Syllabus for COMM / MSTD 300 SPRING 2008
About this course
This course surveys the history of the mass media -- the people, the institutions and the ideas that animated our past and influence our future. Major themes in media history include changing technologies, changing social roles and the changing structure and business of the mass media.
One goal of the class will be for you to learn a little about historical research in media. You'll read original articles, speeches and texts by famous authors. You'll compare articles written for audiences in the past. And you'll search for information about some of the most fascinating people in the world.
Another goal is to learn about history itself. History is, in effect, the dressing room of politics. If a person can justify something with history, they have almost won the argument. The more you know about history, the harder it is for people to fool you.
Textbooks
Media and the American Mind: From Morse to McLuhan (Paperback) by Daniel J. Czitrom
# ISBN-10: 0807841072 (or) # ISBN-13: 978-0807841075 (UNC Press) New & Used from $4
A History of News (Paperback) by Mitchell Stephens (Author)From
# ISBN-10: 0155018574 (or) # ISBN-13: 978-0155018570 (Wadsworth / Oxford) New & used from $24
Class times, codes and locations
MWF 11-12 am MEDIA HISTORY 2970 MSTD 300 01 WCH 226 (Waldron College Hall)
MWF 2-3 pm MEDIA HISTORY 2971 MSTD 300 02 WCH 226 (Waldron College Hall)
Instructor and Office Hours
Prof. BIll Kovarik, Ph.D. email wkovarik@radford.edu ph: 831-6033
Hours from 1-2 and 3-4, MWF @ 200 Jefferson 1-B. For more details and map of office location see this page.
Grades
Your Research - 25 % of grade
Quizzes (Group and individual) - 25% of grade
Mid Term and Final exams -- 50% of grade
Extra credit book reviews -- up to an additional 10% of grade
You may earn individual extra credit through book reviews. This would be reviews of any biography of any media person or media event in history. (2 points per review, one review per month, 10 total for the semester. Monthly deadline. No piling on reviews at the last minute).
Policies
- Attendance policy: Absense of more than 10 percent of the class will result in corresponding percent decreases in the grade. Missing more than 40 percent of the class would mean a D for an otherwise A student and so on.
- Late policy: Late completion of projects will result in reduction of grade by one letter grade per week.
- Disabilities policy: We are glad to work with all students to accomodate disabilities on a non-discriminatory basis. Students with special needs may be required to clear accomodations through the disabilities resource office of the university.
- Honor Code: By accepting admission to Radford University, each students makes a commitment to understand, support and abide by the University Honor Code without compromise or exception.
- Plagiarism -- Students who directly copy work from anyone else will flunk the class and be reported to the Dean of Students office.
