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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "COM 480-2"
COURSE NAME: "Senior Capstone Project"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2016
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Antonio Lopez
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 6:00 PM 7:15 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 practices.

 

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:

·       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:

·       Identify the major debates, controversies, dilemmas and conflicts in media studies.

·       Debate the ethical dilemmas of contemporary media practices.

·       Apply multidisciplinary theoretical perspectives to specific media case studies.

·       Critically assess institutional and individual media practices.

·       Perform graduate level academic work.

·       Model intercultural communication in a globalized media environment.

·       Interpret representation in media texts.

·       Demonstrate competency in media literacy (information, visual, technological and textual).

·       Develop self-reflective media practice through the creation of a portfolio.

·       Communicate effectively in a variety of formats (oral, written and multimedia).

TEXTBOOK:
NONE
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Analysing Media TextsMarie Gillespie & Jason Toynbee Open University Press9780230000063  
Media and Communication Research Methods: An IntroductionHansen and MachinPalgrave Macmillan9780230000063  

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. 5%
Research paper/projectDrawing from an area of study relevant to your interests, write a 15-page research paper or develop a media project that synthesizes your work in the communications program. Throughout the semester there will interim assignments to support your work, including developing a research question, annotated bibliography, methods summary, and final oral presentation (50% total, broken down by proposal (10%), literature review (10%), final paper project (30%))50%
Presentation: Group presentation on media organizationMidterm group presentation on institutional analysis. Details will be handed out in class.15%
Digital portfolio 5%
Midterm paperShort midterm paper outlining ethical guidelines for ideal media organization.15%
Group presentation websiteDevelop a website for the midterm group presentation.5%
Autobiographical paper 5%

-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 cour
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 will result in the automatic loss of a letter grade. Being late three times counts as an absence. Chronic tardiness will also impact your attendance/participation 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

See the course website for reading assignments and links. This schedule is subject to change.

Weeks 1-2: Overview and review of student work; digital portfolio

Weeks 3-4: Ethics

Week 5-6: Institutional Analysis

Group presentations

Week 7: Media Research Traditions

Due: Portfolio and short paper

Week 8-9: Media Research Approaches

Proposal due

Week 10-14:  Synthesizing research and writing

End of semester: final research paper due