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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "COM 220-3"
COURSE NAME: "Media, Culture and Society"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2025
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Silvia Giagnoni
EMAIL: [email protected]
 HOURS: TTH 3:00 PM 4:15 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: COM 111
OFFICE HOURS:
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course examines the mass media as complex social institutions that exercise multiple roles in society—none more crucial than the circulation and validation of social discourses. Introducing students to a variety of theoretical approaches, the course focuses on media operations and textual analysis.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
The course covers the evolution of mass communication models and theories and the emergence of the different media; it also delves into the analysis of the media technologies, industries, content, and users while addressing questions of power, manipulation, and commercialization in the construction of news (and media content in general), the role of public service broadcasting and censorship, and introducing key concepts/issues in media and cultural studies—ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexuality, subcultures, and fandom.
LEARNING OUTCOMES:

1.     Learn to critically assess the relationship among media, culture, and society.

2.    Grasp the main theories of mass communications in their socio-historical contexts.

3.    Understand the differences among media, and how each medium evolves

4.    Analyze current trends in media, culture, and society and strive to connect them to other historical developments.

5.    Understand the constructed nature of media and cultural representations.

6.    Develop an understanding on the role played by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and religion in media, society, and culture.
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Media, Culture and Society: An Introduction Hodkinson, PaulSage1529679796 Third edition (May 23, 2024)Hard Copy  
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Media and Cultural Studies: KeyworksJohn Clarke, Stuart Hall, Tony Jefferson and Brian RobertsWiley Blackwell0470658088 selected chapters
Revolutions in Communication: Media History from Gutenberg to the to the Digital Age Kovarik, BillBloomsbury Publishing USA1441114602 selected chapters

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Midterm examStudents will be tested both on the acquisition of content knowledge and the critical understanding of course material via multiple choice & true/false items as well as discussion questions.30
Critical ReflectionsStudents will be asked routinely to reflect upon the assigned material and/or do an exercise and email their critical reflections to the Instructor. These assignments (for a total of three) are worth 5 points each.15
Oral PresentationEach student will be required to present assigned reading material to the class. Presentation will consist of a critical summary of the reading and a question. Students should not read their oral presentation. Reading off notes will result in a poor performance. Additional details will be provided on Moodle.10
Final Exam Students will be tested both on the acquisition of content knowledge and the critical understanding of course material via multiple choice & true/false items as well as discussion questions.30
Participation/AttendanceStudents are allowed three unexcused absences in this course. After that, students will automatically lose a letter grade for every three absences. Lateness: Students more than 10 minutes late are marked as absent. Late arrival (less than 10 minutes) is marked as such, and 3 late arrivals are counted as one absence. Leaving the class for more than 10 minutes will be counted as one absence. Leaving in the middle of class and coming back after more than 10 minutes will also be regarded as an absence. Students are expected to do the required readings for the day before coming to class and to be prepared to comment, discuss them or ask questions.15

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.
BThis is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.
FThis work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question. Most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.
-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:
ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed. The final exam period runs until ____________
ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.
SCHEDULE

Please refer to Moodle for updates on the schedule

R: Reading

S: Screening

L: Lecture

W: watch on your own

 

Week One (January 21-27)

Introductions & Syllabus + Intro to the course

L: The Communication Process

R: (H) Read Ch. 1 Introduction + Communication Process & History of Communication Studies (slides) 

Week One (January 21-27)

Introductions & Syllabus + Intro to the course

L: The Communication Process

R: (H) Read Ch. 1 Introduction

Communication Process & History of Communication Studies (slides) 

Week Two (January 27-February 3)

L: Media Technologies

R (H): Media Culture and Society: Ch. 2 + McLuhan, M. (1964). “The Medium is the Message,” in Media and Cultural Studies. KeyWorks (2012) (pp.  100-107)

We will assign readings for oral presentations

L: A Social History of the Media

R: Raymond Williams’s “The Technology and The Society"

Week Three (February 4-10)

Oral Presentations begin

L: The Printing Revolution (book, newspapers, public sphere)

R: Revolutions in Communication: Ch. 2 & 3 (excerpts)

L: The beginning of immersion journalism; Nelly Bly and the other stunt journalists

S:Around the World in 72 Days (PBS documentary on Nelly Bly) 

Week Four (February 11-17)

L: The Construction of News & Role of Public Service (social responsibility, deregulation, etc.)

R: (H) Ch. 7 & 8

L: The Visual Revolution 1 (Photography)

R: Revolutions in Communication, Ch. 4 (pagg. 162-179)

Week Five (February 18-24)

L: The Visual Revolution (photography, cinema)

R: Revolutions in Communication, Ch. 4 & 5 (excerpts)

L: Media Industries & The Political Economy approach & Broadcast (radio, TV), regulation

R: (H) Chapter 3  

Week Six (Feb. 25-March 3)

L: The Visual Revolution 2 (cinema)

R: Revolutions in Communication, 5 (pagg. 187-197) 

W: Citizen Kane by Orson Wells & ); The Battle over Citizen Kane 

(watch on your own)

R: Scale of Hearst plot to discredit Orson Welles and Citizen Kane revealed

Review + class discussion of Citizen Kane & related controversy

February 28 (Fri) Make-up Day for Thursday, May 1

Week Seven (March 4-10)

L: Media Content: Basics of Linguistics & Semiotics + Audience Studies

R: (H) Chapter 4 

S: Representation and the Media by Stuart Hall (excerpts)

R: (H) Chapter 5 + review

Week Eight (March 11-17)

Review & Midterm Exam

Week Nine (March 18-24)

L: Advertising, Public Relations, and the Crafted Image

R: (H) Chapter 9

S: Representation and the Media by Stuart Hall (excerpts)

Week Ten (March 25-31)

L: Media as Manipulation: Marxism, Ideology & Hegemony

R: (H) Ch.6 + TBD

Week Eleven (April 1-7)

L: Audiences & Audience Analysis II & Taste culture; gender; class; hierarchy; social status

R: Pierre Bourdieu’s “(i) Introduction; (ii) The aristocracy of culture” in

Media and Cultural Studies. Keyworks (pp.249-253)  & Janice Radway’s “The Readers and their Romances” in Media and Cultural Studies. Keyworks (pp. 283-308)

Week Twelve (April 8-14)

L: Media Community and Difference

R: (H) Ch. 11 

L: Media, Race, and Ethnicity

R: (H) Ch.12

Week Thirteen (April 15-21)

L: Media, Gender, & Sexuality

R: (H) Ch. 13

Week Fourteen (April 22-29)

L: Stereotyping, Media, Power & Knowledge

R: TBD

Thursday April 29  Last Day of Classes 

May 5-9

Final Examinations