Communication 10,
Journalism, Gender and Race
Spring Semester, 2005
Section 4129: Thursday,
Instructor: Luis
Martinez, E-mail Comm10SMC@hotmail.com
Campus
Voicemail Extension: (310) 434-8639
Office
Hours: By Appointment
URL: http://homepage.smc.edu/martinez_luis
Textbooks: Period
News stories and
The Children are Watching: How the Media Teaches About
Diversity by Carlos E. Cortes
Course
Description
Communication
10 examines how popular culture and journalism from the 1920s to the present
have helped perpetuate stereotypes of men, women and minority groups in the
Through
discussion and debate, students will be expected to develop critical thinking
skills in order to analyze the profound influence of the media from mainstream,
gender and ethnic-based points of view. Particular emphasis will be placed on
the historical impact of gender bias and cultural ignorance on credibility and
fairness in news reporting.
The goal of
this course is to analyze and critique the influence of journalism and popular
culture on how various Americans view themselves and the broader society they
live in. The ultimate question this course will address is what constitutes
news and entertainment as we enter the 21st century. In that regard,
particular emphasis will be placed on
Examination
and Assignment Format
All exams and assignments will be in take-home, essay
format. All work must be turned in the day it is due and must be typed,
double-spaced and stapled to receive full credit. Late work will immediately
lose one letter grade (i.e. “A” to “B”) and will continue to lose one point for
each additional day it is late. Late
assignments must be e-mailed. Any e-mailed assignment, whether late or on-time
will, not be graded until the end of the semester. Instructor does not open
attachments!
Reading
Assignments
The reader for Communications 10 contains the core materials
you will need to understand the historical scope of this class, and assignments
from the reader will be clearly marked in the syllabus. The readers are sold in
the campus bookstore and there are copies in reserve at the library.
Unfortunately, they are expensive due to the copyright fees the college must
pay to use the news stories and book excerpts. But rest assured that they are
crucial to your success. This IS a
required text.
Carlos Cortes’ book is a wonderful resource and interesting
analys1is. We will touch on it briefly later on in the course. It is NOT a required text.
Occasionally, you may also receive handouts, and be asked to
read materials on reserve in the library or posted on my Web site. Unless otherwise noted, readings must be
completed by the date indicated in the syllabus.
Pop
Quizzes
Active participation will be a crucial component to this
course. To ensure all students are caught up with readings and films and are
able to intelligently discuss the core concepts, the instructor will conduct
several pop quizzes during the semester, which will be worth 20 points, or 10
percent of your total grade. There will be no make-up opportunities.
Class
Participation: Debate and Discussion Guidelines
Class discussions on the readings, films and other materials
studied in the course will be a requirement and will count toward 5 percent or
10 points of your final course grade. Lively debate and discussion should be
the norm for Communications 10 rather than the exception. But, do keep in mind
that these discussions will cover sensitive issues pertaining to race and
gender. Complete respect and tolerance
for all points of view will be an expectation. It is only through these
types of interactions that we learn to recognize our own prejudices and the
experiences other members of the SMC community have lived through and may
continue to experience on a daily basis.
Attendance and Absences
Attendance will be mandatory. Unexcused absences will result
in a one-point (1) deduction from a students’ class participation grade.
Make-ups will not be offered. Cell
phones ringers must be turned off. Offenders will forfeit participation points.
Diversity
Media Log
A semester-long, Diversity Media Log will be a major component
for the class. This will serve as an opportunity to observe the media on a
regular basis and comment on its representations of diverse communities or
other issues relating to diversity and the media. Students will be required to
reference a range of sources including magazine and newspaper articles,
broadcast news reports, internet-published articles, films, television shows or
music recordings. There will be no “right” or “wrong” answers in this log, but
it will be graded for its level of critical thought, analysis and effort. The
finished product should include at least 10 entries and be between 10-20 pages in
length.
Plagiarism
Any clear instance of plagiarism will forfeit all points for
that particular media log, exam or assignment. Repeated instances will be
forwarded to the proper campus authorities.
Final Grades
Final grades will be based on the media log, quizzes,
participation, two exams/assignments, one midterm and one final. Points
assigned as follows:
Diversity Media Log, 25 %
Class Participation 5 %
Quizzes 10%
Exams and Assignments 20 %
Midterm 20%
Final Exam, 20 %
There will be 200 points possible for the semester. The
following grade distribution will be used: 92-100%=
A; 80-91%=B; 60-79%=C; 44-59%=D; 43%-below=F.
Tentative Class Schedule
We may
stray from this schedule to discuss relevant contemporary news issues. Exam
dates and deadlines will be adjusted accordingly, based on class input.
2/17 Introduction
and Course Overview: What are the Mass Media? How are gender and race portrayed
in contemporary media, particularly in journalistic endeavors? What about our
own experiences?
Film: ”Citizen Kane”
Assigned
Reader Week 1,
n Watching the World by Raymond Clapper, selected columns
about journalists and journalism
n Letters to my Children by Robert Maynard and Dori Maynard, “The Right Kind of Father,” “A Recollection
17 Novembers Old,” Reconciliation Struggle.”
2/24 The Power of
the “Press Lords” and “Yellow Journalism”
Film Clips: ”Citizen Kane”
Assigned
Reader Week 2,
n News Clips from the Depression Era
n Watching the World by Raymond Clapper, selected
Depression Era columns.
Reader Week 3,
n The Columnists by Charles Fisher, introduction
n Watching the World by Raymond Clapper, selected
columns.
n It Seems to Me, by Heywood Hale Broun, selected columns.
3/3 Women
Journalists of the 20s, 30s, 40s,
Film: ”His Girl Friday”
Assigned
Reader Week 5,
n Profiles of Women Journalist
Pioneers (Web Site)
n Journalism for Women, by E.A. Bennet
n “Over the Lines” from They Called
it Purple Heart Valley by Margaret Bourke-White.
n “The Pacific,” from Ernie’s War,
by Ernie Pyle
Take-Home Exam 1 Distributed
3/10 Staff
Development Day (No Class)
3/17 World
War II Coverage of Japanese Americans
Film: “Visible Target”
Assigned
Reader Week 6,
n And Justice for All, and Oral
History of the Japanese American Detention Camps, by John Tateishi,
“Haruko Niwa”
n Period news clips about Japanese
American detention camps
Take-Home Exam 1 Due
3/24 Coverage of African Americans
before 1960
Film:”Ethnic Notions”
Assigned
Reader Week 7,
n Period news clips about integration
of
n Letters to my Children, by Robert Maynard and Dori Maynard, “Is America a racist society?” and “Prophets
and Protesters”
3/31 Early Coverage of Latinos
Film: “Zoot Suit Riots”
Assigned
Reader Week 9,
n Period news clips about the Zoot Suit Riots
4/7 The Sixties: A Watershed
Time in
Assigned
Reader Week 8,
n Soul on Ice, by Eldridge Cleaver, “On
Becoming,” “On
n The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan,
“The Problem that has No Name”
n The Sixties, Years of Hope, Days of
Rage, by Todd Gitlin, “Leftward kicking and screaming,” “All-Purpose
Apocalypse”
Midterm Review
Midterm Exam Distributed
4/14 Spring Break (No Class)
4/21 Journalism, Gender and Race
Today
Film: “The Paper”
Midterm Exam Due
4/28 Coverage by and about women
post World War II
Film Clips: “Up Close and Personal” and “The
Paper”
In-Class: Exercise
and Discussion
Assigned
Reader Week 11,
n Personal History, Katharine Graham
n “Sex, Lies and Advertising,” by
Gloria Steinem,
Ms. Magazine(Web site)
Students Must Bring a Copy of a
Magazine to Class
Take-Home Exam 2 Distributed
5/5 The
Nightly News … A Discussion
Take-Home Exam 2 Due
5/12 Coverage of Contemporary Civil
Disturbances:
Film: “Heat Wave”
Assigned
Reader Week 12,
n News clips on the Watts Riots
n News clips on the 1992 Los Angeles
Riots
5/19 Wrestling with objectivity and
personal prejudices
The Role of the Ethnic Press and
non-English broadcast outlets;
The Role of the Reporter:
In-Class: Exercise
and Discussion
Assigned
Reader Week 10,
n Journalism’s Colorful Firsts by Clint C. Wilson & Felix Gutierrez
n Diversity figures from the American Society of Newspaper Editors and
the Radio-Television News Directors
Association (Web Site)
Diversity Media Log Due
5/26 Impact of Political
Correctness: Good or Bad?
Film: “When Hate Goes Pop”
6/2 Roundtable Discussion:
Where are we now?
Final Exam Review
Final Exam Distributed
6/9 Final Exam and Extra Credit
Due
Instructor Available
from for final Grade Checks
In LS 148