TEXTBOOK: Dynamics of Mass Communication, Dominick, McGraw-Hill, 10th edition (2008)
Due dates for reading assignments are noted on the class calendar.

PURPOSE: The course is an introductory overview of mass communication. It provides a foundation for understanding media, and introductions to the "languages" of several media. General objectives include:
(a) fostering an awareness of the characteristics and effects of these media,
(b) providing background for higher level classes, and
(c) preparing the student who plans to work in the industry.

GOALS: To inform students of the basic form and function of the major media;  to provide a foundation so that they will eventually become conversant about media; and to develop the awareness to become more selective as "consumers" in the media environment.

METHODS: 1) Lectures, slides, recordings and class discussions; 2) Readings including the textbook, online links including all in this syllabus, and handouts;  3) Other assignments. Most classes before the midterm emphasize factual information about individual media. The classes after the midterm address topics relevant to multiple media, and require more student participation in class discussions.

REQUIRED: Attentive attendance, as spelled out in the grading section below, is required. Those missing class due to illness must keep up with all course work and arrange to copy notes from another students upon full recovery. Students are responsible for mastery of lecture material, text and other content, and for responses when called upon in class. Students should be prepared to discuss the text and online assignments in every class, and to keep informed on topics of this class by via relevant outside reading and media coverage. Surprise quizzes, oral recitations, and written assignments are at the instructor's discretion.  Access to the Internet is a necessity, but should not be attempted during class without permission. Students are required to make regular use of this class web site, checking for updates of the online syllabus and reading items linked therein. Although links are provided to slides which outline key lecture material for the examination, students should also take handwritten notes in class.

GRADING: The final grade for the course will be based upon:
#1) Attentive attendance is expected, but not if you are ill. Attentive attendance is defined as (a) eye contact with the instructor; (b) no talking amongst yourselves except during designated discussions; and (c) open electronic devices during class are strictly prohibited. All note-taking must be done by handwriting. You must be on time for every class you attend. Any inattentive behavior, unexcused absences and/or recurring tardiness will lower the final grade substantially, and may result in failure in and of itself. Students who are ill should not attend class. If you must miss a class for any reason, simply send notification to the instructor's e-mail, prior to class time. If you must miss class due to illness or other emergencies, please download that day's notes from this online syllabus.
#2) The objective midterm examination is the single most heavily weighted positive component of the semester grade.
#3) Spot oral recitation and class participation is a key component of the grade after the midterm. Participation in class discussions is weighted heavily in the final grade. Only informed, on-point remarks (as determined at the sole discretion of the instructor) are counted towards this requirement.
#4) Assignments and spot quizzes, covering the text, familiarity with the notes linked on this syllabus, and final assignments are counted in the grade.

CONSULTING: Professor Kearney will be available for consultation in the classroom before class, and for "walk and talk" following class. To schedule an appointment to see the instructor at other times, or to schedule telephone consultation, please do so by e-mail. Short questions will be answered directly via e-mail, usually before the next class meeting. Please do not leave messages via the university voice mail.  For the instructor's telephone number, please search the University directory.

FEES: This course may require an additional materials fee.
_______________________________________________________________________________

CLASS CALENDAR FTVS 200 (Spring 2010)   MW 3-4:15 PM  St. Robert's Hall (STR) Room 356

Wednesday January 20 - Introductions & review of course outline. Why & how we study media.

Monday January 25 and Wednesday January 27 - Marshall McLuhan: Understanding Media
Read text Chapter 3 and these notes and the McLuhan slides. The Information Age/What are media?/ Becoming "media wise"/ predicting technological change //  An introduction to McLuhan: Understanding Media (To load and review slide presentations, first open Microsoft PowerPoint on your computer, then click the link.) Professor Marshall McLuhan's overview/The Global Village/Characteristics of our instantaneous information environment/Learning and using media languages/how media combine and change. Video: The full length Video McLuhan is available in the University Library.

Case study evaluating new media: Apple's iPad -- engadget coverage;   macworld.com coverage; expert analysis from Leo Laporte at live.twit.tv

Monday February 1 and Wednesday February 3 -  The Printed Word (Books, e-Books, Newspapers & Magazines)
Read Text Chapters 4, 5, and 6 by this date. Overview of printed communication, including technological changes in publishing. Re development of literary properties for film and television, read these additional notes on: literary coverage. Author Tom Wolfe discusses "Cities of Ambition."

Monday February 8 and Wednesday February 10 Radio, Recordings, and Sound

Read Text Chapters 7 and 8 by this date. Radio industry overview. Formats including talk and non-commercial public radio as well as music. Radio's symbiosis with the recording industry. Internet radio is expanding listener choices. Music file sharing, downloading, and the rights of artists, shareholders, etc. Sound recording is a language. Motion picture music. The most common failing of student films is bad sound. Link: sound advice. Article: record industry's decline. Link: station coverage areas  Video link: podcast audio recording Video link: motion picture sound design  Audio link: Martini Shot archive Website: Equipment Emporium (pay) educational site

Monday February 15  and Wednesday February 17 and  Motion Pictures
Read Text Chapter 9 by this date. Technology;  creative history; structure of the industry; it's called show business; film artists including renowned directors. and renowned writers.  Link to text Motion Pictures study guide / quiz questions  Articles: recent trends /  DVD sales figures / article: The Red Carpet Campaign / principles of drama

Monday February 22 -Wednesday February 24 - Television: Broadcast, Cable and Satellite
Read Text Chapter 10 by this date. Evolution and structure of TV/networks/local stations/cable & satellite. Networks, program producers and suppliers. Corporate ownership across the major media.

Monday March 1 -  Professional Perspective - Non-fiction
Writer-producer and host/commentator Pat LaLama presents her perspective on producing compelling non-fiction television, and takes questions from students.

Wednesday March 3 - Midterm exam
Multiple choice questions based on class lectures, PowerPoints, discussions, videos, linked notes above, handouts, and textbook. Absence must result in the filing of a midterm deficiency. Pay particular attention to the PowerPoint slides linked in this syllabus. Review and grades after the exam.

Monday March 8 - Professional Perspective - Writing and Producing for Television
Award-winning writer-producer Bill Clark (NYPD Blue) joins us to discuss story development, writing, and production for television. A 25-year veteran of the NYPD, Mr. Clark is an expert on how to adapt true stories to achieve realistic narratives.

Wednesday March 10 - Interactive Media
Media technology is becoming faster, more mobile and interactive. Power is shifting from centralized media to users. Media companies use interactivity for marketing, transactions, and listening to customers via audience research.   TV Research   Overnight ratings  Users of interactive media review products, make content choices, and participate in online communities. Information about user activity informs new media advertisers, fuels e-commerce, and is redefining "word of mouth" marketing.  mag.ma

Monday March 15  - Writing for the Screen
Writing for the film or TV screen requires understanding of the principles of storytelling. Some of these principles can be summarized in a checklist approach, but the most important test of a writer's success is often whether performances connect with the emotions of the audience. The most compelling stories elevate the humanity within us. Even factual and informational presentations are more persuasive and enduring when they incorporate narrative elements. Facing a blank page is hard work. All industry professionals should show respect for the initiative of the writer. WGA links for writers

Wednesday March 17 and Monday March 22 - The News and Information media environment
Read textbook Chapters 11 and 12 by this date. How media amplify and distort information/how media interact; the language of "snowball" events; tabloid news; how different media "encode" news differently; interpretation, analysis , and "spin"; the fair and balanced news debate: variables shaping news coverage.  Comparison of news commentary + analysis pieces in different media (e.g. Dateline special on the financial crisis, parts 5 & 6 vs. a book on the financial crisis) Assignment due March 22: compare news coverage from two different sources.    report: C-SPAN is putting its complete video archive on the web, including many great moments in history.

Wednesday March 24 -  Professional Perspective - Motion Pictures
Screenwriter and LMU SFTV graduate Patrick Melton joins us to discuss story development, and writing for production for film & television.  A Project Greenlight winner co-writes the Saw series or movies, Patrick is now adapting the original television classic The Outer Limits for the big screen.                                          

Monday March 29 and Wednesday March 31 - No classes - spring break. Please drive only when sober, and never get in a vehicle with an impaired driver.

Monday April 5 - Advertising
Professional perspective from Tom Denne, Producer at RPA (Rubin Postaer and Associates, an advertising agency in Santa Monica with clients including Honda and Acura. He is an LMU graduate who formerly worked in educational documentaries and sports production. Prof. Kearney will discuss the network television side of advertising.
* Read text Chapters 13 and 14 and these notes on artful and effective advertising.  Be aware of advertising news and current trends e.g. search advertising, blogs and internet production contractors. Be able to identify major advertising entities and local resources. (TBWA Chiat Day is a nearby agency with internships.)

Wednesday April 7 - Careers in the Media
Travel Editor for CBS News, Peter Greenberg. He is the author of several best sellers, an editor for magazines, a nationally syndicated radio host and newspaper columnist, the editor of a fast-growing website, a former development VP for Paramount TV, and a producer of made-for-television movies and documentary specials. An Emmy-winning broadcast journalist who has worked at ABC, NBC, and CBS, as well as local stations and basic cable networks, Mr. Greenberg is the world's leading authority on travel and transportation.

Monday April 12 -  Public Relations and Publicity
 * Consider how public relations strategies can impact and shape audience perceptions. Corporate leaders, non-profits, politicians, doctors, lobbyists / trade associations, activists and policy advocates, etc. all require skilled PR professionals. They work with existing media, issue press releases, publish magazines, sponsor events, etc.
* Consider how book, film, TV and personal publicists building awareness and interest in personalities, brands, and media content. How publicists work with editors and journalists.

Wednesday April 14  - DVD / Video Screening
From the list provided, borrow one film or television program from the LMU Library Media Desk (second floor.) For multi-part series and mini-series such as Roots, you must only watch one episode along with "making of" behind the scenes pieces. For features, watch the film and the DVD extras provided. Then prepare a brief review for recitation aloud in this class, relating your analysis to our studies in this class. Two pages, 60 seconds timing maximum read aloud please, and be prepared to answer questions. And don't forget to return the DVD or VHS video to the LMU library.

Monday April 19 - Technological Change in the Global Village: the Internet, Media Convergence

Read text Chapter 17, re-read Chapter 11, and review these questions and basic terms about technology. McLuhan's "Global Village" is here. The rate of technological change is accelerating.  Digitization is reconfiguring most major media. Still, traditional media (including cable) are still profit centers for major companies. How will emerging media evolve, and converge with or obsolete existing forms of production and distribution? Are new media giving us a more informed society, and developing a receptive audience to high quality storytelling entertainment? How could evolving technology and new economic models reshape your career path?

Wednesday April 21 - Media Communication and Society
Regulatory and ethical issues; the public interest and corporate interests; personal and corporate responsibility.  Browse Chapters 15, 16, and 18 by this date. Familiarize yourself with regulatory, legal and ethical issues facing the media industry. How do you perceive corporate and personal responsibility in the media industries? If you were a parent, what limits would you enforce? Which limits would you like society -- corporations and government regulators -- to place on media content in terms violence, sexuality, language, character behavior, and other standards of decency and responsibility? Group discussion topics include the 1st Amendment, the FCC, "Net neutrality", retransmission consent, and media mergers. Recent articles: Supreme Court 1st Amerndment ruling; latest South Park controversy.

Monday April 26 - Final Assignments due
The take-home final assignment for the Survey of Mass Media final is due on Monday April 26 - no extensions, no exceptions, no "incompletes"
Take-home final assignment: bring to class printed responses to both of the following questions.
(1) Bring in a newspaper story or op-ed essay related to some topic covered in our class and in a short talking points memo outline a discussion of your perspective on the article. Do not just state an opinion; offer very brief arguments or questions which demonstrate that you are conversant about what you've learned in this class.
(2) Please enumerate and reflect briefly on the ten most important lessons you learned in this class -- what in business is sometimes called your "top ten takeaways". Consider class notes, articles linked from this syllabus, screenings, lectures, and discussions. Be prepared to discuss answers to all portions of the test orally. Any students unable to submit these assignments in person due to illness, emergency, or "the printer ran out of ink" must submit them by e-mail (in the body  of the e-mail, not as attachments) to the instructor with a timestamp no later than 1PM on the April 26.

Wednesday April 28 - For this last meeting, be prepared to discuss your responses to these take-home assignments.

Note that there is no class during examination week, in order to facilitate attendance at mandatory screenings for production classes. Thank you for participating in this class.

Special Note:
The following messages are important to the overall mission of the School of Film & Television.  Please read and comply with these policies.

SAFETY:      

Since the School of  Film and Television is fully committed to safety and sensible risk management, every student will be required to adhere to all safety and risk management policies.  The School considers violation of the Safety and Risk Management policies infractions of the LMU Student Honor Code (Cf. Undergraduate and Graduate Bulletin 2008-2010, pg. 58).   In accordance with the Honor Code guidelines and process, disciplinary measures may range from warnings, to failure in the course to expulsion from the University. Additionally, any footage acquired during the commission of a violation of these policies will be disallowed from the project.

Students in violation of SFTV policies also risk suspension of Privileges. Privileges include access to SFTV Production and Post Production resources and equipment and participating at the end of the semester screenings.   When a violation occurs, the Instructor, the appropriate Department Chair, HOPA and the Graduate Director will meet to determine whether and to what extent the student shall incur temporary loss of privileges, or they may jointly make a recommendation to the Dean for permanent loss of privileges.

SFTV Grading Screenings:  

The Final Screenings are grading sessions.  They are open to, and welcome, all SFTV students, the entire SFTV community and invited guests including key crew and alumni.  There will be a special screening for crew members, friends and family at the end of the grading week.  The procedures for the end Final Screenings will be announced.    In accordance with departmental policy, student projects will not be screened past the maximum length specified in the syllabus.