J412/J512 Issues in Communication Studies W08
Topic: The First Casualty:
War, Truth and Communication
Updated
Updated
COURSE SUMMARY
(See pages linked below for additional instructions)
Assignments,
Background
resources, Calendar
Week 1: Lecture
notes, Overheads
Week 2: Lecture
notes, Overheads
Week 3 Lecture
Notes, Overheads
Week 4 Lecture Notes,
Overheads
Week 6 Lecture Notes,
Overheads
Week 7 Lecture Notes,
Overheads
Week 8 Lecture
Notes, Overheads
Week 9-10 Lecture
Notes, Overheads
This
lecture/discussion class is intended to provide SOJC majors and graduate
students with an analytical overview of government and media institutions,
processes and technologies that have shaped
information about war for audiences in the
Issues
to be addressed include government wartime information policies, nationalism
and dissent in the news, wartime advertising, propaganda, the personal and
professional challenges facing war journalists, new media technologies that can
bring war into the home, and the role of managed public opinion in a democratic
society.
CLASS MEETS:
MW 4-5:20, 128 Chiles. Professor:
Stephen Ponder.
Office: 203 Allen Hall. Hours: MW 2-3:20, and by appointment. Telephone:
REQUIRED
W. Lance Bennett and
co-authors, When the Press Fails: Political Power and the
News Media from Iraq to Katrina (University of Chicago Press, 2007).
Phillip Knightley, The First Casualty: The War Correspondent as
Myth-maker and Hero from Crimea to Kosovo (Johns Hopkins, 2004).
Josh Rushing, Mission Al-Jazeera:
Build a Bridge, Seek the Truth, Change the World
(Palgrave
MacMillan, 2007).
GENERAL
REQUIREMENTS
Important: Academic Integrity
You are expected to do your own work and to cite fully those whose work
you are using. Cheating or plagiarism will result in an "F" for the
assignment and possibly for the course. If you have questions about university
guidelines for ethical conduct, please consult the Student Conduct Code.
Classroom conduct
Students are expected to attend class, participate civilly in
discussions and behave respectfully toward others. That means no cell phones,
no computer games, no noisemaking, and no unrelated conversations. Students who
cannot behave or speak professionally will be asked to leave the classroom.
Continuing disruptive behavior will be reported to the Office of Student Life.
Other general requirements
Check
your written assignments for clarity and composition. Remember, this is a communications
course. Assignments will be evaluated on organization, accuracy, and writing,
in addition to depth of research and validity of reasoning. Sources must be
cited, using an appropriate reference system.
Examinations
There will be two take-home examinations.
Questions for the midterm examination will be distributed on Wednesday,
January 30. The completed examination is due at the beginning of class on Monday,
February 4.
Questions for the comprehensive final examination will be distributed on
Wednesday, March 12. The completed examination is due by 5 p.m. on Monday,
March 17.
In addition to the take-home examinations, there will be occasional
in-class quizzes on current war and communication topics. Students will also
write a short statement at the end of each class period that responds to one of
the major points of discussion that day.
Writing Assignments
All
students will complete two short papers (minimum 5-6 text pages,
double-spaced, 12-point type) that compare communications in wartime,
historically and in the present. Deadlines: Papers are due at the beginning of
class on Wednesday, January 23, and Wednesday, February 27. The assignments are
described generally below and on the Assignments
page in greater detail. The assignment also will be discussed in class.
Graduate
students (J512): In addition to the assignments above, graduate students
are expected to complete two analytical book reviews (2-3 pages, double-spaced,
12 point). Written book reviews are due at beginning of class on Wednesday,
January 16, and Wednesday, February 13. Books may be selected from a list
provided by the instructor or suggested by students with the instructor’s
approval.
Grades
Final grades will be based on the midterm examination (15%), writing
assignments (50%), attendance and participation in class discussions, quick papers,
and quizzes (15%), and the final examination (20%). NOTE: On all assignments,
deadlines will be enforced. Late assignments will be penalized the equivalent
of one letter grade per day, beginning at the class session in which they are
due.
Expected grade range: A 90-100%, B 80-89%, C 70-79%, D 60-69%, F,
below 60%. The instructor reserves the right to alter the grade range as
necessary.