Critical Issues in Journalism

CRITICAL ISSUES IN JOURNALISM

COMM 2302 (Sections 11038, LEC 001)

Instructor: Paul Brown

Fall 2012

Class: M&W 9-10:30 a.m., Building: RGC6 / Classroom: A250

Office: Attache 205 on RGC Campus; 223-3234

Office Hours: M/W 7:30-9:00 a.m. and by appointment

email:

I. COURSE DESCRIPTION

What does a reporter think about when covering a story? Is the reporter able to report without bias? Can a reporter's approach to a story, especially one about politics, influence the outcome of an election? These are just a few of the many questions to be considered during our semester together, dedicated to examining how the media operate in today's democratic society. Whether you're a journalism student or a working professional outside of the news business simply trying to get your organization's message across, this course will help you understand how a newsroom works, and most importantly, thinks. Case studies of famous American news events, as well as the impact of new technology on journalism, will also be part of the semester's discussion. The goal is for you to come to your own evaluation of the problems and promise of journalism in helping build a truly democratic society.

II. INSTRUCTIONAL MATERIAL

TEXTBOOKS:

-- Tom Rosenstiel and Amy S. Mitchell, Thinking Clearly: Cases in Journalistic Decision-Making, (ISBN- 0-231-12588-7); Columbia (2003).

-- W. Lance Bennett, News: The Politics of Illusion, 9th edition

(ISBN-13: 978-0-205-08241-4); Longman (2011).

BLACKBOARD:

ACC student email: You must immediately sign up for ACC email. It is the only way I have of contacting you via group emails from Blackboard.

FACEBOOK:

“Like” our class Facebook page. I’ll be posting announcements and items of interest here weekly. I encourage your comments and posts related to our class.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Comm2302/402358923162150

III. GRADES

Your final grade will be based on:

-- 4 (out of 6) classroom responses (5 points each) 20 points
-- 3 exams (10 points each) 30 points

-- 1 writing assignment 50 points

A = 90-100points

B = 80-89 points

C = 70-79 points

D = 60-69 points

CLASSROOM RESPONSES

There will be 6 unscheduled in-class responses (quizzes, essays, and other activities based on our readings), and your 4 best scores will count. Each completed response is worth 5 points, for a total of 20 points. If you miss one of the in-class responses, you miss it. There will not be any make-ups. The responses could come at the start or later during the class period. If you arrive after it begins, you miss it. If you arrive while it is in progress, you miss it.

EXAMS

There will be three exams during the semester, each worth 10 points (30 points total). Each of the exams will be 20 questions (half point per question), multiple-choice and true/false. Each exam will cover material from the lectures and readings for a single segment of the course; exams will not be comprehensive. There is no final exam. Taking a test late will not be allowed without advanced approval and may result in only partial credit. If you are ill, then you are strongly encouraged to contact the instructor at least the day before the test date, and a doctor’s note and contact number will be required to take the test in the ACC testing center prior to the next scheduled class.

WRITING ASSIGNMENT

Your assignment must be typewritten and double-spaced on no more than three pages (750-900 words), with a separate page for a bibliography/reference list. Do not write more than that. Use 1-inch margins, 12-point type, and the Times New Roman font.

There is no “right answer” to the question posed in the writing assignment; you are presenting your analysis and conclusion. In formulating your ideas, you are encouraged to talk with others, but the writing must be your own. When you cite the work of others, use the format of either the Modern Language Association or the American Psychological Association.

Your assignments will be graded on form and content. The quality of thinking and writing counts. Late papers will not be accepted without prior approval.

IV. ATTENDANCE

No attendance records will be kept. The scheduled exams and writing assignment are based on readings, lectures and discussions. Coming to class on a regular basis will be critical to receiving a good grade. The unscheduled in-class responses are to encourage you to come to class, arrive on time, and pay attention. While no attendance records are kept, regular and punctual class and laboratory attendance is expected of all students. If the instructor deems attendance or compliance with other course policies unsatisfactory, then the instructor may withdraw students from the class.

V. CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT

Students must comply with all Austin Community College rules and regulations.

A. Class participation: Students are expected to come to class having read the appropriate readings and prepared to partake in class discussions. Proper classroom behavior is required at all times.

B. Attendance: See section IV above.

C. Scholastic honesty: A student attending ACC assumes responsibility for conduct compatible with the mission of the college as an educational institution. Students have the responsibility to submit coursework that is the result of their own thought, research, or self-expression. Students must follow all instructions given by faculty or designated college representatives when taking examinations, placement assessments, tests, quizzes, and evaluations. Actions constituting scholastic dishonesty include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating, fabrication, collusion, and falsifying documents. Penalties for scholastic dishonesty will depend upon the nature of the violation and may range from lowering a grade on one assignment to an “F” in the course and/or expulsion from the college. See the Student Standards of Conduct and Disciplinary Process and other policies at http://www.austincc.edu/current/needtoknow

D. Student Rights and Responsibilities: Students at the college have the rights accorded by the U.S. Constitution to freedom of speech, peaceful assembly, petition, and association. These rights carry with them the responsibility to accord the same rights to others in the college community and not to interfere with or disrupt the educational process. Opportunity for students to examine and question pertinent data and assumptions of a given discipline, guided by the evidence of scholarly research, is appropriate in a learning environment. This concept is accompanied by an equally demanding concept of responsibility on the part of the student. As willing partners in learning, students must comply with college rules and procedures.

E. Students with disabilities: Each ACC campus offers support services for students with documented disabilities. Students with disabilities who need classroom, academic or other accommodations must request them through the Office for Students with Disabilities (OSD). Students are encouraged to request accommodations when they register for courses or at least three weeks before the start of the semester, otherwise the provision of accommodations may be delayed. Students who have received approval for accommodations from OSD for this course must provide the instructor with the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ from OSD before accommodations will be provided. Arrangements for academic accommodations can only be made after the instructor receives the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ from the student. Students with approved accommodations are encouraged to submit the ‘Notice of Approved Accommodations’ to the instructor at the beginning of the semester because a reasonable amount of time may be needed to prepare and arrange for the accommodations.

Additional information about the Office for Students with Disabilities is available at http://www.austincc.edu/support/osd/

F. Safety Statement: Austin Community College is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for study and work. You are expected to learn and comply with ACC environmental, health and safety procedures and agree to follow ACC safety policies. Additional information on these can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/ehs. Because some health and safety circumstances are beyond our control, we ask that you become familiar with the Emergency Procedures poster and Campus Safety Plan map in each classroom. Additional information about emergency procedures and how to sign up for ACC Emergency Alerts to be notified in the event of a serious emergency can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/emergency/.

Please note, you are expected to conduct yourself professionally with respect and courtesy to all. Anyone who thoughtlessly or intentionally jeopardizes the health or safety of another individual will be dismissed from the day’s activity, may be withdrawn from the class, and/or barred from attending future activities.

You are expected to conduct yourself professionally with respect and courtesy to all. Anyone who thoughtlessly or intentionally jeopardizes the health or safety of another individual will be immediately dismissed from the day’s activity, may be withdrawn from the class, and/or barred from attending future activities.

G. Withdrawals: If a student is not performing at a passing level in this class, he or she should withdraw from this class. The withdrawal deadline for the Fall 2012 semester is November 26, 2012. Students who wish to withdraw must do so in writing at any ACC Admissions and Records Office. Although the instructor reserves the right to withdraw students (See Attendance requirements, above), it is the student’s responsibility to withdraw from this class. Students who stop attending class and do not officially withdraw may receive a grade of “F” for the course. No incompletes will be given in this class.

H. Cellular telephones, pagers and email must be turned off during class time, unless you have obtained instructor permission to leave your device on due to an emergency. No texting, period. Instructor will ask you to leave the classroom if this classroom courtesy rule is not observed.

I. Use of ACC email: All College e-mail communication to students will be sent solely to the student’s ACCmail account, with the expectation that such communications will be read in a timely fashion. ACC will send important information and will notify you of any college related emergencies using this account. Students should only expect to receive email communication from their instructor using this account. Likewise, students should use their ACCmail account when communicating with instructors and staff. Instructions for activating an ACCmail account can be found at http://www.austincc.edu/accmail/index.php.

J. Student And Instructional Services: ACC strives to provide exemplary support to its students and offers a broad variety of opportunities and services. Information on these services and support systems is available at: http://www.austincc.edu/s4/

Links to many student services and other information can be found at: http://www.austincc.edu/current/

ACC Learning Labs provide free tutoring services to all ACC students currently enrolled in the course to be tutored. The tutor schedule for each Learning Lab may be found at: http://www.autincc.edu/tutor/students/tutoring.php

For help setting up your ACCeID, ACC Gmail, or ACC Blackboard, see a Learning Lab Technician at any ACC Learning Lab.

SCHEDULE
Comm2302/Fall 2012

WEEK 1: August 27 and 30

topic: introduction to course and books (Prof. Brown live from Tampa, FL)

WEEK 2: September 5 (No class Monday 9/3 – Labor Day. Only meet Weds.)

topic: Case studies survey (Prof. Brown live from Charlotte, NC)

WEEK 3: September 10 and 12

topic: Discussion on GOP and Democratic conventions & Case studies list

WEEK 4: September 17 and 19

topic: (Facts vs. Truth)

reading: Case Study 1 (McCarthyism)

WEEK 5: September 24 and 26

topic: (Internet Journalism)

reading: Case Study 2 (Starr Investigation)

*exam #1 on Thursday*

WEEK 6: October 1 and 3

topic: democracy and media

reading: Bennett, chapter 1

WEEK 7: October 8 and 10

topic: bias and framing

reading: Bennett, chapters 2-3

WEEK 8: October 15 and 17

topic: politics and politicians

reading: Bennett, chapter 4

*exam #2 on Thursday*

WEEK 9: October 22 and 24

topic: objectivity

reading: Bennett, chapters 5-6

WEEK 10: October 29 and 31

topic: political economy

reading: Bennett, chapter 7

WEEK 11: November 5 and 7

topic: democracy and people

reading: Bennett, chapter 8

WEEK 12: November 12 and 14

topic: (Live Television Coverage)

reading: Case Study 3 (Columbine)

*exam #3 on Thursday*

WEEK 13: November 19 and 21

*NO CLASS – WORK ON PAPER!!!*

WEEK 14: November 26 and 28

topic: (Information Gathering and Verification)

reading: Case Study 4 (El Mozote Massacre)

WEEK 15: December 3 and 5

topic: (Investigative Journalism)

reading: Case Study 5 (Watergate)

WEEK 16: December 10 and 12

topic: Closing thoughts

*Paper due on Thursday via email*

*There is no final exam in this class.