Module One: Weeks 1, 2
[1] Introduction ~ Critical Perspectives of Gender, Race, and Class in Media: A Cultural Studies Approach to Media ~ Theory”;
[2] The “What,” “Why,” and “How” of Journalism”

Understanding historical context, and, terms and concepts

MATERIALS / RESOURCES	STRATEGIES / ASSESSMENTS
Class discussion: “Reactions and Reflections: Chapt. 1 – “Cultural Studies, Multiculturalism, and Media Culture,” Kellner; “Communication Revolution,” Carey [1]; “A Short History,” Carey [2]; Video: Shumow, Political Economy of News Video: MSNBC, Joy Reid Commentary ~ January 6, 2021	– Discussion Board 1a – Introduce You: What year are you in school @ BC? Do you live alone, or with others? How do you spend your “free” time? Out of 24 hours, about how many do you spend with social media? – Discussion Board 1b – Our Field: How would you define the term, “journalism”? What are the central values of the profession? How are these “values” manifest in practice?
Discussion Board 2 Do you believe writers and editors practicing today’s journalism would agree with the “revolution” Carey describes? Why, or why not? Glossary Examination	– Text glossary – Glossary listing handout – Class discussion: “Reactions and Reflections: Responding to Discussion Board Posts”
Seminar 1/Presentations 1 – 3 [Twice during each term, each student submits a Seminar Summary and presentation slide deck, which are graded, and subsequently posted as audience takeaways.]	[1] Chapt. 11 – “Media, Gender, and Feminism,” S. Douglas; [2] Chapt. 24 – “From Rush Limbaugh to Donald Trump: Conservative Talk Radio and the Defiant Reassertion of White Male Authority,” J. Katz; and, [3] Chapt. 26 – “’[In]Justice Rolls Down Like Water . . .’ Challenging White Supremacy in Media Constructions of Crime and Punishment,” B. Yousman; Video: Fox News Clip Discredits Talking Point of Right – Wing Radio

Module Two:
Weeks 3, 4 “Foundations of Political Economy of News”

MATERIALS / RESOURCES	STRATEGIES / ASSESSMENTS
Discussion Board 3: How does funding affect what news consumers see, read, accept, reject, or produce? What are the codes and contexts within which the field operates?	Media Bias Chart handout Video: Media Bias Chart Video: How the 24 – Hour News Cycle and Social Media Threaten Democracy ~ TEDTalk: Ray Marcano
Sem. 1/Presentations 4 – 7	[4] Chapt. 54 – “Performing Class: ‘Gilmore Girls’ and a Classless Neoliberal ‘Middle Class,’” D. Mastrocola; [5] Chapt. 23 – “Playing ‘Redneck’: White Masculinity and Working – Class Performance in Performance on Duck Dynasty,” S. O’Sullivan; [6] Chapt. 58 – “Pop Cosmopolitanism’: Mapping Cultural Flows in an Age of Convergence,” H. Jenkins III; and, [7] Chapt. 44 – “Disney: 21st Century Leader in Animating Global Inequality,” L. Artz; Video: Why the Inequality Gap is Growing Between Rich and Poor
	Class discussion: “Reactions and Reflections: Codes, Contexts, and Coverage”

Module Three:

Weeks 5, 6, 7
“Growth and Transitions”

Sem. 1/Presentations 8 – 11 Discussion Board 4: In the last ten years, do you believe software or hardware advances in the profession have influenced the practice of journalism more dramatically? Give at least two reasons for your answer. Feel free to conduct a review of contemporary research to support your assertion.	[8] “Understanding Journalism – 1,” and, [9] “Understanding Journalism – 2,” from The Problem of the Media: U. S. Communication Politics in the 21st Century, R. McChesney; [10] “What Facebook Did to American Democracy,” A. Madrigal, The Atlantic, 10/12/2017; and, [11] Video: The Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet against Democracy ~ R. McChesney Video: Digital News Disruption Class discussion: “How I Obtained My News Today, and Why I Used This ‘Channel’”
Sem. 1/Presentations 12 – 15	[12] Chapt. 3, “The Economics of the Media Industry”; [13] Chapt. 4, “Hegemony”; [14] Chapt. 5, “The Internet’s Unholy Marriage to Capitalism”; and, Student Presenter 15 reviews four of seven videos from the “Economics of the Media” course list, and presents using a standard rubric]
	Video: Capitalism and Monopolies ~ How Five Companies Control All of U. S. Media Class discussion: “Reactions and Reflections: News Media Owners and Owned by News Media”

Module Four:

Weeks 8, 9
“Technological Fragmentation of Reality”

Discussion Board 5: Here’s How I Define My “Bubble,” or “My Algorithm IQ”	“How to Give a Killer Presentation,” C. Anderson, Harvard Business Review; Video: How to Give the Best PowerPoint Presentation “Introduction – The Filter Bubble,” E. Pariser Video: Popping “The Filter Bubble” with Eli Pariser
Sem. 2/Presentations 1 – 3	[1] “How Filter Bubbles Distort Reality: Everything You Need to Know,” fsblog; [2] “Filter Bubble Author . . . On Why We Need Publicly Owned Social Networks,” Z. Schiffer, The Verge, 11/13/2019; and, [3] “Filter Bubble,” A. Burns, Concepts of the Digital Society, Vol. 8, Issue 4, 11/29/2019; Video: What Obligations Do Social Media Platforms Have to the “Greater Good”? Class discussion: “Reactions and Reflections: – Reduce the Footprint”

Module Five:

Weeks 10, 11, 12 “Social Media and Our Democracy”

Sem. 2/Presentations 4 – 9

[4] “Dark Psychology of Social Networks,” J. Haidt and T. Rose – Stockwell, The Atlantic, 12/2019; [5] “Facebook – as – Influencer”; [6] “Twitter – as – Influencer”; [7] “Matters of Facebook Live and Death”; [8] “The Platform Press – How Silicon Valley Reengineered Journalism”; and, [9] “How Did Twitter Surpass Facebook?” Video: How Social Media Is Shaping Our Political Future, TEDxDirigo, V. Bonney

Module Six: Weeks 13, 14
“Who Reports Matters”

Sem. 2/Presentations 10 – 15 Discussion Board 6: Do you consider the race, gender, and/or class of a reporter, writer, or editor in determining her/his competence and credibility for any given story, or long – term investigation?

[10] Chapt. 9 – “The Oppositional Gaze,” bell hooks; [11] Chapt. 2 – “The Meaning of Memory: Family, Class, and Ethnicity in Early Network Television Programs,” G. Lipsitz; [12] Chapt. 62 – “Making Space in Social Media: #MuslimWomensDay in Twitter”; [13] Chapt. 32 – “Branding ‘Real’ Social Change in Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty,” D. Murray; [14] Chapt. 53 – “The Racial Logic of Grey’s Anatomy: Shonda Rhimes and Her ‘Post – Civil Rights, Post – Feminist’ Series,” K. Warner; and, [15] Chapt. 59 – “The Political Economy of Privacy on Facebook,” C. Fuchs Video:

Class discussion: “Reactions and Reflections: – NABJ, NAHJ, AAJA, NAPA ~ How ‘Minority’ Journalism Associations Can Influence the News”

Module Seven:
Weeks 15, 16
“The Futures of Journalism ~ Where Do We Go From Here?”

CAPSTONE Presentation TEAM 1: Journalism in US Cultures	Video: The Future of Journalism: Tom Rosenstiel at TEDxAtlanta Video: A New Way to Do Journalism: Andrew Jaspan at TEDxPerth
CAPSTONE Presentation TEAM 2: Journalism Practice Throughout the World	Video: Across Platforms and Places: The Future of Journalism Video: Press Freedom Index – In Which Countries is Journalism Free?
CAPSTONE Presentation TEAM 3: Accuracy and Objectivity in Social Media	Class discussion: “Reactions and Reflections: ~ TEAM Presentations and Evaluations” Class discussion: Course Review