JAMM 340 Summer, 2008
Cultural Diversity and The Media
Class meets 10:30-12:45 M-F
Classroom: TLC 141 Instructor: Becky Tallent
E-mail: rtallent@uidaho.edu Office phone: 885-8872
Office: Administration 333
Office hours: 8 -10 a.m. M-F and by appointment
Required Text:
Dines, G and Humez, J.M. (2003) Gender, race and class in media (2nd ed). Thousand Oaks,
CA, Sage Publications.
Wilson, C.C., Gutierrez, F., and Chao, L.M. (2003) Racism, sexism and the media the rise of
class communication in multicultral America (3rd ed). Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage Publications.
Course Description:
Cultural Diversity and the Media will examine the mass media and issues of diversity in North America, specifically within the United States. This class will focus on first gaining an understanding of the economic pressures of media management plus a brief look back at elements of the mass media and how the media influenced both the majority and minority cultures. This course will look at the issues of race, gender, sexual preference, social class, ages, abilities, family units and different concepts of violence on the media and how the media has impacted these various groups. In addition to the news media, we will also discuss influences from music and music videos, the Internet, television, advertising and the movies.
Many of these issues, events, ideologies and theoretical perspectives we will discuss are sensitive to some people, so it is essential that maturity and decorum will be maintained at all times. This course and the university enhances and promotes the free exchange of ideas in an environment that celebrates dignity, worth and contributions of all ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Course Objectives:
The primary purpose of this course is to encourage the critical thinking skills of future media professionals concerning the dignity and rights of all people, including various cultures, races, socio-economic, marital status, age groups, sexual orientation, family unit types/issues and handicapping conditions. During this class, students will:
- Be introduced to a variety of cultural, ethnical and racial issues involving stereotypes and media encouragement/denouncement of those stereotypes
- Examine media portrayals of women and people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered and how various media treatments impact these groups.
- Be introduced to the media issues surrounding families in the United States of all types and understand how the media can impact family units
- Be introduced to the media portrayals of people from various age groups, handicapping conditions and socioeconomic groups, and the sensetitive nature of those portrayals.
- Look at how the advertising industry promotes and denounces various stereotypes.
- Examine how the use of violence has a major impact on various groups of minority groups.
- Examine possible methods of dealing with these issues from a variety of grassroots movements recently developed to impact the media.
A Few Words About the Class Format:
This course is a discussion and research class, so keeping up with the readings is imperitive. It is also essential that you talk in class and maintain a presence on the discussion page of Blackboard. We will also have guest speakers, videos and film presentations aloing with small group discussions. While I will foster the discussions, I do expect class participation since it is an important part of the learning process.
Because of the nature of the topics we will discuss, we should always remain observant and fair concerning the feelings and opinions of others. Please consider this classroom a safe space in which you may express your questions and opinions; by the same token, please also be aware there are people who will have differing views. We must respect the opinions of others as we would want our views respected.
If there is one thing I would like for everyone to remember in this class is that there is no such thing as a “stupid” question, especially any question that is asked with respect and out of a genuine inquiry.
Should you have a special need, please see me as soon as possible. I will make accomodations as needed for you.
Grading Formula:
Race Paper 100 points
Gender Paper 100 points
Disabilities, Economic or Ageism Paper 100 points
Final Paper 300 points
Class participation (including Web) 400 points
Total Possible Points 1,000
Final grades will be based on the following scale:
A=900-1,000 B= 800-899 C=700-799 D=600-699 F= 599 and below
Attendance and participation this class is mandatory. Students who come to class but who do not participate in the discussion - both in class and online - will not receive full participation points. Simply attending class is not participation – you must speak up and voice your opinion or questions.
Anyone who misses ¼ of the class, that is 5 absences, will not pass. After the second absence, your grade will be lowered by a letter grade.
Policies and Procedures:
Academic Honesty and Integrity: Academic honesty is expected from all students. Of chief concern in this class is plagiarism; the definition of plagiarism is:
Plagiarism: Presenting as one’s own the ideas, words, or products of another. Plagiarism includes use of any source to complete academic assignments without proper acknowledgement of the source. Cutting and pasting from the Internet without proper attribution is plagiarism.
The penalty for academic dishonesty is zero points on the assignment on which the violation is discovered. (See page 49 in the University of Idaho Catalog for a more complete explanation.)
Appeals: Any appeal of a paper grade must be submitted in writing no later than one week after the paper is returned. Appeals of the final grade must be received no later than July 11.
Attendance, absences, cell phones and laptops: Because of the nature of this course, students are required to attend all classes. If, due to a serious illness or family emergency, you must miss more than one class, please notify me as quickly as possible. If you canot speak with me in person, I have voice mail on all my telephones and e-mail is an acceptable method of communication; I will call you back as quickly as possible.
Please arrive to class on time so that the learning experience can be maximized. Late arrivals and early departures are disruptive to other students and the discussion process.
In class, please turn all cell phones off or on silent so not to disrupt the class. All cell phones should be stored out of sight. If you are on-call for work or are experiencing a family emergency, please discuss this with me before class.
While laptops are great for taking notes, you should only use them for taking notes. If at anytime I find you online checking e-mail or surfing the net, I will have you close your computer immediately and it will be banned from class for the remainder of the semester.
Assignments: Written assignments are due on the date specified in the course calendar. Class research papers must be written in AP style. I will provide a method of using citations and creating a reference page.
I have no tolerance for late projects. Papers are due at the start of class on the date stated. I will not accept late papers.
E-mail: All students are required to have a Vandal Mail address. Reminders of assignments, changes in the schedule and links to related websites will be distributed via e-mail several times a week. The class distribution list will be based on your Vandal Mail address.
Exams: There are no exams for this class.
Help with study and writing skills: Courses such as JAMM 340 cover a wide range of material. To earn a good grade in this course, students should attend class every day and keep up with the reading. If you have any problems understanding the course, please see me in my office during office hours or make an appointment with me.
Internet Access: All students must have access to the Internet so you can go to the class website: http://www.class.uidaho.edu/Jamm340. I will post all assignments, make additional suggestions and announce changes in the course schedule, so please check the web site often.
Everyone will also be responsible for posting discussions on the course Blackboard site. This will be a place where we can continue our discussions started in the classroom. Everyone is expected to have at least one substitutive posting each week.
Calendar:
The course is organized in six units, with a paper due at the end of each unit. Following is a list of the week-to-week schedule with the corresponding readings. Please note: exact topics and timing may vary slightly, depending on the availability of guest speakers.
Wk Date Topic/Readings
1 6/9-13 Introductions, overview and general ramblings
6/9-10 Media economics and dealing with an insensitive media
Chapter 1, 2 and 9 in Wilson, Gutierrez and Chao; Chapters 1, 2,
and 5 in Dines & Humez
6/11-13 Race issues Chapters 3, 4, 5 and 7 in Wilson, Gutierrez and Chao
Race issues paper due 6/12
2 6/16-20 Issues of gender and preference
Chapter 8 in Wilson, Gutierrez and Chao; Chapters 9, 12, 14,
21, and 22 in Dines & Humez
Gender or sexual preference paper due 6/19
3 6/23-27 Issues of age, disabilities, economic status and families
Chapters 48 and 68 in Dines & Humez; other readings TBA
Age, disabilities, economic status or family issues paper due 6/26
4 6/30-7/4 The violence debates and the rise of class communication
Chapters 33, 34, 37, 38 and 66 in Dines & Humez
Chapters 10, 11 and 12 in Wilson, Gutierrez and Chao
7/3 Final Paper Due no later than 5 p.m.
7/07 Course grades posted on the web
7/11 Last day to appeal an exam score or course grade
Papers:
In general, the papers following each section will be five (5) pages each plus a references page. However, there is one exception:
The final paper, which will be a formal research paper, 8 to 10 pages in length.
Short weekly papers may be written in first, second or third person; but the final paper must be written in third person. All papers will be written in a mix of AP and APA styles. While the bulk of each paper will be written in AP style, you will use APA style for both the citations and the reference pages. For example:
Being considered an "apple Indian" was very common for indigenous people born between 1930 and 1970, said Wilma Mankiller, former principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, noting that most Natives born during this time were not educated in tribal customs. (Mankiller, 2000)
The citation for this would be:
Mankiller, W. (2000) Mankiller: a chief and her people. New York, NY, St. Martin's Press
If you found it online, the citation would be:
Mankiller, W., Modern history of the Cherokee, retrieved Jan. 2, 2007 at
http://www.cherokee.org/home.aspx?section=story&id=AYvhYl0SrqY=
In this class you have a special situation:
One of your textbooks is a text-reader. To quote from the Gender, race and Class in Media book you must do it as follows: (I am using as an example chapter 2, you would obviously use the author and title of the chapter you use)
Croteau, D. & Hoynes, W. (2001) The new media giants: changing industry structure. As found
in Gender, race and class in media by Dines, G. & Humez, J.M. (eds). (2003). Thousand
Oaks, CA; Sage Publications.
Your in-text parenthetical would be (Croteau & Hoynes, 2001).
Students are strongly encouraged to discuss the focus and scope of their long paper with the instructor before researching them. Original research will be looked upon more favorably than simply quoting the work of others
Discussions:
In order for the discussion to have meaning, everyone should have the readings completed prior to the class where the discussion will take place. Since most topics will cover at least two weeks of time, make sure to read the chapters in order of the listing, so if you only read three chapters prior to a class session, you will have a knowledge base from which to draw for the discussion at hand. However, all chapters should be completed by the end of the first week of the topic. Please remember: participation in class discussion is important to the learning process and in the exchange of ideas.
In addition to the listed readings, there will be additional readings posted on-line or on reserve at the UI library.
Besides respect for concepts and ideas, I want to stress that no question is "dumb" or any real emotion "silly." We all come into this setting with our own backgrounds, beliefs and prejudices; the key is to respect our class diversity as much as we will respect the diversity of the North American cultural landscape.
As a general rule, questions about the readings will be posted on Blackboard prior to each week. Please read and come to class prepared to answer the questions and discuss the concepts presented.