Frederick Community College

 

CMM101-ONL1 Introduction to the Electronic Media

 

 

Spring 2010

 

Class begins:  1/23/10

Class ends:  5/14/10

Last Day to Withdraw: 4/9/10

 

Instructor Information:

 

 

Name:   Dr. Rhonda Fulton

Phone Number:  You may leave a message for me at 301-846-2512.

E-mail:  rhfulton@frederick.edu

Campus Mail Box #: 248

Contact Hours:  Email and by appointment for in-person meeting

 

           

Course Information:

 

Credits:  3

On-campus Meetings:  none

On-campus Exams:  One

Prerequisites:  EN50A & EN52

Co-requisites:  none

 

Course Description:

 

Surveys the function and effects of the electronic mass media. Emphasis will be placed on researching and analyzing the history of various electronic media including television and radio. Government regulations, audience measurement, advertising and careers in broadcasting will also be covered.

 

Core Learning Outcomes:

 

Students completing this course will be able to:

1.     Be able to write and speak effective, organized, clear and grammatically correct English when using research methods to analyze media issues.

2.     Be able to demonstrate an understanding of the significance of various media within their historical and cultural contexts.

3.     Use the technology of a changing world by describing the basic technical facets of the various media and by evaluating their own media behavior.

4.     Be able to research, analyze, compare, synthesize and draw inferences from various media pertaining to political, legal, economic and social issues.

5.    Be able to evaluate electronic media programming by differentiating among facts, opinions, and inferences and be able to make judgments and predictions concerning the future of media.

 

 Instructional Methods:

 

Methods of instruction will include mini lessons, group discussion, group activities, use of multi-media materials, and individual and group presentations.

 


 

 How this course is organized:

 

Assignments will be posted by 12 a.m. on Monday each week. Please plan to check the Blackboard site sometime that day to see what new information is available. Consult the course calendar for due dates. Students will be required to take weekly online quizzes pertaining to the chapters in the text. There will be several discussion opportunities in which each student will be responsible for participating. Also, there are projects that will require students to work individually and together in order to create a finished product or journal. Finally, two exams will be scheduled; one exam will be taken in the FCC testing center on campus, the other online.

 

Text(s) for Course:

 

The Media of Mass Communication, 9th Edition by John Vivian

All students must have a current edition of the textbook.

                                                    

Progress Report:

 

By the end of the sixth week of the semester, you will have an opportunity to evaluate your progress in this course and decide if you need to make any adjustments (additional study, tutoring, conference with instructor) to assure your success in this course. Students may check the status of their grades at anytime by going to the "Tools" section of the course site and selecting "View Grades." Students should check their course progress during Week 6. By that time, Journal I should be graded and you should have feedback regarding how you are doing on the discussion forums and quizzes.

 

Evaluation Methods:

  

Tests / Papers / Projects / Participation

Point Value

Final Grade Scale

 

Exams: There are 2 exams comprised of essay and objective questions.

Quizzes: Each week there are one or two quizzes taken online.

Discussion Board: Most weeks there are required class discussions that take place in the Discussion Board section of the course site.

Journal I Project: You will observe and analyze your use of the media.

Ratings Project: You will analyze trends in media ratings over a 3-week period.

Journal II Project: The fun continues later in the semester.

Media Issues Project: Students will work in groups to analyze theories and concepts from the course as they apply to contemporary issues in the media.

 

     150 points                       

     

       50 points

 

     125 points

 

 

       25 points

 

      50 points

 

      75 points

 

    100 points

 
518 (90%) to 575 = A
460 (80%) to 517 = B
403 (70%) to 459 = C
345 (60%) to 402 = D
344 and below     = F

If the graded performance for online assignments differs significantly from the grade average for proctored assignments, the instructor reserves the right to administer additional tests.

 


 

Student Services

 

A variety of services are available to assist students in succeeding at FCC. Students can learn more about these services by visiting the Student Services web page: http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/index.aspx.

Students with disabilities who are in need of accommodations or who have questions related to disabilities services should contact the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) office at 301-846-2408. Students can learn more about these services by visiting the Services for Students with Disabilities web page: http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/disability.aspx.

 

 Participation Policy:

 

To maintain the highest quality of academic work, students are expected to participate fully in all course activities.

In case of serious illness, emergency, religious holidays, or participation in official college functions, students remain responsible for completing the requirements of the course. 

Assignments not submitted by the designated time on the required date will be penalized 10% if submitted later the same day and 10% each additional calendar day. Assignments that are more than one week late will not be accepted. No late quizzes or discussion postings will be accepted. Emergencies will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Contact me immediately if an emergency occurs.

Since this is an online course, you should plan on spending an average of at least 6 hours each week on this course.

 

 Email Policy:

 

Email is an instructional tool essential to student-instructor and student-student communication. In the Blackboard environment by default, your email address is available to all students in this course.

However, students are permitted to use email addresses of other students in this course only for the purpose and the duration of this course.

Students are only permitted to use their myFCC email when corresponding with the instructor or other students regarding this course.

The instructor can be expected to respond to regular student email inquiries (grades, posted assignments, and tests excluded) within the time frame of 24 to 48 hours.

 

Academic Integrity:

 

Work in this course is subject to the provisions of the FCC Code of Academic Integrity. Plagiarism in any form will not be tolerated. As a student, it is your job to practice academic honesty at ALL times.  Make sure that all sources, particularly Internet sources, get proper credit for quotations, paraphrases, and ideas. More information about this and the Student Conduct Code are available at http://www.frederick.edu/student_services/studentpolicies.aspx

You must send your Academic Integrity Pledge to the instructor. The form is available at http://courses.frederick.edu/_utilities/regform.htm

 


 

  Assignment Policy:

 

Assignments will be posted by 12 a.m. on Monday each week. Please plan to check the Blackboard site sometime that day to see what new information is available. Consult the course calendar for due dates.

Late Assignments: Assignments not submitted by the designated time on the required date will be penalized 10% if submitted later the same day and 10% each additional calendar day. Assignments that are more than one week late will not be accepted. No late quizzes or discussion postings will be accepted.

Reading Assignments: Material should be read during the week listed on the syllabus.

Written Assignments: All written assignments are expected to be free of spelling, capitalization, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Ideas should be expressed with clarity and papers should include proper language usage, sentence structure, and paragraph structure. Students who have difficulty with written assignments should visit the Writing Center in L106 for assistance.

Assignment Monitoring: The instructor will use tracking features throughout the semester to monitor student use of, and visits to, the course Blackboard site.


Tentative Topical Outline

WEEK

SUBJECT

READ

Week 1

 

Introduction

Mass Media Literacy

Media Technology

 

 

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Week 2

 

Books

Magazines

 

Chapter 3

Chapter 5

 

Week 3

 

Newspapers

News

 

Chapter 4    

Chapter 11

Week 4

 

Radio

Media Research

 

Chapter 8

Chapter 15

Week 5

 

Recordings

Motion Pictures

 

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Week 6

 

Internet

Exam

 

 Chapter 10  

Week 7

 

Entertainment

 

Chapter 14

Week 8

 

Television

 

Chapter  9

Week 9

Ethics

 

Chapter 20

 

Week 10

Advertising

Public Relations

 

Chapter 13

Chapter 12

Week 11

Global Mass Media

 

Chapter 17

 

Week 12

Exam

 

 

Week 13

Mass-Media Effects

 

Chapter 16

Week 14

Media Issues Projects

 

 

Week 15

Wrap-Up and Review

 

 

 

NOTE:  This is a tentative schedule. Your instructor reserves the right to make changes to this outline as needed. Any changes to the schedule will be posted on the course site and students will be responsible for noting them.

 

               Student grades are posted online and are not mailed. Check www.frederick.edu for help.

 

 

Have a great summer break! J