CORE 114
UNDERSTANDING MEDIA:
Culture, Meaning, and Power
Syllabus - §§ 02 & 04
Fall 2009
Instructor: J. Carl Mickelsen
Website: http://www.class.uidaho.edu/mickelsen/
Office: Location and hours are posted on the web (see "Office").
Texts: Posted on the web (see "Readings 114").Course Description and Objectives: Posted on the web (see "Course Description and Objectives").
Attendance: Absences from class are governed by university policies and the final grade will be lowered for excessive absences. Class attendance and participation may positively impact the final grade at the instructor’s discretion. Students whose absence results in missing a test or assignment must make arrangements with the instructor within one week of the absence to resolve the issue.
An excused absence is defined by University of Idaho policy as a) an approved field trip or other official UI activity; b) confinement under doctor's orders; c) call to military duty; or d) leave of absence granted by student's academic dean.
As a general matter, it is the student’s responsibility to attend class and a student’s unexcused absence, i.e., the failure to meet that responsibility, should not create an additional burden for the instructor. E-mail requests for information that was given in class, e.g., assignments, will be ignored unless it is clearly indicated that there was an excused absence and the nature of that excuse.
Academic Honesty: Academic honesty is governed by the Student Code of Conduct. All suspected instances of academic dishonesty will be referred to the Dean of Students. Further sanctions, including receiving a grade of "F" for the course, may be imposed.
Plagiarism is a type of academic dishonesty. Plagiarism may include 1) the direct copying of another’s writings, with or without minor rephrasing, without citing the source, and 2) not indicating directly quoted passages when the work is cited as a general source.
Reasonable Accommodations: Reasonable accommodations are available for students who have documented temporary or permanent disabilities. All accommodations must be approved through Disability Support Services, located in the Idaho Commons Building, Room 306. Please contact Disability Support Services as soon as possible so that you may receive accommodations in a timely manner.
· 885-6307
· email at <dss@uidaho.edu>
· website at <www.access.uidaho.edu>Laptop Computers: In general, laptop computers shall not be used in the classroom.
Grades: Final course grades will be weighted as follows:
30% - Tests
25% - Quizzes
25% - Miscellaneous assignments
20% - PaperTests: There will be three (3) equally weighted tests. A test will be given at the conclusion of each of the following topic areas:
Test #1 - Foundations for Media Literacy;
Test #2 - Interpreting Media Content - News;
Test #3 - Interpreting Media Content - Commercial Propaganda.Tests will be noticed at least two class periods in advance. Test #3 will be given during the time scheduled for the final exam but it will not be a cumulative examination.
§ 02 - Thursday, Dec. 17th @ 10:00 am
§ 04 - Friday, Dec. 18th @ 10:00 amQuizzes: Quizzes will be given regularly and will be based on the assigned reading materials. The assignments are listed sequentially (see "Readings 114") and it is the student's responsibility to keep informed of what material is assigned. Quiz responses that do not clearly evidence that the student read the assigned material may be assigned a negative value. If a student misses a quiz due to an excused absence or an illness, a make-up in the form of a summary of the assigned reading may be submitted the following class period.
Miscellaneous Assignments: Throughout the semester, miscellaneous group and individual work will be assigned. See "Assignments 114" for details regarding written assignments.
Paper: A paper will be required. See "Assignments 114" for further details.
NOTICE: The foregoing is subject to change.
It is in changing that things find repose.
Heraclitus, Fragment 23