Communications 124 Media, Message, and Society

Section 1: Tues./ Thurs. 2-3:20pm

Section 2: Tues./ Thurs. 5-6:20pm
Spring 2023

Instructor: Valerie Moyer (she/her)

Email: moyerv@[Link]
Office Hours: 2:30-4pm Tues/ Thurs

Course Description

In this course, we will assess developments in mass media in order to provide a broader
understanding of communication, cultural meanings, and social interaction. We examine the
emergence of digital communication at various historical junctures and critically analyze the
implications of media technologies, meaning-making, institutions, and media(ted) structures of
power.

Course Objectives
 To introduce students to a variety of conceptual themes and theoretical approaches to the
critical study of mass media
 To examine the means by which various media are produced and subsequently interpreted by
audiences
 To encourage students to think critically about the ways mass media impact their daily lives

Course Materials
In an attempt to keep costs low for you, we will not use a textbook in this class. Almost all materials
for the course are available through the online campus platform. However, as a course that looks at
media, you may need to access some streaming TV shows and films. When possible, I will also make
these materials available in the library.
Laptops are allowed in class to take notes and use as a part of activities. Please do your best to stay
present when discussing with fellow students.
Some of the work in this class requires that you do some research within news platforms / venues.
Below are some major newspapers that you have access to as a Simmons student.

 You have access to The Boston Globe, and The New York Times through Simmons. The
Washington Post offers you a free digital subscription with your student email.

Assessment of Work
Course learning objectives will be assessed in the following ways and with the following grade
percentages:

Assignment Percentage Points

Participation and Engagement 30%
Identity Recipe 10%
Analytical Essay 30%
Percentage Breakdown:
  Analytical Essay Proposal 5%
 Analytical Essay Annotated Bibliography 5%
 Analytical Essay Draft 10%
 Final Analytical Essay 10%

Leading a News Discussion 10%

Media Project 20%

Percentage Breakdown:
 Media Project Storyboard 5%
 Media Project Presentation 15%

Total 100%

Full individual assignment descriptions can be found in the assignment postings on Moodle. But
below are summaries of each:

Participation & Engagement

Class participation and engagement includes thoughtful, engaged, active, and generative
contributions to the overall course and our learning community. A variety of activities, such as small
in-class assignments, group workshop discussions, in-class critiques, presentations, and class
discussions of readings and/or videos are all factored into my assessment of students’ overall
participation and engagement. I value participation that generates questions and conversation, fosters
a respectful and collaborative environment, challenges assumptions, and demonstrates thoughtful
inquiry. Students should read / view lectures, videos, films, and readings before class. This category
altogether counts as 30% of the final grade.

Identity Recipe
For this assignment, students will prepare a 2-3 minute video that explores the different media
ingredients that have helped to shape who they are today. Using specific media examples from the
span of one’s lifetime, students will examine what individual and cumulative effects their chosen
examples had on them. This assignment will help student think more critically about how certain
media both reflect and help to construct identities. This assignment will count for 10% of the final
grade.

Analytical Essay
Reflecting upon the themes of this course, students will propose to research and write a 6-8 page
analytical essay on a recent film or TV series that seems to have a strong contextual message about
any socio-political issue of your choosing. The analytical essay is broken down into four parts, each
of which have their own grade percentage: a proposal (5%), an annotated bibliography (5%), an
essay draft (10%), and the final analytical essay (10%). Each element of this process builds upon the
one before, and the entirety of this process is worth 30% of the final grade.

Lead a News Discussion

For this assignment, students will team up with a classmate (depending on class size) and lead a
substantial news story discussion with your peers on a pre-assigned week. Students are required to
email the news story to the class and instructor by 5pm on Monday before class. This assignment will
help students to learn how to seek out various perspectives on current and important news events and
consider opposing points of view. Students also will learn how to critically analyze how news is
reported and represented through various media. This assignment is worth 10% of the final grade.

Media Project
For this assignment, students will produce a media composition (either through a video or podcast)
that tells the story of an era, epoch, community, or generation of their choosing. Up until now, we
have critically analyzed a variety of media, using several socio-political and cultural theories and
concepts to better frame and understand media. Through the creation of a short media project,
students will become storytellers – meaning-makers of their own media message/s. This project is
broken down into two assignments: the Media Storyboard assignment, worth 5% of the final grade,
and the Media Project, which is worth 15%, for a total of 20% of the final grade. Students will
present their media projects in a designated live session.
Course Structure & Policies

Materials
All material for this class is posted within the online campus. We will cover how to access various
documents, assignments, and readings / viewings during our first class. But you should take a look
around and familiarize yourself with the structure of the course.
Every week features a Weekly Overview section that explains that week’s theme or topic, along with
a brief description of what to expect that week, often with a video that typically frames that week’s
topic within a broader context.

* Late work: All late assignments will incur a half letter grade reduction for each day it is late
(beginning directly after the day/time due). Weekend days are included. After four days, I will
automatically give a zero for a paper or project that hasn’t been turned in. That all said, if something
is preventing you from getting your work in on time, and you want to ask for an extension, please
make an appointment to talk to me.

Please arrive on time to class. I will take attendance each day. Throughout the semester, each student
may miss up to 3 classes with no penalty- consider these “personal days” or “sick days.” Students do
not have to notify the instructor or give an excuse for their absence, but it still responsible for any
assignments due that day.

Other Notes
Syllabus: I reserve the right to alter course requirements, assignments, and/or readings based on new
materials, class discussions, or relevant current events, as they unfold. In the case of such alterations,
I will notify you of any changes. If there are ever any discrepancies between the syllabus and the
online class content, please go by the online modules (and inform me, so I can email everyone).

Email: I am available via email any time Monday- Friday from 9am-5pm. Please allow 24 hours for
me to respond to your email, keeping in mind that I will not respond on weekends or holidays. Thank
you. Writing emails is also a very important skill! You do not have to add any extra formalities, but
please be clear and respectful in your communications.

Written Assignments
Writing assignments increase both in difficulty and in weight (in terms of your grade) as the semester
proceeds. I take the art of writing seriously, and your ability to communicate effectively is as central
to the course as the content of the course. The quality of your writing must match the caliber of
college writing.
To assist you in the improvement of your writing, you might either make an appointment with the
Writing Center. Those within the Writing Center will not edit your paper, but rather point out larger
issues you may have, along with examples from your paper, and then make suggestions for how to
improve.

Simmons Policies:

Simmons University has set policies regarding academic integrity, resources for students,
accessibility services, sexual harassment, and undergraduate course attendance. The links to more
information is above.

Please feel free to reach out to the instructor if anything comes up during the semester and you need
assistance navigating campus support services.

Grading Policies
A= Excellent Outstanding work in all respects. This work demonstrates comprehensive and solid
understanding of the material and presents thoughtful interpretations, well-focused and original
insights, and well-reasoned commentary and analysis. It includes skillful use of source materials,
illuminating examples and illustrations, and fluent verbal/written expression. "A" work strikes the
reader as coherent, fluent, interesting, and thorough.

B= Good work demonstrates a complete and accurate understanding of the material, presents a
reasonable degree of insight and broad levels of analysis. Work reflects competence but stays at a
general or predictable level of understanding. Source materials, along with examples and
illustrations, are used appropriately and articulation/writing is clear. “B” work strikes the reader as
reasonable, clear, appropriate, and complete.

C= Adequate/Fair The work demonstrates understanding that hits in the ballpark but remains
superficial, incomplete, or reveals some errors or weaknesses. Source materials may be used
inadequately or inappropriately, the paper may lack concrete, specific examples and illustrations, and
writing/articulation may seem vague, hard to follow, or laden with errors.

D= Unsatisfactory work demonstrates a serious lack of or error in understanding and fails to express
the most rudimentary aspects of the topic. Sources may be used entirely inappropriately or not at all,
and writing may be inarticulate and otherwise deficient.

F= Failed work is likely to happen when work is not submitted or has nothing to do with the course
or topic, or does not address the assignment, or is not the student's original work (i.e., uses other
writers' sentences without acknowledging the source from which they are taken).
A 93-100, A- 90-92, B+ 87-89, B 84-86, B- 80-83, C+ 77-79, C 74-76, C- 70-73, D+ 67-69, D 64-
66, F 0-66
COURSE SCHEDULE: Assignments & Due Dates:
Modules & Topics:
Jan. 17th In class introductions
Introductions
No Class – Syllabus Quiz on Moodle
January 19th

Module 1, Jan. 24th Read/View:

Media Literacy  Shirky and Carr
 “Making Media Literacy Great Again”

Jan. 26th Communications Lab Orientation & Media Literacy Activity (no reading)

Module 2, Jan. 31st Read/View:

Media(ted) Utopias, Dystopias,  Excerpt from McLuhan, M. (1967) The Medium is the Message.
and Technological  Technological Determinism
Determinism  The Medium is the Message, Animated Book Review

Feb. 2nd Accessibility Workshop and Discussion (no reading)

Module 3: Feb. 7th Read/View:

Cultural Imaginaries & Media  The Cultural Imaginary (1 paragraph from WikiVersity)
Spectacles  Morgan, T. and Purje, L. (2016) An Illustrated Guide to Guy
Debord’s ‘The Society of the Spectacle,’ Hyperallergic.

Feb. 9th Identity Recipe Workshop

Module 4: Feb. 14th Read / View:

Audience Reception Theory  Hall, S. The West and the Rest: Discourse and Power
 Al Jazeera’s Stuart Hall – Race, Gender, Class in the Media

Feb. 16th *Identity Recipe Due- no class

Module 5: Feb. 21st Read/View:

Journalism  Luce, A., Jackson, D. & Thorsen, E. (2017). Citizen Journalism at
the Margins. Journalism Practice, 11:2-3, 266-284.
 Collective (2019) Documentary (on Hulu or can rent streaming)

Feb. 23rd Woman, Life, Freedom – media and the feminist revolution in Iran

Analytical Essay Brainstorm Session

(No readings)

Module 6: Feb. 28th Read/View:

Fake News, Misinformation, &  Fake News, Real Consequences with Samantha Bee
Disinformation  Facebook Reconsiders Trump Ban (Rachel Maddow)
 Who is responsible to tackle fake news on social media?
March 2nd Annotated Bibliography Workshop + Library Services Orientation

*Analytical Essay Proposal Due

Module 7: March 14th Read/View:
Media Messages and the Role  Beware of Online Filter Bubbles (Ted Talk)
of Data  What Obligation do Social Media Platforms Have to the Greater
Good? (Ted Talk)

March 16th The case of Twitter and the ethics of owning social media platforms – in
class discussion (no readings)

Module 8: March 21st Read/View:

Mediated Identities:  PBS: Why On-Screen Representation Matters
Representation Matters  TV is Unwhitewashing History One Character, Period, and Genre
at a Time
 Color-blind vs. Identity-conscious casting

March 23rd *Annotated Bibliography Due

Module 9: March 28th Read/View:

Advertising & The  Happy Bday Marsha! (film, Kanopy)
Consumption of Identities  The Double-Edged Sword of Corporate Commercialized Pride
 The Brian Lehrer Show (Podcast) on the Corporatization of Pride
Month
March 30th

April 18th Analytical Essay Workshop: Bring any questions or concerns to class that
Writing & Peer Review you have about the final analytical paper - writing workshop and peer
Workshop review in class.

Analytical Essay Draft – no class

April 20th
Module 10: April 4th Read/View:
The Digital Panopticon  Digital Panopticon & relation to media
 Computer Model of Jeremy Bentham’s Panopticon
 A 21st century panopticon called Facebook Government
Surveillance (John Oliver)
 “Liquid” surveillance, digital citizenship and new ways of living
online, (David Lyon)
 Surveillance and Race Online, (Simone Browne)

April 6th *Analytical Essay Final Due Date- no class

Module 12: April 25th Read/View:
Media Effects and Gaming  The frustrating, enduring debate over video games, violence, and
guns
 CNBC: The Debate Behind Video Game Violence
 The “online brain”: how the Internet may be changing our
cognition
April 27th Media Project Workshop (no readings)

Module 13: May 2nd Read/View:

Media Project Presentations Media Project Presentations – Media Project Storyboard Due

May 4th Media Project Presentations – Media Project Storyboard Due

Module 14: May 9th Read/View:

The Future of Media? Watch: Coded Bias (Netflix)

*Media Project Due- May 12th