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industry, radio, television, cable, and movies. Part 3, “Words and Pictures,” includes chapters on
newspapers, magazines, and books. Part 4, “The Business of Mass Media,” deals with advertising, public
relations, and media economics. The final section, Part 5, “Democratic Expression and the Mass Media,”
examines journalism ethics, media effects, and legal issues of media expression.
There are two main reasons behind the thematic organization of the book. First, it’s often best to
understand print culture in terms of what’s happened recently in electronic and digital culture. The more
contemporary media are more pervasive and have shaped media culture with cross-ownership and
technological convergence. The second reason is pedagogical: Students do better when the course begins
with what they are most familiar with. By starting with chapters on such media as the Internet and sound
recording, the book engages students with the cultural landscape that they are most immersed in: It is
where they live.
You may want or need to teach the course differently, however. The following are sample syllabi for
the book’s thematic approach, a traditional chronological approach, and a special journalism-centered
approach.
SAMPLE SYLLABI: SEMESTER SCHEDULE
THEMATIC APPROACH
Digital Media and Convergence
Week 1: Mass Communication: A Critical Approach (Chapter 1)
Week 2: The Internet, Digital Media, and Media Convergence (Chapter 2)
Digital Gaming and the Media Playground (Chapter 3)
Sounds and Images
Week 3: Sound Recording and Popular Music (Chapter 4)
Week 4: Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting (Chapter 5)
Week 5: Television and Cable: The Power of Visual Culture (Chapter 6)
Week 6: Movies and the Impact of Images (Chapter 7)
Words and Pictures
Week 7: Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism (Chapter 8)
Week 8: Magazines in the Age of Specialization (Chapter 9)
Week 9: Books and the Power of Print (Chapter 10)
The Business of Mass Media
Week 10: Advertising and Commercial Culture (Chapter 11)
Week 11: Public Relations and Framing the Message (Chapter 12)
Week 12: Media Economics and the Global Marketplace (Chapter 13)
Democratic Expression and the Mass Media
Week 13: The Culture of Journalism: Values, Ethics, and Democracy (Chapter 14)
Week 14: Media Effects and Cultural Approaches to Research (Chapter 15)
Week 15: Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression (Chapter 16)
CHRONOLOGICAL APPROACH
Week 1: Mass Communication: A Critical Approach (Chapter 1)
Words and Pictures
Week 2: Books and the Power of Print (Chapter 10)
Week 3: Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism (Chapter 8)
Week 4: Magazines in the Age of Specialization (Chapter 9)
Sounds and Images
Week 5: Sound Recording and Popular Music (Chapter 4)
Week 6: Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting (Chapter 5)
Week 7: Movies and the Impact of Images (Chapter 7)
Week 8: Television and Cable: The Power of Visual Culture (Chapter 6)
Week 9: The Internet, Digital Media, and Media Convergence (Chapter 2)
Digital Gaming and the Media Playground (Chapter 3)
The Business of Mass Media
Week 10: Advertising and Commercial Culture (Chapter 11)
Week 11: Public Relations and Framing the Message (Chapter 12)
Week 12: Media Economics and the Global Marketplace (Chapter 13)
Democratic Expression and the Mass Media
Week 13: The Culture of Journalism:
Values, Ethics, and Democracy (Chapter 14)
Week 14: Media Effects and Cultural Approaches to Research (Chapter 15)
Week 15: Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression (Chapter 16)
JOURNALISM APPROACH
Week 1: Mass Communication: A Critical Approach (Chapter 1)
Journalism and the Mass Media
Week 2: Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism (Chapter 8)
Week 3:
Magazines in the Age of Specialization (Chapter 9)
Week 4:
Popular Radio and the Origins of Broadcasting (Chapter 5)
Week 5:
Television and Cable: The Power of Visual Culture (Chapter 6)
Week 6:
The Internet, Digital Media, and Media Convergence (Chapter 2)
Week 7:
The Culture of Journalism:
Values, Ethics, and Democracy (Chapter 14)
Competing Voices and Values
Week 8:
Public Relations and Framing the Message (Chapter 12)
Media Effects and Cultural Approaches to Research (Chapter 15)
Other Voices in the Media Landscape
Week 12: Books and the Power of Print (Chapter 10)
Week 13:
Sound Recording and Popular Music (Chapter 4)
Week 14: Movies and the Impact of Images (Chapter 7)
Week 15:
Digital Gaming and the Media Playground (Chapter 3)
SAMPLE SYLLABI: QUARTER SCHEDULE
THEMATIC APPROACH
Digital Media and Convergence
Week 1: Mass Communication: A Critical Approach (Chapter 1)
The Internet, Digital Media, and Media Convergence (Chapter 2)
Digital Gaming and the Media Playground (Chapter 3)
Sounds and Images
Week 2: Sound Recording and Popular Music (Chapter 4)
Week 5: Movies and the Impact of Images (Chapter 7)
Words and Pictures
Week 6: Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism (Chapter 8)
Week 7: Magazines in the Age of Specialization (Chapter 9)
Books and the Power of Print (Chapter 10)
The Business of Mass Media
Week 9: Media Economics and the Global Marketplace (Chapter 13)
Democratic Expression and the Mass Media
Week 10: The Culture of Journalism:
Values, Ethics, and Democracy (Chapter 14)
Media Effects and Cultural Approaches to Research (Chapter 15)
Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression (Chapter 16)
CHRONOLOGICAL APPROACH
Week 1: Mass Communication: A Critical Approach (Chapter 1)
Words and Pictures
Week 2: Books and the Power of Print (Chapter 10)
Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism (Chapter 8)
Magazines in the Age of Specialization (Chapter 9)
Sounds and Images
Week 3: Sound Recording and Popular Music (Chapter 4)
Week 7: The Internet, Digital Media, and Media Convergence (Chapter 2)
Digital Gaming and the Media Playground (Chapter 3)
The Business of Mass Media
Week 8: Advertising and Commercial Culture (Chapter 11)
Public Relations and Framing the Message (Chapter 12)
Week 9: Media Economics and the Global Marketplace (Chapter 13)
Democratic Expression and the Mass Media
Week 10: The Culture of Journalism:
Values, Ethics, and Democracy (Chapter 14)
Media Effects and Cultural Approaches to Research (Chapter 15)
Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression (Chapter 16)
JOURNALISM APPROACH
Journalism and the Mass Media
Week 1: Mass Communication: A Critical Approach (Chapter 1)
Newspapers: The Rise and Decline of Modern Journalism (Chapter 8)
Week 2: Magazines in the Age of Specialization (Chapter 9)
Competing Voices and Values
Week 6: Public Relations and Framing the Message (Chapter 12)
Advertising and Commercial Culture (Chapter 11)
Week 7: Media Economics and the Global Marketplace (Chapter 13)
Legal Controls and Freedom of Expression (Chapter 16)
Other Voices in the Media Landscape
Week 8: Books and the Power of Print (Chapter 10)
Sound Recording and Popular Music (Chapter 4)
Week 9: Movies and the Impact of Images (Chapter 7)
Digital Gaming and the Media Playground (Chapter 3)
Researching the Impact of Mass Media on Society
Week 10: Media Effects and Cultural Approaches to Research (Chapter 15)
ADVICE FROM SEASONED INSTRUCTORS
Preparing a new class or revisi ng teaching methods can be difficult. Below are some general examples
of classroom-tested activities, ass ignments, and approaches to te aching Media & Culture from several
experienced instructors.
• Make the Media Strange. If I had any advice to give new instructors, it would be to emphasize that
we need to make the media seem strange to our students. They have lived with these modes of
communication for their whole lives and most students accept the media as naturally as the air around
them. I try to emphasize that the media are not natural and require a more critical response beyond
mere acceptance. The instructor is for many students the lone voice in the wilderness, calling out that
what appears to be natural because of its pervasiveness is a human construct that may be used and
—Matthew Smith, Wittenberg University
• Don’t Be Overwhelmed. For new instructors I would advise that there is a lot of material in the book
(discussion questions, paper topics, etc.), and not to be overwhelmed. . . . I’ve found both the Review
Questions and Questioning the Media sections to be useful. The Review Questions make for good
term paper topics, and the Questioning the Media questions seem particularly good for class
discussions.
—Larry Burriss, Middle Tennessee State University
• Go over the Big Picture. I would urge an instructor to try to go over the “big picture” of media on
the first day—to get students thinking about how we come to “know” things (which is often through
reading, watching, etc.) and how important the media are as a site of study. Also, I like to take a
useful place to come back to as you move through the mediums covered in the book.
—Karen Pitcher, University of Iowa
• Provide a Safe Environment. Framing the course in a nonthreatening manner is crucial the first day
and throughout the term. First, instructors should prepare the students by mentioning that the
critical/cultural approach is not one they will have to adopt but one they must understand. Many first-
these scholars/schools of thought into a few brief sentences and helps students understand that they
will be exposed to ideas outside the traditional view and why such views matter. . . . The classes I
taught had about 125 students, and lecturing was the standard for most class meetings. We had a
Q&A session once every three or four weeks, wherein students could ask the instructor questions and
share ideas with their peers. With a large class, it would be a good idea to have students in small
groups read the extended focus on critical processes, then ask each group to answer a short series of
three to five questions. The groups can then discuss their answers among themselves and present
them to the class after each group is finished.
—Frank Perez, University of Texas at El Paso
• Stay Flexible. My advice to instructors using this text for the first time would be to stay flexible.
There is so much material in the text that you will not be able to give equal time to all topics. Create a
—Donna Hemmila, Diablo Valley College
• Ask for Help. Since 1984, I have taught media and culture (which we call Introduction to Mass
Communications) most quarters/semesters—a total of probably thirty-five or so times. . . . Lecturing
to a big class (eighty or more students) for the first time can be intimidating enough without the fear
of getting lost in your message. My best advice to a new instructor is to pick the brains and borrow
the materials of experienced colleagues, using that foundation to let you move ahead confidently as
you develop your own materials and style. Starting purely from scratch in preparing to teach for the
first time is a really bad idea unless you have no colleague resources on whom/which to call. . . .
work to be done and handed in) are impossible to manage. The course grade is based on scores from
three or four objective exams that are computer-scored. The teaching methods I have found most
material.
—Marshel Rossow, Minnesota State University, Mankato
FACILITATING IN-CLASS DISCUSSIONS
BASIC SUGGESTIONS
• To begin, use brief narrative accounts to set the context for classroom interaction.
• Get students to talk about themselves and then to think about their experiences in a larger context.
• Ask students to fill out a Profile Form (see pp. 17–18 in this manual), which allows you to get to
know their names and some of their interests early in the course and then integrate this information
into your class discussions.
• Assign the Oral History Project (see pp. 18–21 in this manual), which asks students to interview
people in their seventies, eighties, or even nineties about their experiences with different media. This
assignment makes history come alive for students (names like Paramount and The Shadow will
suddenly make sense to them), and it’s a fabulous way to bring students into discussions about early
sound recording, film, radio, and TV.
• Ask frequent questions that demand specific answers, such as “What is your understanding of . . .?”
and “How would you evaluate . . .?” In other words, ask questions that can’t be answered with a yes
or no. Also, ask numerous follow-up questions, such as “Why do you agree?” “Can you elaborate?”
“Would you tell me more?” and “Can you give an example?”
• Avoid wasteful, overgeneralized questions that go nowhere, such as “Does everyone understand?”
“Have I made myself clear?” and “Are there any questions?” A student rarely responds to any of
these questions because they address what students don’t know instead of what they do know. Also,
because these questions call for an answer of either yes or no, whereby silence indicates
understanding, an instructor might infer that learning has occurred when in fact it hasn’t.
• In dealing with students’ responses, make sure they know that all answers, even wrong answers, are
part of a critical investigation. The aim of discussions should always be to arrive at the best
interpretation and judgment. In this process, students need to think beyond their personal experiences
• Call on students randomly, not just on those whose hands are raised.
• Create a climate of trust, support, acceptance, and respect.
SPECIFIC STRATEGIES
Questioning the Media: “Think-Pair-Share”
The “think-pair-share” strategy uses the chapter-opening questions and the Questioning the Media section
in the Chapter Review to allow students to try out their ideas in a one-on-one context. The probing
the question for class discussion. This strategy is an efficient use of time that can energize the class and
stimulate a free flow of ideas.
Common Threads
The Common Threads section at the end of each chapter is designed to help instructors connect themes to
different topics throughout the course. These sections also offer questions to spur deeper reflection and
those choices say about the students as consumers and society as a whole.
Research-Based Discussion
Some of the Media Literacy exercises ask students to conduct their own informal surveys, gather material
from their personal music collections, or do library research in preparation for a class discussion. Students
bring their findings or media materials to class and draw on their own discoveries about their cultural
environment. Out-of-class preparation can lead to invigorating critical discussions.
Seminar-Style Presentations
Short (three- to five-minute) presentations by one or a few students on designated days can often lead to
effective and stimulating discussions. The students don’t necessarily need to lead the class, but they
should prepare for the class by developing a presentation. These presentations can be used to begin the
If we demand more mental effort of our students, it may be more painful in the short run, but it will
be extremely satisfying in the long run. We are far better off having our students’ respect than their
immediate approval. When students say at the end of a semester, “You’ve changed the way I see
television” or “Now I can never listen to my favorite bands in the same way,” we’ve helped them gain a
critical perspective. That’s the goal.
STRATEGIES FOR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Many writing assignments can be extremely valuable. Even though students may complain about the
workload, the more they write, the more they retain. What’s most important about writing is that it aids
students in developing the logic of a critical perspective.
Possible writing assignments can be divided into three categories:
1. Private writing for one’s self, which allows a student to take the time to think about a topic. These
assignments could involve formulating answers to the Review Questions at the end of every chapter.
2. Public writing for the class, which puts pressure on students to make sense in front of their peers yet
leaves room for them to take risks and be creative. These short assignments could ask students to take
a position on a certain topic, critically evaluate a certain aspect of the mass media, or give a personal
viewpoint on media consumption. All these approaches could springboard into lively class
discussions.
3. Formal public writing, which consists of short or long papers that the instructor evaluates.
Although nearly everyone agrees on the value of writing, the reality for many instructors is large
class sizes with little grading assistance. To keep writing in the curriculum but not become
overwhelmed by daunting stacks of papers, instructors may wish to assign a media journal. For
example, students could be asked to respond to one or more Questioning the Media questions at the end
of each chapter, write a short reaction to the chapter, or both. Media journals can be kept in notebooks,
or weekly entries can be e-mailed to the instructor, who could then respond more quickly and
informally to the student. A more public version of the media journal is an electronic computer
conference, which can be set up exclusively for course use at many colleges and universities via a
mailserv for e-mail or through a Web-based environment such as Blackboard. With this kind of writing
assignment, students can post messages responding to the textbook and read other students’ postings
while instructors can also engage in the forum. Online writing assignments are best used only when
students have a basic familiarity with the technology, however.
ASSIGNMENTS AND ACTIVITIES FROM SEASONED INSTRUCTORS
1. Activity Idea: What’s Your Media Guilty Pleasure?
What is your guilty pleasure? It could be anything from a TV show/genre to particular books,
as “cool”? What society sees as worthwhile? (Note: This activity is another good way to get the ball
rolling on the tasteful/trashy debate outlined in Media & Culture in Chapter 1. You may want to ask
students to read their guilty pleasure out loud or to collect the papers and redistribute them for others
to read. From there, you may want to break it down on the board.)
General Discussion Questions (use within or separate from activities)
• Is there anything you can think of that is “universally trashy”? Or universally in good taste?
• What does it take for something to move from “trashy” to accepted, popular, and revered? Any
good examples from the rise of popular music?
______________________________________
• When it comes to music, do you have a strong identification/association with a taste culture (i.e.,
do you embrace the values of the taste culture, and if so, to what extent)? How important is taste
culture for you in your social associations?
• What are some examples of strong taste cultures in American society, particularly for music?
• What kind of influence does popular music have in American society? Has it changed in recent
years? If so, how?
• On the whole, are Americans seen as having good taste? Why or why not? Is there a
country/culture that seemingly is always tasteful in its cultural products?
2. Profile Form
Last name, first name (print large and clearly):
What name do you prefer to be called in class? _____________________________________
Place photocopy of your ID or a photo here:
E-mail address:
Major:
Year in school:
Why are you taking this course?
What career plans are you considering?
What do you like to do when you aren’t
in class or studying?
If you have a job, what is it, and where do you work?
Tell me something about yourself to help me remember you:
