11
READINGS IN
MASS COMMUNICATION HISTORY
JOMC 742.1
Spring 2010
T 2-4:50
Room 253, Carroll Hall
Instructor: Dr. Barbara Friedman
Office: 357 Carroll Hall
Office Hours: Thursday, 11-11:30
and by appointment
E-mail:
Phone: 843-2099
Course Description & Objectives
This is a colloquium in the history of American journalism and mass media, the field in which most of you will spend your professional careers. The main purpose is to usher you into the study of communication history and history in general. It will introduce you to a broad survey of compelling salient and recent work in American history that addresses journalism and communication as a means to develop your teaching and research interests, and as a basis for the appreciation of historical research methods.
At the conclusion of the course, you will have a greater awareness of the diversity of historical research. You will have the capability to locate a range of interdisciplinary literature, write a critical review of published scholarly work, and effectively conceptualize and write a sound research paper.
Required Texts
James D. Startt and Wm. David Sloan, Historical Methods in Mass Communication (Northport, AL: Vision Press, 2003). Available at Student Stores.
Jean Folkerts, Dwight Teeter & Edward Caudill, Voices of a Nation: A History of Mass Media in the United States, 5th ed. (Boston: Pearson, 2009)
* Note: The Folkerts book is a general mass communication history text and is intended to foster an appreciation for the field and an understanding for how authors approach the subject chronologically. You will find it a useful reference this semester and throughout your research/teaching career – it will be particularly helpful if you do not have a grounding in American mass media history.
Reading
As you should expect in a graduate colloquium, the reading load is heavy. I expect you to have read all the assigned material before arriving to class – this will give us a common frame of reference for discussion, as they are specifically related to each week’s themes or issues. You will find it helpful to print out your reading and bring it to class with you for reference. When you are responsible for leading a class discussion, I will expect you to seek out additional resources to enhance your presentation.
Note: For some reading on BB, you will be prompted for a password -- type “jhistory” (without quotation marks).
Writing
Weekly Reading Responses
For any 10 weeks during our semester, with the exception of week 3, you are responsible for writing responses to the week’s reading, due when you arrive to class (limit: one essay per week). Limit your essays to one page (about 250 words double-spaced), and please use 12-point font and typical margins. You will discover quickly that a one-page essay requires you to be very focused and concise.
These responses should be your structured reflections on some element of the assigned reading – they are not summaries. You might focus on the theme of the week’s reading, compare two or more readings, evaluate the methodological approach of one or more author, sources, challenge the authors’ conclusions or some other topic of your choosing. Be sure to cite additional sources if you use them in your essay.
Book Review
You are responsible for writing a 750-word book review of one title from the list of readings provided by the instructor. Reviews should be written in the style of those in Journalism and Mass Communication Quarterly, Journalism History or American Journalism. You will make an informal presentation of your review to the class.
Final Paper
The longer paper will be a 20- to 25-page (excluding notes) historical research paper. More details will be provided in class, but do note that for the purposes of this paper, “historical” is defined as at least 10 years old, meaning the event charted must have occurred prior to 2000. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
A paragraph discussing the nature of your paper topic and the methodology that you expect to use to conduct the research will be due in class week 4. This will be a chance for me to see what you plan to do and guide your project before the paper proposals are due. I encourage you to meet with me to discuss your topics prior to the submission to the paragraph, as well as after you receive my comments.
A more detailed proposal will be due in class week 7. This should be a 3- to 5-page proposal consisting of an introduction to the paper, literature review, statement of purpose and methodology. You are encouraged to schedule an appointment to meet with me prior to submission of the paper proposal. I will distribute detailed requirements of the paper proposal in class and on BB.
Final papers are due at the final exam period, and will be evaluated according to standards established by national conventions at which history papers are presented. These standards include: 1) originality and importance of the topic; 2) conceptualization and literature review; 3) clarity of research purpose and focus; 4) research methods and use of original, primary sources; 5) evidence supports the paper’s stated purpose, focus and conclusions; 6) quality of writing, organization and presentation; and 7) degree to which this work contributes to the understanding of communication/journalism history. We will apply these standards as we read through various articles during the semester, so that you will become accustomed to the conventions of historical research.
I encourage you to submit your paper to the American Journalism Historians Association (AJHA) conference, which has a May deadline. The AEJMC History Division (April deadline), ICA Communication History Interest Group (November deadline), and AEJ Southeast Colloquium (December deadline) are additional submission opportunities. Do remember, however, that submitting your paper is a promise to attend the conference if your paper is accepted. Submission to an academic conference is not a requirement for the course, but if you are planning a career in academia, submission to a conference or publication will hold you in good stead with potential employers on graduation.
Since this is not a seminar, I will only be able to read and comment on your papers once; there will be no opportunity to revise it for a higher grade as you might in a seminar.
Due dates are noted on the syllabus. If you want to polish your paper to meet an early conference deadline, I am willing to work with you to do that.
Presentations
This course uses a thematic approach to various areas in mass communication history. The topics listed in the week-by-week schedule will be treated in two ways: 1) through student oral presentations and 2) through reading core material on given topics and book-length mass media histories. During one class period, you will present a “lecture” on a selected subject of about 12-15 minutes and lead a discussion.
You will be expected to narrow the subject as seems appropriate to you and if applicable, in consultation with other participants on given days. Discussion will follow each presentation, with the student(s) presenting the day’s “lectures” serving as discussion leader(s). You should plan on writing one of your 10 response papers the same day of your presentation, as it will help you prepare your presentation.
Please pick topics of interest to you and dates for presentation that will best fit your schedule. These “lectures” are expected to be factual in nature, although student leaders are certainly welcome to spend a short period of time evaluating the literature available on the subject.
You will also make a presentation of your book reviews, intended to be similarly brief, 10-15 minutes at the most.
A sign-up sheet for both presentations will be distributed in class.
Attendance
You are expected to attend and arrive prepared for every class, having done the assigned reading before we meet. Active, thoughtful participation indicates taking responsibility for your intellectual development, a hallmark of graduate education. Success in this class and in your graduate program is determined in part by your effort and thus, your grade will be affected by attendance, preparation and participation. Missing more than one class, arriving to class habitually late or routinely leaving early will lower your grade. Keep in mind these are your points to lose.
Grades
The course will operate on several levels, and as with most graduate level courses, its success will depend greatly upon your participation. Primarily, it will be a reading and discussion course with one major written assignment. Barring extreme circumstances, I do not accept late papers.
Your final grade will be expressed as an H, L or P. Generally, it will be calculated this way:
Response papers/presentation 15 percent
Book review/presentation 15 percent
Research paper 50 percent
Participation 20 percent
Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. You are expected to adhere to the University’s Honor Code. Read the code at http://honor.unc.edu.
Schedule
Note: What follows is a tentative reading and assignment schedule. The syllabus is a general plan for the course; the instructor reserves the right to make changes as needed.
Week 1, Jan. 12: History: What is it Good For?
Introduction & Overview
Sign up for presentations, book reviews
· Startt & Sloan, Chapter 1, “The Nature of History”
· Barbie Zelizer, “History and Journalism,” in Taking Journalism Seriously (2004).
· Barbara W. Tuchman, “In Search of History,” in Practicing History (1981).
· Errol Morris, “Whose Father Was He?” New York Times (5-part series), March 29, 2009. Online at http://tinyurl.com/ya3n9bd.
Ø Q: What constitutes mass communication history and what can it tell us? How?
Week 2, Jan. 19: Recovering the Past
· Startt & Sloan, Chapter 2, “Interpretation in History”
· Wm. David Sloan, “How to Find Topics Worth Studying,” American Journalism 22 (Spring 2005).
· David Paul Nord, “The Practice of Historical Research,” in Mass Communication Research and Theory, ed. by Stempel, Weaver and Wilhoit (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 2003).
· Jim Martin, “Assessing Historical Research,” American Journalism (Summer 2007).
· James W. Carey, “The Problem of Journalism History,” Journalism History 1 (Spring 1974).
· Folkerts, chapters 1-9.
Ø Q: What are the major challenges to mass communication history today and what opportunities do they pose for your research?
Week 3, Jan. 26: History is Where You Find It
We will meet today at 2 p.m. in the foyer of Wilson Library for a tour of its holdings.
· Startt & Sloan, Chapter 5, “Searching for Historical Materials;” chapter 6, “Historical Research on the Internet;” and chapter 7, “Historical Sources and Their Evaluation”
· “How to Write Journalism History,” (Copeland et al.) Journalism Studies 7 (2006).
· 2009 AJHA Conference Program
· Folkerts, chapters 10-18.
· Skim these resources:
o Louis Round Wilson Library, http://www.lib.unc.edu/wilson/
o Documenting the American South (UNC) http://docsouth.unc.edu/index.html
o Duke University Digital Collections, http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/
o Library of Congress, American Memory, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/index.html
o UNI Digitized Primary American History Sources,
http://www.library.uni.edu/library-instruction/course-web-pages/digitized-primary-american-history-sources
o The National Archives, Access to Archival Databases, http://aad.archives.gov/aad/
Week 4, Feb. 2: Doing Journalism History
· Startt & Sloan, Chapter 3, “The Fundamentals of Good History”
· Michael Schudson, “Toward a Troubleshooting Manual for Journalism History,” Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly 74 (Autumn 1997).
· “Theories and Constructs in Media History: Their Uses and Abuses,” Panel Presentation 2003 AJHA, American Journalism (Winter 2005).
· David Copeland, et al., “How to Write Journalism History,” Journalism Studies, 7:3 (2006).
· David A. Copeland, “A Series of Fortunate Events: Why People Believed Richard Adams Locke’s ‘Moon Hoax,’” Journalism History 33 (Fall 2007).
Ø Q: What are the pros and cons of using theory in historical research?
DUE FEBRUARY 2: A 1-page statement of your research topic. Include your basic topic and an indication of found and potential resources. Please be as specific as possible with your topic and sources so that I may better help you refine your project.
Week 5, Feb. 9: Press and Politics
· Startt & Sloan, chapter 4, “Basic Procedures and Techniques”
· Roger P. Mellen, “Thomas Jefferson and the Origins of Newspaper Competition in Pre-Revolutionary Virginia,” Journalism History 3 (Fall 2009).
· Diana Knott Martinelli and Jeff Mucciarone, “New Deal Public Relations: A Glimpse Into FDR Press Secretary Stephen Early’s Work,” Public Relations Review 33:1 (March 2007).
· Maurine Beasley and Paul Belgrade, “Media Coverage of a Silent Partner: Mamie Eisenhower as First Lady,” American Journalism 3 (1986).
Ø Q: What is meant by historical interpretation and how is it manifested in this week’s reading?
Week 6, Feb. 16: Advertising & Public Relations
· Startt & Sloan, Chapter 8, “Explanation in History”
· Marvin Olasky, “Advertising Abortion during the 1830s and1840s: Madame Restell Builds a Business,” Journalism History (1986).
· Carolyn Kitch, “‘A Genuine, Vivid Personality’: Newspaper Coverage and Construction of a ‘Real’ Advertising Celebrity in a Pioneering Public Relations Campaign,” Journalism History (Fall 2005).
· Laura Richardson Walton, “Organizing Resistance: The Use of Public Relations by the Citizens’ Council in Mississippi, 1954-1964,” Journalism History 35:1 (Spring 2009).
Ø Q: What are some of the limitations of explanation in history?
Week 7, Feb. 23: Broadcast Journalism
· Albert E. Moffett, “Hometown Radio in 1942: The Role of Local Stations during the First Year of Total War,” American Journalism 3 (1986).
· Johanna Cleary, “‘Genêt’ on the Air: Janet Flanner’s Wartime Broadcasts,” Journalism History 1 (Spring 2009).
· Glenn D. Smith Jr., “‘The Guiding Spirit’: Philip Loeb, The Battle for Television Jurisdiction, and the Broadcasting Industry Blacklist,” American Journalism 3 (Summer 2009).
Ø Q: What is the role of persuasion in historical research?
DUE FEBRUARY 23: Paper Proposals, which should include an introduction to your paper, a literature review, research questions/statements, and a preliminary bibliography. NO LATE PAPERS ACCEPTED.