Syllabus

Comms 411, Section 001

Media Effects

Spring 2012

MW 12 noon-2:30 p.m., 250 BRMB

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Instructor:                    Steve Thomsen, Ph.D., 324 BRMB, 422-2078

Office Hours:              W, 10-11 a.m.., or by appointment

e-mail:                          steven.r.thomsen@gmail.com

Course Description

This course is designed to explore the effects of mass media on institutions and individuals within modern society. In this course, students will explore the “media effects” literature and relevant effects theories by:

1) Examining what the literature tells us about media (print, broadcast, online) influences on women, children, adolescents, and families by focusing on issues such as identity development, socialization, crime, violence, substance abuse, sexual attitudes and behaviors, marginalization of minority groups, and pathological health practices and other anti-social behaviors.

2) Completing a hands-on activities and engaging in interactive discussions that will address a media effects questions.

Students will be expected to come to class prepared, having completed the assigned preparation materials, and willing to participate in our discussions. Students are the ones who will make this course viable through their pre-class preparation, their in-class participation through discussion and presentations, and their contributions to their assigned research team. My goal is for us to engage in class discussions and research activities that expand and challenge our current thinking about media effects.

As will be explained later in this syllabus, I have included class preparation/blog assignments to stimulate your thinking and to facilitate the creative exploration of the topics we will discuss. These assignments will center around media effects questions. Our goal will be to collectively seek answers and solutions to these questions.

Prerequisites

Admission to the Communications major, Comms 317, 318, 319 or 408.

Grading Policy

The following assignments/tests will be used to determine grades for this class:

            Class Preparation Assignments/Blogs                           30%

            Quizzes (2)                                                                    20%

            Group Project/Presentation                                            50%

Course Readings

Although I have no required texts to be purchased, I have placed links to several resources on this syllabus. The materials are available through the HBLL Electronic Course Reserve, which may require the following password to log on: tho411.

HBLL Course Reserve Readings

Librarian Information
Name: Julie Williamsen
Office: 5720 HBLL
Phone Number: 422-6763
Email: julie_williamsen@byu.edu

Reference Desk Information
Name: Humanities
Phone Number: 422-4006
Email: humref@byu.edu
Hours:

M-Th : 8am-9pm;

F: 8am-6pm;

Sat: 10am-6pm

Department Research Information

E-reserve Information
 

HBLL COURSE RESERVE READINGS

Course Outline

Date	Topics	Assignments
W - Apr 25	Course Introduction and review of course requirements. The nature of media effects, including an historical overview. Key terminology. Making arguments about media effects. Selecting groups and choosing project topics.
Su - Apr 29		Blog #1
M - Apr 30	Media and Violence? Does television kill? Understanding the “mean” world of George Gerbner. Today's effects theories: Socialization Theory, Cultivation Theory, Excitation Transfer Theory, Social Learning Theory. Group work on Web project.
T - May 01		Blog #2
W - May 02	Children, cognition and media: What do they really understand and how are they influenced? Group work on web project.
Su - May 06		Blog #3
M - May 07	No class meeting today. Group work on Web project.
T - May 08		Blog #4
W - May 09	Who is affected by the media and why? From being a fan to becoming a stalker? What Parasocial Relationship Theory tells us about media audiences. Do the media facilitate pseudo-voyeurism? Presumed Influence Theory and The Third-Person Effect Hypothesis. Group work on Web project.
Th-F - May 10-11	Quiz #1--Available through Learning Suite from 11 a.m. May 10 through 1 p.m. May 11.	Quiz #1
Su - May 13		Blog #5
M - May 14	The media and the physical self. Thin media and body image disturbance. Does TV make children fat? Social Comparison Theory, Displacement Theory, Social Learning Theory. Group work on Web project.
T - May 15		Blog #6
W - May 16	Music and Symbolic Convergence Theory: Understanding Group Dynamics. Exploring the world of 50s and 60s protest music. Group work on Web project.
Su - May 20		Blog #7
M - May 21	Life after the Cosby family? Media and race in the United States. Group work on Web project.
T - May 22		Blog #8
W – May 23	Do the media tell us what to think? Insights from Agenda Setting Theory and Framing Theory. Talking heads, talk shows, and the "new" public forum? Group work on Web project.
M - May 28	Memorial Day Holiday
T - May 29		Blog #9
W - May 30	Societal-level effects: The case of McLuhan and Technological Determinism. Group work on Web project.
M - Jun 04	Group work on Web project.
W - Jun 06	Group work on Web project.
Th-F - Jun 7-8	Quiz #2--Available through Learning Suite from 11 a.m. June 7 through 1 p.m. June 8.	Quiz #2
M - Jun 11	Group work on Web project.
W - Jun 13	Presentations 250 BRMB 1:00pm - 2:50pm	Group Web Project

Class Preparation Assignments

Overview. To prepare for our class discussions you will be asked to complete a reading or research assignment and then respond to a question, or series of questions, designed to help you reflect on the topics we are discussing in class. These are listed as the "blog" assignments. In some cases the questions will ask you to apply the readings to current problems and issues involving media effects. In other cases, they will require that you synthesize them with our class discussion. In some cases, you will be required to use the resources of the HBLL. You may not, however, use Wikipedia for any of these assignments. The assignments will become the focus of our class discussions.

Posting. These assignments also will be posted to our class blog, which is located at mediaeffects411.blogspot.com. I will be sending you the invitation to join this blog via email. Please respond as quickly as possible so as to not miss any of these assignments. 

Each preparation assignment will be submitted as a comment posted directly to mediaeffects411.blogspot.com. I want you to think, ponder, contemplate, and reflect on the questions and your responses. I expect intelligent, thoughtful, informative prose and discussion. I do not want you to simply reproduce what appears in the readings. You may draw upon and illustrate your arguments and comments by using personal experiences and examples. I expect good grammar and clarity of writing and will factor these, along with the depth of your writing, into the grade. In other words, I expect effort to be put into this. I will call upon you in class to discuss and share your writings. Please be prepared. I expect each comment to be around 250-300 words.

Deadlines. Each assignment will be worth up to 10 points. Your grade will be based on the thoroughness, originality, and creativity of your answer. I would encourage you to use personal examples, pose thought-provoking questions and responses, and respond to each of the questions outlined in the class preparation explanation for that day.

Your assignments must be submitted to me no later than 3 p.m. on the day prior to our class discussion, so it is critical that you plan in advance. Hereʼs how we will do this. Our class preparation assignment for Monday April 30, for example, must be submitted to me no later than 3 p.m. on Sunday, April 29 (this is the day prior to the class discussion on this topic). This will be the case for each class preparation assignment. Any assignments sent after this deadline will receive a grade of 0, no exceptions.

Group Projects and Presentaitons

Weʼre going to roll up our sleeves and do some hands-on learning this semester. In fact, weʼre going to create our own media effects website using WordPress. I will put you into a group of 3 to 4 students. First, each group must select one of the questions/topics listed below:

1. Often people blame the media for influencing violent attacks in highly public places—such as the fairly recent shootings at high schools, college campuses, and even at shopping centers. Is it actually possible to blame the media in some degree for these tragedies? What role do the media play in creating a culture that makes violence a likely outcome of conflict, disagreement, or frustration?

2. In what ways, if any, have the media contributed to the current state of race relations in the United States? Have the media benefited minority groups or do they do more harm than

good in the long run? Are the media inherently racist? Is it anti-majority? How do the media influence the way race is viewed in our society? Other societies?

3. What role do the media play in influencing national and regional politics? Perhaps more importantly, have the media unwittingly contributed to the rise of fringe groups or issue-related popular movements that now challenge our ability to arrive at compromise and consensus, which has been the trademark of the US political process throughout our history?

4. What is the role of social media in defining and controlling popular culture and public discussion? What role do social media play in geopolitical movements, such as the “Arab Spring?” Will social media force certain societies or cultures to become more open? How will it change the political process here at home? How will it change the political process, particularly in areas of the world that do not practice our form of democracy?

5. Traditionally, many theorists have argued that the media function as a broad socializing agent that plays a major role in the development of our identity and self-concept. Most theories related to this were developed prior to the evolution of social media, such as MySpace and Facebook. What role does Facebook play, if any, in the development of an individualʼs self-concept and individual identity? Does Facebook contribute positively or negatively to oneʼs self-concept? Does it take advantage of our vulnerabilities (e.g., our need to belong and to associate with others)? Does it create the illusion of interconnectedness with others.

6. When McLuhan wrote, “the medium is the message,” the dominant medium of the time was television. Many things have changed since then. Is his statement still true today? Can you provide evidence that technological determinism is as valid today (if not more valid) than nearly a half century ago? Your defense should focus on the ideas proposed by this theory and not simply a uses and gratifications perspective.

7. How does advertising influence what we come to accept as normal in our society? Does it create normative beliefs that may actually have negative social and public health consequences? Specifically, should beer and alcohol advertising on television be restricted in order to protect the welfare of children and teenagers? Can you show how research and theory support (or fail to support) your response to this question?

8. Can we blame the media for the increase in eating disorders among pre-teen and teenage girls? How might the media contribute to issues related to physical self-concept, social and cultural ideals, and disordered eating? Could it be argued that they have no effect at all?

9. People often argue that the family is under attack from many difference sources. How do the media impact the family? How do they influence how we conceptualize families and family life? What do we learn about family structure and family relations from the media? Does this have a negative or positive impact on culture and society? How might this impact societal norms and related legal issues?

10. Throughout the world we see attempts to use the media to create pro-social effects. Students often criticize media effects courses for focusing primarily on what might be viewed as negative effects. Is it possible to use the media to engineer pro-social or positive

effects (e.g., the Sesame Street and All in the Family studies)? Why or why not? What theories might we use to support this claim or to challenge this claim? Can you find examples of research that supports your conclusion? Can you find examples of research to support the role of the media in creating prosocial effects?

My goal is to help each of your groups. Therefore, I have alloted time during each class session to work on these projects. I plan to spend time with each group, so it is critical that you come to class and take these sessions seriously.

Project Requirements:

For your grade for this project, you will be asked to do two things:

1) Create content (documents and links) for our class media effects website that will be created using WordPress. The class website is located at http://www.multimedia487.com/ COMMS411. Please note that this is case sensitive.  

Each group will create content that will identify the question they have selected, their thesis statement in response to that question, and a narrative that makes a logical and persuasive argument in defense of the thesis statemement. The narrative should include an appropriate effects theory (should be defined and clearly explained and applied), a summary of supporting research from peer-reviewed academic journals (10 sources appropriately explained and cited), and relevant and interesting anecdotal information that could include, but not be limited to, YouTube video clips, multi-media support materials, digital interivews, etc.

2) Make a 15-minute class presentation (you may use PowerPoint or any other form of multi-media) that summarizes your argument and the content that you have placed on the class website. These presentations will be made during our schedule Final Exam period.

Quizzes

You will take two quizzes during the course of the semester. They will be placed on Learning Suite Monday at noon on the following dates: May 10 and June 7. They will remain posted for 24 hours (from noon Thursday until noon Friday). You must take the quizzes during this time. They will typically consist of a couple of essays questions that will require applying and/or synthesizing the materials we have been discussing in class and in our class preparation assignments. You will have 60 minutes to complete each
quiz. You may not use notes, class notes, handouts, reading assignments, or any other materials to assist you while you complete the quizzes. You may not solicit the help of professors, TAs, classmates, friends, or any other individuals. These are to be done individually. I trust you will follow the BYU Honor Code and be honest in your efforts. The quizzes must be completed as scheduled. No exceptions will be allowed.

Assignment Descriptions

Blog #1

Due: Sunday, Apr 29 at 3:00 pm

Select one of the following options:

Option 1) Select and view a drama/action/adventure/horror movie and watch it (preferably one that you have not seen before and one that has lots of action and suspense). Every 10 minutes have someone take and record your pulse. Answer the following questions: 1) How does your pulse change during the movie? 2) Can you indicate at what points (and why) you had strong or weak physiological reactions to what you were watching? 3) What does our body tell us about media effects? (Be sure and tell me the name of the movie and include all your pulse measures in your essay).

Option 2) Observe an individual (someone you know) who is engaged in playing an aggressive, high action (or violent) video game for at least 1 hour (you must not be a participant; simply an outside observer). Make notes on how the game influences his or her behavior and answer the following questions: 1) How did his or her demeanor change during the course of the hour? 2) How was their behavior different while playing than under normal circumstances (did they say things or acts in ways that are not typical)? 3) After making the observations, interview the individual to assess his or her observations of how he or she make have been physically or emotional affected. 4) Was there an effect?

Blog #2

Due: Tuesday, May 01 at 3:00 pm

Please select one of the following options:

Option 1) For 30 minutes, observe a child (under the age of 12) as he or she watches television. Answer the following questions: 1) How did the child actually interact with the television? In other words, how would you describe the actual process of “watching” and the impact it had on the child? 2) Describe what was being watched and then provide an assessment of what you think the child understood or did not understand?Why did you arrive at these conclusions? Explain.

Option 2) Reflect on and describe an experience from your childhood or from the childhood of one of your siblings in which you (or he or she) were traumatized or confused by something you saw in the media. You may also interview a roommate for this. What did you learn from this experience? Why do you think television (even though it is just fantasy) can have such profound effects on our perceptions of reality and experience? Finally, do you think we learn more from observation or direct experience? Why?

Blog #3

Due: Sunday, May 06 at 3:00 pm

I want you to spend some time thinking about your favorite TV show and favorite characters (this could be a current show or something from when you were younger). What was it about htat show that appealed to you? Who was your favorite character and why? If you could have a conversation with that character, what would you talk about and why? What have you learned from that character? Have you ever found yourself copying any of that character's behaviors or mannerisms, or found yourself saying anything that you've seen or heard that character say? Explain.

Blog #4

Due: Tuesday, May 08 at 11:59 pm

Interview three individuals (adults, BYU students, not members of this class). Ask them the following questions and report your findings: 1) Are you ever affected by the media? If so, explain how and to what degree. 2) If you saw a persuasive message in the media, would you be more, or less, affected that your close friends? Other BYU students? The public in general? Under what circumstances and why? 3) Why are some people so easily influenced by the media? 4) Why might you be less influenced?

Blog #5

Due: Sunday, May 13 at 3:00 pm

Please select one of the following options:

1) View 1 hour of children’s TV programming (e.g., Saturday morning network or cable programs, (not PBS or educational) and pay special attention to the advertisements. Answer the following questions: 1) List and describe the show you watched and all of the products advertised. How many are specifically directed to children? How many of these advertisements involve food(drinks, candy, general food, etc.)? Describe these food products and the persuasive strategies used to sell the product. 2) What is your assessment of the potential health effects of these products? 3) In Europe, many countries prohibit or severely restrict advertising directly to children,particularly for food-related products. Do you think this is a good idea? Why or why not?

2) Select a health or fitness magazine (if you are male select magazine directed to men; if you are a female, select a magazine that targets women). Spend some time reading and viewing the magazine. Immediately after reading the magazine, reflect (and write about) how you feel about your own physical appearance. At this moment, are you more likely pleased or displeased with your physical self and your health? Do you feel more or less motivated than normal to exercise, diet, or engage in physical activities? Do you feel happy or sad? In other words, how is your mood relative to how you felt before reading the magazine? How might this magazine have influenced your definition of what a typical college-age man or woman should look like?

Blog #6

Due: Tuesday, May 15 at 3:00 pm

Select a popular song and analyze its lyrics. Next answer the following questions: 1) Why did you pick this particular song? What does it mean to your and how do the lyrics resonate with you personally? 2) How does this song affect your  mood or behavior? Please give and explain specific examples. 3) Under what circumstance might you purposively choose to listen to this song? Give an example of when you have done this. What effect did it have on you? 4) Finally, describe how this song might enable you to connect with or identify with others.

Blog #7

Due: Sunday, May 20 at 3:00 am

Please read the Gray Article (it is available through the HBLL Electronic Course Reserve; it also should be attached to this assignment). Gray argues that television programs about the African-American social experience, featuring African-American actors with themes about family life, are staged from a white subject/audience position and perpetuate, rather than challenge, existing social orders. He writes, for example, “Not surprisingly, this point of view constructs and privileges white middle-class audiences as the ideal viewers and subjects of television stories.” First, explain and interpret this quote. What is the point that Gray is attempting to make here. Next, argue either in support of, or opposition to, Gray’s claim. Use examples that draw from your personal media experiences. Finally, Gray argues that many contemporary programs about African-American life (e.g., The Cosby Show) only create an “illusion of feel-good multiculturalism and racial cooperation.” Respond to this statement. Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Blog #8

Due: Tuesday, May 22 at 11:59 pm

Think of all the sources you use to obtain information about the world. What is your primary source of news (where do you get most of your news from)? Have any of your preferences/sources changed recently? Explain. What do you think are the most important stories or issues of the day? Explain why you have come to feel this way? What has convinced you that these are so important?

Blog #9

Due: Tuesday, May 29 at 3:00 pm

Please read Article #3. For an entire 24-hour period, keep a diary of all of your interactions (or uses) with media (in any form). How have the media influenced the way you work, play, study, sleep, eat, and socialize? I want you to really think deeply about this. In what ways would your typical day be different from the typical day of a grandparent when he or she was at your exact current age? How is the medium the “message” in your life?

Honor Code

In keeping with the principles of the BYU Honor Code, students are expected to be honest in all of their academic work. Academic honesty means, most fundamentally, that any work you present as your own must in fact be your own work and not that of another. Violations of this principle may result in a failing grade in the course and additional disciplinary action by the university. Students are also expected to adhere to the Dress and Grooming Standards. Adherence demonstrates respect for yourself and others and ensures an effective learning and working environment. It is the university's expectation, and my own expectation in class, that each student will abide by all Honor Code standards. Please call the Honor Code Office at 422-2847 if you have questions about those standards.

Sexual Harassment

Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 prohibits sex discrimination against any participant in an educational program or activity that receives federal funds. The act is intended to eliminate sex discrimination in education and pertains to admissions, academic

and athletic programs, and university-sponsored activities. Title IX also prohibits sexual harassment of students by university employees, other students, and visitors to campus. If you encounter sexual harassment or gender-based discrimination, please talk to your professor; contact the Equal Employment Office at 801-422-5895 or 1-888-238-1062 (24-hours), or http://www.ethicspoint.com; or contact the Honor Code Office at 801-422-2847.

Student Disability

Brigham Young University is committed to providing a working and learning atmosphere that reasonably accommodates qualified persons with disabilities. If you have any disability which may impair your ability to complete this course successfully, please contact the Services for Students with Disabilities Office (422-2767). Reasonable academic accommodations are reviewed for all students who have qualified, documented disabilities. Services are coordinated with the student and instructor by the SSD Office. If you need assistance or if you feel you have been unlawfully discriminated against on the basis of disability, you may seek resolution through established grievance policy and procedures by contacting the Equal Employment Office at 422-5895, D-285 ASB.

Academic Honesty

The first injunction of the BYU Honor Code is the call to be honest. Students come to the university not only to improve their minds, gain knowledge, and develop skills that will assist them in their life's work, but also to build character. President David O. McKay taught that "character is the highest aim of education" (The Aims of a BYU Education, p. 6). It is the purpose of the BYU Academic Honesty Policy to assist in fulfilling that aim. BYU students should seek to be totally honest in their dealings with others. They should complete their own work and be evaluated based upon that work. They should avoid academic dishonesty and misconduct in all its forms, including but not limited to plagiarism, fabrication or falsification, cheating, and other academic misconduct.

Plagiarism

Writing submitted for credit at BYU must consist of the student's own ideas presented in sentences and paragraphs of his or her own construction. The work of other writers or speakers may be included when appropriate (as in a research paper or book review), but such material must support the student's own work (not substitute for it) and must be clearly identified by appropriate introduction and punctuation and by footnoting or other standard referencing. The substitution of another person's work for the student's own or the inclusion of another person's work without adequate acknowledgment (whether done intentionally or not) is known as plagiarism. It is a violation of academic, ethical, and legal standards and can result in a failing grade not only for the paper but also for the course in which the paper is written. In extreme cases, it can justify expulsion from the University. Because of the seriousness of the possible consequences, students who wonder if their papers are within these guidelines should visit the Writing Lab or consult a faculty member who specializes in the teaching of writing or who specializes in the subject discussed in the paper. Useful books to consult on the topic include the current Harcourt Brace College Handbook, the MLA Handbook, and James D. Lester's Writing Research Papers.