war-related pressures? How do commercial forces and directors’ objectives affect the messages?
December 3 and 5: Militainment and Military Promotions.
Larger issues: How are military goals sold to the public? What persuasion techniques are being used?
On Wednesday (or before) each student may submit a signed proposal for one final examination question (with correct answer) for 3 extra-credit points on the examination. Note cards will be supplied for the submissions. Questions selected for use will earn 2 more extra credit points. Selection factors include the need for an exam with questions that are about each weekly topic, that have a reasonable level of difficulty, and that are a mix of multiple choice and true-false. Questions are subject to some editing.
Schedule research paper presentation dates and times.
December 10 and 12: Research Paper Presentations.
Research papers summarized in class on Monday or Wednesday and turned in to the D2L drop box no later than 10 p.m. on Friday. Presentations are not just to introduce the topic. They should summarize the larger issue, the existing research, the research question, the method, the evidence, and the conclusion. Paper length: 2,000 to 2,500 words (about 8 to 10 pages). Analyze a media and war topic chosen in consultation with the instructor. Use a correct note or reference style, the D2L writing handouts, and the format described below. The amount of presentation time will depend on the number of students enrolled. Please email a one-page summary of your main points to the instructor on the day of your presentation before 3 p.m. Video, Internet materials, PowerPoints may be used only if time allows.