Women, Minorities, and the Media (COMM
205 & WMNST 205) Fall 2012 / 310 FRABLE / M W 4:30 PM – 5:45 PM
Instructor: Zack Furness, Assistant Professor of
Communications
Office: 106B Main Building
Office hours: Monday 12:00-2:00, Wednesday 1:00-3:00, and
by appt.
Office phone: 412-675-9153
Email: zmf100@psu.edu (please give me up to 24 hours
to respond)
Course blog: http://women-minorities-media.blogspot.com
Course Description
This course explores the historical, economic, legal,
political and social implications of the relationship between women,
minorities, class and the mass media. In this class students explore how the
media helps in constructing notions of social reality. The primary focus of the
course is on media representations of marginalized groups in the United States.
Course Objectives
·
To understand historical, political, economic
and cultural influences that shape media representations of women, minorities and
other marginalized groups.
·
To understand culture -- what it is and the interplay
between media and culture.
·
From a cultural perspective, learn tools to help
students understand and criticize media as related to representation of gender,
race and class.
·
To acquaint students with relevant media theory,
as well as theories of representation.
·
To encourage students to, think about ways that
media depictions of marginalized and disempowered groups might be improved.
Credit Information
This course fulfills 3 credits in General Education (GS) and
also fulfills one of the ‘Common Requirements’ for the BA degree in
Communications. There are no
prerequisites for enrollment in this course.
Required Texts
·
Andi
Zeisler, Feminism and Pop Culture (Seal
Press, 2008)
·
Juan González and Joseph Torres, News for All the People: The Epic Story of
Race and the American Media (Verso, 2011)
·
All
other reading assignments will be distributed for free, in PDF format, via PSU’s
Angel site.
Grades
Grading Rubric
Class Participation: 25%
Quizzes: 10%
Response Papers: 30%
Final Paper: 35%
Final Paper: 35%
Participation
Participating in class is not to be confused with simply
showing up and occupying the same space as your fellow students. Participation
means coming to class ready to ask questions, discuss weekly reading
assignments, and engage in thoughtful, respectful conversation with your peers
(and the professor).
Quizzes
We will a handful of quizzes throughout the semester, most
of which will consist of short questions that can be easily answered if you do
the reading assignments.
Response Papers
Details about response papers as well as my grading criteria will be posted on the course blog,
and also downloadable as PDF files.
Final Paper
This is a 6-7 page research-based assignment in which you will utilize concepts from the course in order to analyze specific media texts, practices, or trends. More details about the assignment will be posted online. DUE ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 17 by 4:30pm. Late papers will NOT be accepted for any reason.
Final Paper
This is a 6-7 page research-based assignment in which you will utilize concepts from the course in order to analyze specific media texts, practices, or trends. More details about the assignment will be posted online. DUE ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 17 by 4:30pm. Late papers will NOT be accepted for any reason.
- General notes on papers: Double-spaced. Typeface should be Times or Times New Roman, 12 pt. font, 1” margins. You do not need a separate title page. The paper should meet the standards of academic style. Keep a backup copy of your paper for your records. All papers will be submitted to me online via ANGEL.
Course Policies (Our Contract)
These policies are important: PLEASE READ THEM
1. Email
All students are required to make use of their Penn State
email accounts. While I recognize that you all have your preferred email
addresses, you will still be expected to check your school email account on a
regular basis, and I will use this address to contact you throughout the
semester. With respect to our correspondences, please give me up to 24 hours to
respond to emails. In addition, make sure to consult the syllabus and any
relevant documents (such as paper assignments) on the course blog before
emailing me with questions that I have already explained and/or addressed in
writing. I am more than happy to answer questions via email, but I receive
20-40 emails a day and strongly prefer not to answer questions about things
that are clearly posted online.
2. Attendance
Students are expected to attend all classes and read the
assignments so as to be prepared for class discussion. Experience shows that
there is a direct relation between attendance and performance in the course.
Absences hurt your ability to learn and they hurt your grade. In short, come to
class! Signing up for this class indicates that you are committed to being here
for the full class period each class meeting. If you miss class, you are still responsible
for whatever was covered in lecture and discussion that day. On a related note,
please do NOT email me (if you were absent) in order to ask what you missed in
class…just check the course blog. Similarly, there is no need to email me in
order to tell me why you missed class…just show up the next week ready to go!
3. Late Arrivals and Early Departures
Your professor finds people entering and leaving the
classroom during lecture to be very unpleasant and distracting. If you know
that you must leave early on a given day, please let him know before class.
Please make your visits to the bathroom and drinking fountain before and after
class. If you arrive late or leave early (or if your excretory system presents
you with an emergency in the middle of class) enter or leave the classroom
quietly. If you are more than 10 minutes late, don’t come to class. Repeat
offenders will find their semester grades reduced.
4. Assignments and Extensions
Reading assignments and paper assignments will be provided
well in advance of due dates. Late assignments will not be accepted without a
verifiable, documented excuse.
· Clear
and coherent writing is an important factor in your success in this class. I
urge you to visit the Learning Center on campus and make use of their tutoring
services before you hand in written work. I will also be more than happy to
look at rough drafts during my office hours.
· A
note about computer/printer problems, software issues, email access, etc: I
recognize that computer, printer, and email problems can and do arise. Be sure
to back up your work on an external hard drive, or simply email copies of your
work to your school account (and preferably an additional email account).
Always keep back up copies of your papers. In addition, if you do not have
Microsoft Word or a PDF reader installed on your computer, you will need to set
aside time in order to use one of the school’s computer labs so that you can
utilize these programs (if/when necessary). If your printer breaks down the
night before a paper is due, I don’t need to hear the reasons why or how…I just
expect you to email me the paper (as an attachment) by the time our class
period begins. I mention these things because problems related to computers,
printers, software and/or email are your responsibilities to address; they are
NOT legitimate excuses for late work, incomplete assignments, and so on.
5. Academic Integrity
Plagiarism consists of using someone else’s ideas as your
own in formal writing. If you use someone else’s ideas, you are expected to
cite them. If you use someone else’s exact words, even if it is just part of a
sentence, then you must put quotation marks around the phrase or sentence and
properly cite the author. I may not be the smartest person in the entire world,
but you can rest assured that my research skills, as well as my ability to spot
plagiarism, are of a Bruce Lee caliber. In short, plagiarism will not be
tolerated. If I catch you doing it, you will receive an immediate ‘F’ for the
course and all further discussions on the matter will take place between you and
the head of Academic Affairs at Penn State Greater Allegheny. If
you have any questions about academic integrity policies and procedures, please
see me and/or consult Penn State’s guidelines at: http://www.psu.edu/dept/ufs/policies/47-00.html#49-20
6. Grading Policy
·
Grades shall be assigned to individual students
on the basis of the instructor's judgment of the student's scholastic
achievement. Grades are final and I
grade exams and assignments based on your performance, not your intentions. Effort will be recognized in your
participation grade for the course.
·
I am eager to help you do well on exams and
assignments before they are due. Please
visit me during office hours to ask questions when you are working on an
assignment or reviewing material.
·
Here are the circumstances under which I would
change a grade: (a) if I have made an error, or (b) if I have failed to hold
you to the same standard as everyone else. In the event that you feel you
received an undeserved grade, you should make your case in writing to your
instructor within two weeks of receiving the grade. Under no circumstance will the professor award
a grade of “incomplete” for the course.
7. Nondiscrimination Statement
As a professor at Pennsylvania State University, I value
equality of opportunity, human dignity, and racial/ethnic/cultural diversity.
In addition to the Penn States’s policies, and within the bounds of the course,
I also do not discriminate on the basis of political creed. In the simplest
terms possible, this means that you do not have to agree with me in order to do
well in this course. So long as you demonstrate an understanding of (and
engagement with) the course material, you are under no obligation to agree with
the professor, your classmates, or anything we read (you don’t even have to
agree with yourself, for that matter). If there is something I can do to make
the class more hospitable, please let me know.
8. Code of Conduct
Be assured that I will treat students with respect, and I
will promote a safe and conducive environment for learning. I expect all students to do the same. In accordance with college policies, I will
not tolerate discrimination or harassment in my class, whether on the basis of
race, gender, class, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, or
physical ability. If you have questions about the school’s
policies, please consult the Student Code of Conduct online at: http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/conduct/codeofconduct/
9. Phones, Laptops and Other Devices
· Turn off your cellphone or set it to vibrate
before class begins.
· Texting during class is rude and
disrespectful to your professor. Don’t
do it.
· Students are welcome to use laptops or other
electronic devices in class for the purpose of note taking only. Class is not the place
to check Facebook and screw around online.
10. Compliance
By staying enrolled in this class, you acknowledge that you
understand – and agree to abide by – the following rules and regulations and Penn
State’s policies (i.e. the accepted codes of conduct and academic integrity).
Failure to follow the letter and the spirit of these reasonable guidelines can
result in a reduction of your final grade, failure of the course, and/or other
penalties as set by the college.
Student Services
The Learning Center
Students in need of
tutoring and/or extra help with study skills are encouraged to stop by the John
H. Gruskin Learning Center, located in the Kelly Library, Lower Level. To schedule an appointment, call 412-675-9088.
Appointments are encouraged, but not
required.
Disability Services
Penn State encourages academically qualified students with
disabilities to take advantage of its educational programs. It is the policy of
the University not to discriminate against the disabled in its admission
policies, procedures or its educational programs, services and activities. No
qualified student with a disability may be excluded from participation in or
denied the benefits of any course or course of study on the basis of
disability. Applicants to Penn State
Greater Allegheny or prospective students who wish to request accommodations
based on a disability should contact the Disability Contact Liaison, Victoria
Garwood (vkg2@psu.edu, 412-675-9070). Students requesting accommodations must
complete requested intake forms and participate in an intake interview.
Documentation supporting the request for accommodations must be submitted and
cannot be more than three years old. Documentation is specific to the type of
disability that a student has. Individual Education Plans (IEPs) from high
school are not acceptable. Additional
information can be obtained on the Office of Disability Services homepage at
www.equity.psu.edu/ods/.
Semester Schedule
*The schedule is subject to change; check the blog for updates
*The schedule is subject to change; check the blog for updates
Important Dates
• Critical Show & Tell - Sept 10
• Response Paper #1 - Sept 26 (on any reading/s from Weeks 4 or 5)
• Response Paper #2 - Oct 10 (on any reading/s from Weeks 6 or 7)
• Response Paper #3 - Oct 24 (on any reading/s from Weeks 8 or 9)
• Response Paper #4 - Nov 14 (on any reading/s from Weeks 10-12)
• Final paper due - Dec 17 (by 4:30pm)
Weekly Assignments and In-class Activities
- The schedule of weekly reading assignments (and due dates) is posted on the course blog and it is subject to change. You will be notified in advance if/when such changes occur. Be sure to check the blog and your Penn State email for updates!
- Suggestions for further reading and research, as well as reading questions & reading guides will be posted on the blog.
- NOTE: All reading assignments aside from the books will be posted on PSU’s ANGEL site.
Week One
·
Aug 27 (M):
Introduction to the course
·
Aug 29 (W):
- bell hooks, “Race and Gender” in Feminism is for Everybody.
- Zeisler Feminism
& Popular Culture, Chap 1 (if you have the book)
- Race & Ethnicity definitions (from Keywords for American Cultural Studies)
- Notes on Gender and Sex
- Notes on Gender and Sex
Week Two
·
Sept 3 (M): Feminism
& Popular Culture, Chaps 1-2
·
Sept 5 (W): Feminism
& Popular Culture, Chaps 4-5
