Mass Media History I 4219-SD056
An introductory course on the history of American mass media. It will focus mainly on traditional print media (newspapers and magazines) and their modern electronic counterparts, preparing the ground to understand modern media landscape.
We will look at the development of the channels of communication in America since the early days, colonial times. We will trace their role in the nation building and their place in functioning of mature democracy. Massification and commercialization of the media will also be the subject of our studies, as well as the changes in their institutional organization, i.e. media mergers. Moreover, we will look at the media formats and content, discuss the issues of representation and/or omission applying basic media theories.
Course coordinators
Type of course
Mode
Learning outcomes
Knowledge:
*Students will be able to identify main stages in the development of American print media and their electronic counterparts.
*They will be acquainted with main concepts, structures and working of the media industry in the United States.
*Students will be able to identify, describe and define main media formats, place them within the framework of media history and trace their development or demise.
Skills:
*Students will develop critical approach to discuss the media and grasp their further evolution.
*Having an understanding of the processes in the media world and various interdependencies, they will be able to formulate hypotheses about media development
*Students will work with primary media sources
*Students will try to communicate results of their findings on the class forum using advanced media-related vocabulary
Competences:
*The course will also serve the purpose of media literacy equipping students with tools to grasp and understand modern media environment, concerning issues of ethics, objectivity, representation (stereotyping, omission), in their roles as media receivers/participants.
* Students will become active participants in the media world both as early researchers and media audiences/users/creators.
Assessment criteria
*Presence and active participation in class discussions based on assigned readings - 15 pt
*Primary source analysis assignments (in class and take home) - total 30 pt
*Midterm test - 25 pt
* Final project: presentation with handout on modern media issue - 30 pt
* Possible small in class quizzes
100-90/5, 89-85/4+, 84-78/4, 77-71/3+, 70-61/3, 60-0/2
Bibliography
Berkowitz, Daniel A., Cultural Meaning of News: A Text-Reader, Sage Publications, 2010.
Campbell, Richard, Christopher R. Martin, Bettina Fabos, Media and Culture, 8th ed., Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2019.
Crowley, David and Paul Heyer, Communication in History: Tchnology, Culture, Society. 6th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2011.
Curran, James, and Michael Gurevitch, eds. Mass Media and Society. 2nd ed. New York: Arnold, 1997.
Doss, Erika (ed.), Looking at "Life" Magazine, Smithsonian Books, 2001.
Emery, Edwin, and Michael Emery. The Press and America: An Interpretive History of the Mass Media. 9th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2000.
Haveman, Heather A, Magazines and the Making of America: Modernization, Community and Print Culture, 1741-1860, Princeton University Press, 2015.
Leigh, David, Investigative Journalism: A Survival Guide, Palgrave Macmillan, 2019
Lule, Jack, Daily News, Eternal Stories: The Mythological Role of Journalism, Giilford Publications, 2001.
Schudson, Michael, Discovering the News: A Social History of American Newspapers. Basic Books, 1978.
Sloan, David Wm., and James D. Startt, eds. The Media in America: A History. 7th ed. Northport, Al: Vision Press, 2008.
Stephens, Mitchell, A History of News, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press, 2006.
Tucher, Andie, Not Exactly Lying: Fake News and Fake Journalism in American History, Columbia University Press, 2022.
Yarrow, Andrew L., Look: How a Highly Influential Magazine Helped Define Mid-Twentieth-Century America, Potomac Books, 2021.
Additionally articles from journals and other media sources on American media in historical perspective.