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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "COM 480"
COURSE NAME: "Senior Capstone Project in Media Ethics"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Fall 2014
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Antonio Lopez
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 4:30 PM 5:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisites: COM 311 and COM 470, with the exception of the University of Milan Dual Degree students
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This senior capstone course culminates the coursework in communications by focusing on the study and application of ethical standards in a variety of communication environments. Classical and alternative ethical frameworks are explored in order to evaluate and respond to communication problems in the context of global media and cultural citizenship. Through the analysis of case studies, students explore how the structure of media organizations impact ethical decision-making and learn to develop self-reflective media practice.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

As a senior seminar, this class is designed to culminate the accumulated skills, wisdom and theory from previous communications courses. Assignments are designed to reflect the learning outcomes of the course. Topics include:

·       Ontology and epistemology: the nature of knowledge in social science

·       Communication theory

·       Create a digital portfolio

·       Summarize paper topics and themes from past four years of undergraduate work

·       Research traditions in media studies (presentations)

·       Critical discourse analysis, metaphor analysis and visual methods

·       Research topics

·       Doing qualitative media analysis

·       Annotated bibliographies

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The course outcomes and method of evaluation will be aligned with the core mission of the communications department. Students should be able to:

  1. Identify the major debates, controversies, dilemmas and conflicts in media studies.
  2. Debate the ethical dilemmas of contemporary media practices.
  3. Apply multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives to specific media case studies.
  4. Critically assess institutional and individual media practices.
  5. Perform graduate level academic work.
  6. Model intercultural communication in a globalized media environment.
  7. Interpret representation in media texts.
  8. Demonstrate competency in media literacy (information, visual, technological and textual).
  9. Develop self-reflective media practice through the creation of a professional portfolio.
  10. Communicate effectively in a variety of formats (oral, written and multimedia).
TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Qualitative Media AnalysisAltheide, DavidSage076190199X Please obtain from Almost Corner Books   
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
NONE

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
NONE
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Attendance and participation More than three unexcused absences will result in an automatic loss of a letter grade and will impact your final evaluation. 10%
Research paperDrawing from an area of study relevant to your interests, write a 20 page research paper. Throughout the semester there will interim assignments to support your work, including a research question, annotated bibliography and methods summary.50%
PresentationGroup presentation on research methodology.10%
Paper proposal (research questions, methodology and outline).  10%
Annotated bibliography 10%
Digital portfolio and paper web page  10%

-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 cou
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:
More than three unexcused absences results in an automatic loss of a letter grade.
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

Note: This course outline is subject to change.

Week Date Theme
1 Intro: Ontology and epistemology
Qualitative vs. quantitative
2 Theories of communicaiton
3 Research traditions in media studies
4 Student presentations on different research approaches: annotated bibliography, literature review
5 Qualitative media analsysis
methods, methodology and research questions
6 Critical Discourse Analysis
7 Metaphor analysis
8 Visual research methods
9 Doing discourse analysis
10
11 Validating research
12 Findings and conclusions
13 Paper presentations
14 Paper presentations