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Mass Comm 72
Mass Communication and Society
Spring 2020

MCOM 072, Section 1, 3 credit units
Monday & Wednesday, 10:30-11:45 a.m.; DBH133

About This Course: Course Description MCOM72 At-A-Glance About Instructor For More Information

Current Course Materials: Course Schedule  (UPDATED 4/6/20 FOR ONLINE TEACHING): PDF | Word Original Course Syllabus  Syllabus Supplement   Textbook  Utah Monument  Movable Type  Gutenberg Bible  Newspapers  Term Paper Handout  10 Commandments of News "A History of Clickbait: The First 100 Years" (io9) McGuffey Readers  Magazines  Pitchfork Magazine Example  ESPN Dock Ellis Example  Persistence of Vision and Optical Toys  Edison Innovations  D. W Griffith   "The Worst Thing About 'Birth of a Nation' Is How Good It Is" (New Yorker)  Big Five Studios' Movie Palaces  1950s: 3D movies | Drive-Ins  Recording Technologies Sign on Highway 101 in Redwood City  How Bing Crosby and Silicon Valley Revolutionized Radio and TV (NPR)  Tracing the History of Music Streaming  (Bit of News) Most popular music streaming services (Musically.com) "Hit Charade" (The Atlantic)  Development of Radio  Development of Television  Early TV Sets  TV Sales By State, 1950-54  "What You Want to Know About Television" (Popular Science, February 1949)  1951 Motorola TV Commercial  Television Innovations  Popular Culture/Standards Readings  Midterm Study Guide  Midterm Grading Scale  Midterm Grade Breakdown  Purdue Online Writing Lab: * Writing a Research Paper * Research and Citation Resources  Computer/Internet History Links  Links for Web Discussion  Links for Mobile Devices Discussion  Sample Term Paper (PASSWORD REQUIRED) Early Advertising  "Creepy Sheep" Story | Explanation  Maxim PR Desert Display  IHOP faked its name change to IHOb to promote its burgers (Washington Post)  Hypodermic Model Linear Model   Agenda Setting Model Ethical Principles and Moral Duty  For Ethics Discussion: * Polly Klaas Case: Photo | Cartoon * Baseball Player Articles: Story 1 | Story 2 * Bus Chase Articles: Story 1 | Story 2 | Story 3 Term Paper Grade Breakdown Final Exam Study Guide Final Exam Grading Scale   Final Exam and Course Grades       These materials will be updated throughout the semester.

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Course Description

This course focuses on American mass communication and its relation to society. Examined are theories in mass communication, contemporary issues and media effects. Specifics studied include the impact of mass communications on cultural, institutional, political and social groups in U.S. society and the systems of mass communication that weave society together. The twin emphases of this course are (1) how the different mass communication delivery and support systems -- advertising, public relations, broadcasting, film, the Internet, and print journalism -- shape society and individuals adversely, or in a pro-social fashion, and (2) how the media in turn are influenced by individuals, interest groups and institutions.

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For More Information

Please contact Prof. Craig, either by phone at 924-3287, or by e-mail at profcraig@profcraig.com.

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