Eppert COMM 1000 Fundamentals of CMS R02 Fall 2021 Syllabus PDF

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Fordham University Fall 2021 Instructor: Nicholas Anthony Eppert Email: [email protected] Office: Memorial Hall, Room 450 Hours: M 11: 30-1:30pm if you wish to meet in person, otherwise online, by appointment, via Zoom.

Communication and Media Studies 1000 R02: Fundamentals of Communication and Media Studies MR 8:30-9:45AM, Memorial Hall Room 232

Course Description This course provides students with an introduction to the fundamental approaches, theories and perspectives essential for an understanding of mediated communication, including an understanding of the industries that make it possible. Throughout the term we will explore many of the ways in which our symbolic environment both reflects and shapes life in the 21st century, from interpersonal to international relations, and everything in between. Through readings, lecture, written response, and discussion, students will learn the foundation necessary for advanced study in the fields of Communication and Media Studies, and receive an introduction to the four majors offered by Fordham’s Department of Communication and Media Studies.

Learning Objectives  Get acquainted with the foundational theories of Communication and Media Studies  Understand the development and structure of the media industries of past and present  Understand key themes in media history and their continuing relevance today  Encounter the range of methodologies and modes of inquiry used to study mediated communication  Analyze your personal communication practices from multiple theoretical perspectives  Become a more critical consumer of media content  Recognize the reciprocal relationship between culture and technology  Reflect upon the ethical dimensions and social justice implications of today’s mediated communication  Develop your critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills in all course requirements Required Texts What Media Classes Really Want to Discuss: A Student Guide, by Greg M. Smith ISBN 9780415778121 Any Style Manual (look for one with guides to MLA, APA, and Chicago styles), including online (eg OWL) All assigned material is available on Blackboard under Course Texts. Online Instructional Tools In this course, we will use Blackboard and Google Drive for storing class materials, interacting, uploading assignments, and posting grades. Course Assignments, Specifications, Grading, and Other Policies Assignments This course aims to help you build your communication skills in reading, writing, discussion, and presentation.

2 a) Assigned texts (posted in Blackboard under Course Texts). b) Individual and group assignments based on course texts and lecture. c) Two essays of 6 pages in length, due at the end of the two halves of the course, each accompanied by a peer review session. The first draft of Essay 1 is due on 10/7 and the second draft is due on 10/25. The first draft Essay 2 is due on 11/22 and the second draft is due on 12/14. d) Two peer review sessions, in which each student reads and critiques the papers of two peers and has his or her own paper read and critiqued by two peers. I will set up a Google Sheet for you to sign up to read each other’s papers, to be found in our class Google Drive Folder. You can either sign up on the Google Sheet in advance, or find someone in person on the day of the peer reviews. Even if you don’t know a given student, please be open to signing up to swap papers with that student. You will then post your papers in the indicated folder on our class Google Drive site. For our peer review sessions, you may bring your laptops with you to class and reviewers will make marks directly on the drafts posted in the Google Drive folder. Lastly, reviewers will upload their filled-out peer review sheets for the writers (and the professor) to see in the Peer Review Sheets folder on the class Google Drive. When uploading Peer Review Sheets, follow this file naming convention: Review for _____ by _____. Peer review consists of two parts: Mark-up of the essay draft, and a filled-out Peer Review Sheet (available on the class Google Drive as well as on Blackboard). The first two peer review sheets are due on 10/8 and the second two peer review sheets are due on 11/23. g) Three quizzes about concepts discussed in the lectures and readings. h) A final exam. Course Components: g) Class discussion and clarification of lecture and texts. h) Group work and discussion. i) Office hours will be held both online and in person (to the extent that it is possible), and are optional. Please schedule an appointment by using the Fall 2021 Office Hours Google Sheet. Specifications Formatting of papers should adhere to the following specifications:  Submissions must be proofread for grammatical and spelling errors—I suggest you both get a work partner and read your own work out loud to yourself.  Submissions must be typed, double-spaced, in 12-point Times New Roman font, with one-inch margins on all sides of the page (in Word you can set the margins under Layout).  Submissions must meet the minimum page requirement. For example, a 4-page assignment should not be 3½ pages long, nor 3¾ pages long.  Submissions must be titled (though a title page is not necessary). Be creative!  All papers must have a Works Cited page in the format of your choice (see link to the Purdue OWL’s formatting guide on Blackboard under Content).  All written work must be submitted in paper (hardcopies) formatted as a Word document, unless otherwise indicated. Students have access to Microsoft Office suite through Fordham University.

3 Grading Essay 1: Your Very Own “Rhetoric of the Image” (6pp min.).......................................10% Essay 2: Following a Lead (6pp min.)…………………………….….………………..10% Panel Discussion……………………………………………………………….10% Peer Review (2 sessions, 4 reviews total).......................................................................20% Quizzes………………………………………………………………………………....30% Group Work……………………………………………………………………………10% Final................................................................................................................................10%

Chosen Names/Pronouns Some members of the Fordham community are known by names that are different from their legal names. I encourage students who wish to be identified by a chosen name to contact me via email or in person and request their chosen name and pronoun be used. Attendance Please limit yourself to only one unexcused absence during the semester. The bulk of our meetings is composed of class discussion and groupwork, so it is important that a) you are punctual and in attendance, b) you have read/written what you were assigned to read/write, and c) you participate in the class conversation and activities. In the event that you do miss a class, be sure to check with your classmates and on the syllabus to find out what you missed and what is due. Please exchange email addresses/phone numbers with one or two of your classmates for this purpose. E-devices After much and careful consideration, I have made it my policy to prohibit the use of laptops and e-devices in the classroom. Cell phones, e-readers, laptops, and tablets are therefore not to be out or used during class time. PDFs must be printed and brought to class when readings are assigned. Students with notices from Disability Services are excepted. Classroom, Email, and Online Etiquette We will get the most out of this class if we all work to foster a respectful environment. Criticism should be constructive, never hostile. Accordingly, class discussions should be approached as occasions to talk through and build ideas with each other. The student/instructor relationship is similar to a professional one. Make sure that your emails name your concern and address your professor with respect. Be sure also to include openings and closings, and to sign your name. For more details, follow this link: http://mleddy.blogspot.com/2005/01/how-to-e-mailprofessor.html Late Work If you are having trouble completing your classwork by its due date, please be in touch with me. Citation Format Though I recommend the Modern Language Association (MLA) format in this course, you may use whatever citation style you prefer, so long as you are consistent. We will not cover MLA or other style basics in class, but you can acquaint yourself with several formats at the Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL):

4 http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/ Blackboard I will post my information, this syllabus, your grades, and all announcements and module material (including course texts and recorded lectures) on Blackboard. You can also email me from our course Blackboard page and check your grades, through the “Course Tools” section in the menu column. For technical difficulties with using Blackboard, send an e-mail to Fordham's Blackboard Support ([email protected]) with details about your issue(s), the course, course ID, and your instructor. You can also call the IT Customer Care hotline: 718-817-3999. For the best results in Blackboard, you should use Google Chrome or Firefox. Google Drive Our class Google Drive site will house several assignments and places to post group and individual responses. Please consult the syllabus and lecture notes for when to submit your work to our Google Drive site and when to submit it to Blackboard. Covid-19 and Mask Policies and Online Teaching Regardless of vaccination status, Fordham requires all students (and faculty) to wear masks when meeting for in-person classes. This is non-negotiable. We are starting the semester meeting in-person, but it is possible that we may switch to an online format depending on how the pandemic develops, if I, or someone in the class falls ill, contracts Covid, etc. I ask that we be flexible about this possibility and I will give you further instructions about how to proceed if/when this happens. If someone in the class contracts Covid, please follow the reporting protocol of the university and let me know. Student Technology, Research, and Support Services The Department of Communication and Media Studies Online! Please check the Department of Communication and Media Studies website for information about its new Undergraduate and Graduate programs at www.facebook.com/FordhamCMS. Students are strongly encouraged to ‘like’ the CMS Facebook page and to check it regularly for departmental news, job notices, internship opportunities, and events. The same goes for Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FordhamCMS. Students can also view the CMS website at www.fordham.edu/cms for information on our new Undergraduate and Graduate programs. The CMS Department's blog is another great resource for announcements: https://cms.blog.fordham.edu. If you have an announcement such as an internship opportunity, event invitation, or course flyer, you may submit a request to Chris Vicari ([email protected]), the CMS Dept. Educational Technologist, for posting. Please be sure to include a PDF of the advertisement. Resources for Online Students The Resources for Online Students page has a full list of support services available to you:  The Dean’s Office at Rose Hill and Lincoln Center (with contact information for your class dean)  Tutoring services, including the Writing Center and other discipline-specific tutoring resources, for both Rose Hill and Lincoln Center students  Support for student success for both Rose Hill and Lincoln Center students  Office of Disability Services, including a direct link to their application for accommodation  Career Services  The University’s Informational Technology help page Library Research Services (YouTube video):

5 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-OL9TbEOdE&feature=youtu.be The Writing Center For additional help with your writing, particularly with regard to organization and structure, you may visit the Writing Center in the Quinn Library, Room 233. You can schedule an appointment through their website, https://fordham.mywconline.com, or call at 646-868-4009 (visit the website for contact and appointment information for the Writing Centers at Rose Hill and Westchester campuses). Please note that the Writing Center closes at the end of each semester before reading days start; please plan ahead. Counseling and Psychological Services Students who are experiencing personal difficulties or mental health distress are encouraged to seek free and confidential assistance at Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS). For more information about CPS, please visit their website at www.fordham.edu/counseling. To make an appointment, please call 718-817-3725 (RH) or 212-636-6225 (LC). Also note that, in the case of traumatic events or other major stresses in your life, you may contact your class Dean, who will then contact your professors on your behalf. University Policies Weather Cancellation Policy The decision to cancel classes due to weather conditions will be made by the Administrative Vice President and will be announced on WFUV (90.7 FM) every 15 minutes. The University will also provide a recorded message on (212) 636-7777, and 1-800-280-SNOW . If a final examination is cancelled, the Dean of the appropriate college in consultation with the Office of Academic Records will reschedule when the final examination will be taken. If a regular class meeting is cancelled, faculty should make a reasonable effort to make up the class. Ultimately, the decision to make up a class is at the instructor’s discretion. University Statement on Academic Integrity A University, by its nature, strives to foster and recognize originality of thought. Originality can only be recognized, however, when people acknowledge the sources of ideas or works that are not their own. Therefore, students must maintain the highest standards with regard to honesty, effort and performance. As a Jesuit, Catholic University, Fordham is committed to ensuring that all members of the academic community strive not only for excellence in scholarship but also for integrity of character. In the pursuit of knowledge and personal development, it is imperative that students present their own ideas and insights for evaluation, critique and eventual reformulation. Accordingly, each student must acknowledge the intellectual contribution of others. Violations of academic integrity include, but are not limited to, plagiarism, cheating on exams, falsification, unapproved collaboration, and destruction of library materials. For further details, consult the Standards of Academic Integrity on the University website http://www.fordham.edu/academics/handbooks__publicati/undergraduate_academ/index.asp Please note: Any part of submitted work that uses another's ideas or language, intentionally or unintentionally, without proper acknowledgement of the source, is an instance of plagiarism. If I find that your work has been plagiarized, in part or in whole, you will receive a zero for the assignment. Equal Educational Access for All Students The Office of Disability Services at Fordham University, located in Lowenstein 408 at Lincoln Center campus, helps to ensure equal educational access and opportunity for all members of our community. In the Jesuit tradition of cura personalis, members of the ODS staff work individually with each student to understand his or her strengths and limitations in order to develop their most effective and comprehensive accommodation plan. Fordham will offer reasonable and appropriate auxiliary aids and services to assist otherwise qualified persons in achieving access to its programs, services, and facilities once students meet with ODS for an initial intake meeting to develop an accommodation plan directly with the student in accordance with Section 504 of the Federal Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Students

6 seeking accommodation(s) should contact Annette Rapice, Assistant Director of Disability Services at Lincoln Center, 212-636-6282 or email [email protected]. Note: Syllabus is subject to change Course Schedule INTRODUCTIONS; COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA STUDIES AS A FIELD OF INQUIRY W1

R, 9/2

Groups Assigned in Class

Lecture

Introduction to syllabus, course, and the four majors of the CMS program:  Journalism  Film and TV  Communication and Culture  Digital Technologies and Emerging Media The ethical implications of what we are here to study: Quo Vadis? Where are we going? Your expectations for this course

W2

M, 9/6 Labor Day/West Indian Day (University Closed), (Wednesday, 9/8 follows Monday schedule) W, 9/8

Lecture: Media/Communication and How We Study It Readings Due: John Fiske, “What is Communication? (1-4)” in Introduction to Communication Studies, Third Edition. (London and New York: Routledge, 2011) In-class discussion: Bring Raymond Williams, “Communication (72-73)”, “Media”, and “Mediation (203-207)” in Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture and Society. (Oxford University Press, 1983) to class. You can skim this beforehand if you would like (I would like that!), but we will read portions of it together.

R, 9/9

Readings Due: James Carey, “A Cultural Approach to Communication (13-35)” in Communication as Culture: Essays on Media and Society. (Boston: Unwin Hyman, 1989). Discussion: Transmission versus Ritual Views of Communication

Note to Student: Add/Drop and program change period ends Thursday, 9/9

REPRESENTATION, REALITY, AND MEANING W3

M, 9/13

Quiz 1 Readings Due: André Bazin, “The Virtues and Limitations of Montage (41-52),” in What is Cinema? Vol. 1. Ed. and trans. Hugh Gray. (University of California Press, 2005).

7 In-class discussion: Greg Smith, “What is realism, really? (13-34)” in Course Textbook. Lecture: Realism as Technology and Convention Discussion: Hollywood-Style Realism versus Documentary-Style Realism R, 9/16

Readings Due: Roland Barthes, “Rhetoric of the Image (32-51),” in Image-Music-Text. Trans. and ed. Stephen Heath. (New York, Hill & Wang: 1977). Lecture: Introduction to Semiotic Analysis: A Walk-Through of Barthes’ “Rhetoric of the Image”

REPRESENTATION, REALITY AND MEANING/MEDIATED COMMUNICATION AND POWER W4

M, 9/20

Readings Due: Barthes, “Rhetoric of the Image”. Discussion: Clarification of Lecture from 9/16 Introduction to Essay 1 Assignment: Your Very Own “Rhetoric of the Image”

R, 9/23

Readings Due: Stuart Hall, “Notes on Deconstructing the Popular (347-361),” in Essential Essays Vol. 1: Foundations of Cultural Studies. Ed. David Morley. (Duke University Press, 2019). Lecture: Ideology, Media, and Power

REPRESENTATION, REALITY AND MEANING/MEDIATED COMMUNICATION AND POWER/AUDIENCES AND IDENTITIES Due (all students): Signups are due to the Essay 1 Peer Review Sign Up Sheet in our class Google Drive folder by Monday, 9/27. W5

M, 9/27

Readings Due: Michel Foucault, “Panopticism (195-228),” in Discipline and Punish: The Birth of Prison. Trans. Alan Sheridan. (New York: Random House, Inc., 1995). In-class viewing and discussion: Simone Browne, “Surveillance and Race Online,” Talk at MozFest (on Blackboard).

R, 9/30

Readings Due: Siegfried Kracauer, “The Little Shopgirls Go to the Movies (291-304)”in The Mass Ornament: Weimar Essays. Trans and ed. Thomas Y. Levin. (Cambridge, Harvard University Press, 1995) Janice A. Radway, “The Act of Reading the Romance: Escape and Instruction (86-118),” in Reading the Romance: Women Patriarchy and Popular Culture. (The University of North Carolina Press, 1991). Groupwork: Comparative analyses of Kracauer and Radway Lecture: Identification, Power, and Resistance

8

Note to Student: Last day to designate a course Pass/Fail is Friday, 10/1

AUDIENCES AND IDENTITIES AND MEDIA ECOLOGY W6

M, 10/4

Readings Due: Susan Bordo, “Reading the Slender Body (185-212),” in Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body. (University of California Press, 1995). Lisa Nakamura, “Feeling good about feeling bad: virtuous virtual reality and the automation of racial empath...