JAMS 660: The Political Economy of Media
Fall 2016
Monday and Wednesdays: 9:30 am – 10:45 am (75 minutes twice weekly)
Office Hours and Location: Monday and Wednesday, 1:00 pm- 2:00 pm. Bolton 538
Instructor: Dr. Eric Lohman
Course Description and Learning Outcomes
This course introduces basic concepts of political economy to the study of contemporary media. By examining corporate, public, alternative, and new media formations, it provides students with the tools to analyze intersections of power and wealth in societies and economies increasingly centered on the profitable exploitation of culture and information.
Some general questions we will be exploring in this course:
•How are power, wealth, and knowledge related?
•How are media structures influenced by this relationship?
•How do structures of media ownership affect the production of culture?
•How is 'culture' produced, and how can we understand this from the political economy approach?
•How does concentration of media ownership affect the way in which our society isconstructed, the way our realities are conceived/perceived, and to what end?
•How are certain agendas pushed forward through the media while others are left behind [and] how does the political economy approach to media studies account for this?
•Who benefits from certain structures of media ownership and government policy? Who loses?
Required Texts and Materials
1. David Croteau and William Hoynes. 2006. The Business of Media: Corporate Media and the Public Interest, 2nd edition. London: Sage. (Hereafter C&H).
2. Readings posted on D2L.
Assignments
1. Media Commodity Profile (10%) – This assignment will require you to identify a media commodity that you find interesting, awful, unique, or convenient (Google, Gilmore Girls, NFL, Netflix, Grand Theft Auto), and begin to assemble a short profile. Provide some background information on its origin and history (you can use Wikis to guide you to reliable info, just don’t plagiarize), and explain why you selected it. Explore who owns it, how it is funded, how it makes money. Should be two pages, maximum. Media Commodity Profile Due September 26th.
2. Annotated Bibliography (10%) - Identify some of the core concepts from the course that you think may apply to the commodity you previously selected, and search for scholarly sources that you can use in your final paper. Include a list of at least four scholarly sources that you could use in the final project. In a brief paragraph (150 words max) that follows each citation, explain what each source is about and how it is relevant to your research. If you’re confused, Google “Annotated Bibliography.” It’s really easy. Bibliography is due October 19th.
3. Discussion Leading (10%) – You will select two days from the syllabus, and prepare materials to lead discussion for that day’s topics. How you lead discussion is up to you (create a Powerpoint, bring in discussion questions, show provocative media examples, devise a game, etc.). You will be marked primarily on how well you understand that day’s readings/subject material.
3. Midterm (15%) – The midterm will be a take-home, open book exam consisting of multiple essay questions. The midterm will be distributed on October 26th, and is due by October 31st.
4. Research Paper (40%) - There will be one research paper during the semester, and it will comprise a significant component of your grade. In this assignment, you will be required to conduct original primary research to answer a question of your choosing. You will be asked to make an argument and support it using scholarly research, and your own reasoning and critical thinking skills. NOTE: bad grammar and punctuation inhibits a clear understanding of your point. A sheet complete with grading criteria will be provided on D2L for your guidance.
Papers must be turned in before lecture on December 5th.
5. Final Exam or Final Presentation (15%) – You will have the choice between taking the final exam (a cumulative take-home exam), consisting of multiple essay questions, or conducting a presentation of your research paper (You cannot do both). Presentations should be no less than 5 minutes, and no more than 6 minutes, and will explain the content of your research paper. More details will follow, and a sign-up sheet will circulate in the early weeks of the class. Final Exam will be distributed on December 7th, Due on December 12th.
Course Grading Scale:
A (100-93), A- (92.9-90), B+ (89.9-87), B (86.9-83), B- (82.9-80), C+ (79.9-77), C (76.9-73), C- (72.9-70), D+ (69.9-67), D (66.9-65), D- (64.9-60), F (below 60)
Course Policies, Rules, Etc.
1. Participation and Discussion:
Since we do not have any discussion sections, I encourage you to ask questions, make comments, or seek clarification during lecture. If you do not feel comfortable talking in class, but wish to discuss or comment on class topics, please join me in my office for office hours. I also encourage you to use the Twitter hashtag #JAMS660 to share relevant class material. It is important to state that your attendance at every seminar is mandatory according to the policy of the School of Letters and Science at UWM.
2. Email policy:
I hate email. It is a time vampire. Almost every issue that you will face during the semester can be addressed by checking this syllabus, by asking a quick question before or after class, or by scheduling a meeting in my office (in that order). I am eager to talk to you, and to help you be successful in this class, I just prefer to do it face to face rather than by email. Do not use my dislike for email as an excuse not to speak to me about issues you’re having.
3. Getting to Class Late and Leaving Early: Late arrivals and early departures distract and disrupt class. Your professor and teaching assistants find them especially annoying. If you know that you have to leave early, simply let me know before class and please leave the classroom quietly. Sit by an aisle and close to the door. Everyone occasionally runs late, it happens and I don't care. Just be courteous. Please do not begin rustling your bags and coats before class ends. I know you're busy and have places to be, so if I lose track of time, raise your hand and say "Wrap it up, B."
4. Electronics policy: The research on computer use in the classroom is pretty definitive. It distracts everyone around you, it distracts you, and produces poorer quality notes than if you took notes by hand. But to ensure that people with legitimate accessibility issues are not disadvantaged by a blanket "no laptop" policy, I will agree to post my complete lecture slides to D2L if you agree to not use a laptop, phone, or tablet during lecture.
5. Assignments and Extensions: All assignments are listed on the syllabus and will be announced well before they are due. EXTENSIONS MAY BE GRANTED IF SOUGHT BEFORE THE DUE DATE. Late assignments turned in without prior approval will not be graded.
6. Grades: I grade assignments on performance, not effort, and your grade is relative to the other students in the class. Fulfilling the assignment requirements earns you an average score, while producing exceptional work will earn you an above average score. Do not expect an A simply for fulfilling the requirements of the assignment. Please visit me during office hours to ask us questions when you are working on an assignment or reviewing material. If you have questions about a grade, please see me as soon as you have received the grade to get further feedback. If you have problem with mechanics, we recommend the Writing Center. The Writing Center is staffed with highly qualified tutors who can make a difference. We will hold you to university level written communication.
These are the circumstances under which I would change a grade: (a) if I have made an error, or (b) if I have failed to hold you to the same standard as everyone else. If you believe that you have received an undeserved grade, you should make your case in writing to your professor within two weeks of receiving the grade.
9. Incompletes: A notation of "incomplete" may be given in lieu of a final grade to a student who has carried a subject successfully until the end of a semester but who, because of illness or other unusual and substantiated cause beyond the student's control, has been unable to take or complete the final examination or to complete some limited amount of term work.
10. Students with disabilities: If you will need accommodations in order to meet any of the requirements of this course, please contact the instructor as soon as possible. I am happy to work with you. SAC forms are needed for acquiring a note taker. Please obtain the forms you need to hire a note taker from the SAC and bring them to lecture as soon as possible. Recording lectures may also be an option.
11. Academic misconduct: Cheating on exams or plagiarism are violations of the academic honor code and carry severe sanctions, including failing a course or even suspension or dismissal from the University. If you need helping learning to summarize, paraphrase, attribute, or cite sources, please see the T.A. or professor. You should familiarize yourselves with UWM’s description of academic misconduct
(see www.uwm.edu/Dept/OSL/DOS/conduct.html).
12. Discriminatory conduct (such as sexual harassment): The University will not tolerate discriminatory conduct. It poisons the work and learning environment of the University and threatens the careers, educational experience, and well -being of students, faculty, and staff.
13. Announcements: Any changes to the syllabus, class cancellations, or other matters pertaining to the class will be posted on the D2L website for the course. You should check this website at least once a week.
For further information about university policies, please see the Secretary of the
University’s Syllabus Links: http://www4.uwm.edu/secu/news_events/upload/Syllabus-Links.pdf
Student Workload Statement:
· This class will meet twice weekly, for 75 minutes per meeting, for a total of 37.5 hours of required class time.
· You should expect to spend approximately 60 hours this semester reading the course book and other required materials.
· There are three small writing assignments (Profile, Discussion Leading, and Bibliography), which together should take approximately 25 hours of reading, research, and writing.
· There is one research paper, which should take approximately 15 hours of research and writing.
· Preparing for the midterm and final exam or final presentation should take a total of 15 hours.
· All told, this class should require approximately 152.5 hours of your time.
Course Calendar
(NOTE: Calendar is subject to change. This is a media course and we will regularly update readings depending on what is in the news. Please check the D2L site and your email regularly.)
Section 1: Key Concepts, Trends, and Theories
WEEK ONE: Introduction to Course
Date: September 7th
Lecture: Introduction to Course – Syllabus, Discussion of Course Rules and Goals
WEEK TWO: What is Political Economy?
Date: September 12th
Lecture: Citizens Vs. Consumers, Public Interest Vs. Private Interest, Subjects Vs. Objects.
· Oliver Boyd-Barrett, “The Political Economy Approach.”
Wednesday, September 14th
Lecture: Karl Marx, Political Economy, Labor, and Commodities
· Karl Marx, Capital
WEEK THREE: Media, Ideology, and the Propaganda Model
Date: September 19th
Lecture: Marx, History, and Ideology
· Marx, The German Ideology
Date: September 21st
Lecture: The Propaganda Model
· Andrew Mullen, “Bringing Power Back in: The Herman-Chomsky Propaganda Model, 1988-2008.”
WEEK FOUR: Markets, the Public Sphere, and De-regulation
Media Profile Due
Date: September 26th
Lecture: The Problem with Markets
· C&H Chapter 1
Date: September 28th
Lecture: De-Regulation of Media Markets
· C&H Chapter 2
WEEK FIVE: The New Media Giants
Date: October 3rd
Lecture: The Big Media Corporations
· C&H Chapter 3
Date: October 5th
Lecture: Strategies of Big Media Corporations
· C&H Chapter 4
WEEK SIX: How Markets and Rules Shape Content
Date: October 10th
Lecture: Commercial Influence in Media Content
· C&H Chapter 5
Date: October 12th
Lecture: How Media Influences Society
· C&H Chapter 6
Section 2: Case Studies of Media Types and Texts
WEEK SEVEN: Public Interest News, and For-Profit News
Date: October 17th
Lecture: NPR, PBS, and Radio Milwaukee
· Dell Champlin and Janet Knoedler, “Operating in the Public Interest or in Pursuit of Private Profits? News in the Age of Media Consolidation.”
· (Recommended): McCauly, Paul. (2009). “Leveraging the NPR Brand: Serving the Public While Boosting the Bottom Line.”
Date: October 19th
Annotated Bibliography Due
Lecture: For-Profit News and War Coverage
· Sylvia Hale, “Promoting War: The Power Politics of Manufacturing News”
WEEK EIGHT: Film and Music Videos
Date: October 24th
Lecture: Films and Media Intertexts
· Janet Wasko, “Holy Commodity Fetish, Batman! The Political Economy of a Commercial Intertext.”
Date: October 26th
Lecture: Why Doesn’t MTV Play Videos Anymore?
· Ed Levine. (1983). “TV Rocks with Music.” New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/1983/05/08/magazine/tv-rocks-with-music.html?pagewanted=1
WEEK NINE: Midterm Exam
Date: October 31st and November 2nd
Midterm Exam, No Class.
Week Ten: Immaterial Labor and Value Generation
Date: November 7th
Lecture: Is Facebook Labor?
· Nicole S. Cohen, “The Valorization of Surveillance: Towards a Political Economy of Facebook.”
Date: November 9th
Lecture: Data and Value Generation
· In-Class Screening of Generation Like
WEEK ELEVEN: Google and Political Economy of the Cloud
Date: November 14th
Lecture: Google
· Mickey Lee, “Google: Information Organizer.”
Date: November 16th
Lecture: What is the “Cloud”?
· Vincent Mosco, “From the Computer Utility to Cloud Computing.”
WEEK TWELVE: Thanksgiving
Date: November 21st and 23rd
Thanksgiving Break: No Class
Week Thirteen: TV and Video Games
Date: November 28th
Lecture: Why Doesn’t MTV Play Videos Anymore?
· Meehan, Eileen. (2005). “The Blame Game.” Why TV Is Not Our Fault: Television Programming, Viewers, and Who’s Really in Control. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield.
· Christine Quail (2009). “The Myth of Online TV.” Flow Vol 10, No. 4. http://flowtv.org/2009/07/the-myth-of-online-tv-christine-quail-mcmaster-university/comment-page-1/#comment-128126