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GE-001-045, PLS 382, POLITICS, POLICIES, POP CULTURE

GENERAL EDUCATION SYNTHESIS COURSE – AREA D4

CALIFORNIA STATE POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY, POMONA

ACADEMIC SENATE

GENERAL EDUCATION COMMITTEE

REPORT TO

THE ACADEMIC SENATE

GE-001-045

PLS 382, POLITICS, POLICIES, POP CULTURE

GENERAL EDUCATION SYNTHESIS COURSE – AREA D4

General Education CommitteeDate:12/1/04

Executive Committee

Received and ForwardedDate:1/13/05

Academic SenateDate:1/26/05

First Reading

2/16/05

Second Reading

Background

The College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences is proposing PLS 382, Politics, Policies, Pop Culture as a General Education Synthesis Course for Area D4.

Resources

Renford Reese

Discussion

This course was presented to the General Education Committee on August 25, 2004. The original proposed title of the course was Politics, Policies, Popular Culture. In response to a suggestion by the GE subcommittee reviewing the course the author changed the title to Politics, Policies, Pop Culture. In addition, the expected outcomes were made a bit more specific, and essay exams were added to the course outline. Finally the Assessment section was modified to include measures other than surveys. The course prerequisites are GE Area A and Sub-areas D1, D2, D3.

Recommendation

The GE Committee has found this course to be in compliance with the synthesis course guidelines for GE sub-area D4. There were no comments on the Undergraduate Studies website. The course was approved by the GE Committee on December 01, 2004 and is now forwarded to the Academic Senate for consideration.

College of Letters, Arts, and Social Sciences

General Education Curriculum Cover Sheet

Department: Political Science Presenter: Renford Reese

Course Title (limited to 30 characters): Politics, Policies, Pop Culture

Lower Division General Education______

Sub-area B-4 Science and Technology Synthesis (upper division)______

Sub-area C-4 Humanities Synthesis (upper division)______

Sub-area D-4 Social Sciences (upper division)__X___

Interdisciplinary Synthesis______

Catalogue Description (not to exceed 40 words)

PLS 382Politics, Policies, Pop Culture (4)

Examine the integration of politics, public policy, and pop culture; examine the impact of film, television, music, and video games on socio-political environment; analysis of the politics of race, sex, violence, and free speech. 4 hours lecture/discussion. Prerequisites: Completion of GE requirement in Area D1, D2, and D3. Fulfills GE Area D4.

Old Catalogue Description (if applicable)

New Class

Brief justification on how this course meets the criteria for general education within the area identified (no more than 250 words):

This course meets the requirements for an interdisciplinary synthesis course by:

Students will be challenged to apply basic knowledge to the advanced study of politics and communication. This course will allow students to probe and apply more broadly, the basic concepts and methodologies that they acquired in the lower division courses for understanding the intersection of politics, public policy, and pop culture. This course examines such political issues as voting behavior among youth and the significance of congressional oversight committees in monitoring youth behavior. The communication component will explore the impact of mass media institutions on society. More specifically, this component will examine the impact of film, television, music, and video games on youth behavior.

This course will give students a broad perspective on contemporary issues in public policy. It will enable them to identify fundamental features of the policymaking process and it will give them a substantive understanding of the ways in which pop culture and youth behavior affect politics and public policy.

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Course Title: Politics, Policies, Pop Culture PLS 382

Date of Preparation: January 2003/Revised November 2004

Prepared by: Renford Reese

COURSE OUTLINE

I. Catalog Description

PLS 382 Politics, Policies, Pop Culture (4)

Integration of politics, public policy, and pop culture; examination of the impact of film, television, music, and video games on socio-political environment; analysis of the politics of race, sex, violence, and free speech. 4 hours lecture/discussion. Prerequisites: completion of lower-division GE requirements in Areas A and D; sub-areas 1, 2, and 3.

II. Required Background

Completion of lower-division GE requirements in Areas A and D; sub-areas 1, 2, and 3.

III. Expected Outcomes

At the end of this course students should:

1) demonstrate a knowledge of the influence of pop culture on public policies

2) show an interest in the fusion of politics, policies, and pop culture

3) develop an appreciation of the fundamental features of the policymaking process

4) begin to compare the impact of contemporary public policies

5) adopt a long-term value system that includes critical thinking

IV. Texts and Readings

Texts:

POLITICAL SCIENCE PERSPECTIVE

Cose, Ellis (2002). The Envy of the World, Washington Square Press: New York, 163 pages.

Dye, Thomas R. (2002). Understanding Public Policy, 10th Edition, Prentice-Hall.

Nel, Philip (2002). The Avant-Garde and American Postmodernity: Small Incisive Shocks Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.

Paletz, David L. (2002). The Media in American Politics: Contents and Consequences, New York: Longman.

Patterson, Thomas E. (2002). The Vanishing Voter: Public Involvement in an Age of Uncertainty, New York : Alfred A. Knopf: Distributed by Random House.

Reese, Renford (2004). American Paradox: Young Black Men, Durham, N.C.: Carolina Academic Press.

Ross, Karen (2002). Women, Politics, and the Media, Cresskill, N.J.: Hampton Press

Rossides, Daniel W. (2003). Communication, Media, and American Society: A Critical Introduction, Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield.

Santa Ana, Otto (2002). Brown Tide Rising: Metaphors of Latinos in Contemporary American Public Discourse, Austin: University of Texas Press

Viscusi, W. Kip (2002). Regulation through Litigation, Washington, D.C. : AEI-Brookings Joint Center for Regulatory Studies.

Wattenberg, Martin P. (2002). Where Have All the Voters Gone? Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press.

COMMUNICATION PERSPECTIVE

Abe, Stanley K. (2002). Ordinary Images, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Boyd, Todd (1997). Am I Black Enough For You? Indiana University Press: Bloomington, Indiana.

Fox, Richard L. and Van Sickel, Robert W. (2001). Tabloid Justice: Criminal Justice in an Age of Media Frenzy, Boulder, CO: L. Rienner.

Kitwana, Bakari (2002). The Hip Hop Generation: Young Blacks and the Crisis in African American Culture, New York: Basic Civitas.

Lippman, Walter (1922). Public Opinion, New York: Harcourt Brace.

Rattenbury, Kester (2002). This is Not Architecture: Media Constructions, New York: Routledge.

Schultz, David A. (2000). It's Show Time!: Media, Politics, and Pop Culture, New York : P. Lang.

Strasburger, Victor C. and Wilson, Barbara J. (2002). Children, Adolescents, & The Media Children, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.

Tobin, Joseph (2000). Good Guys Don't Wear Hats: Children's Talk About the Media, New York: Teachers College Press.

Wilk, Richard R. (2002). The Anthropology of Media: A Reader, Malden, Mass: Blackwell Publishers.

FILMS

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

8 Mile (2002)

Menace II Society (1993)

Life Ain't No Crystal Stair (1999)

Natural Born Killers (1994)

Training Day (2001)

The Hurricane (1999)

V. Minimum Student Materials

Textbooks, notebooks, and access to library and computer resources.

VI.Minimum College Facilities

Classroom for lecture/discussion with audio-visual and internet capabilities.

VII. Course Outline

I. POLITICAL CULTURE

A. Elite Theory vs. Pluralist Theory

B. Who Votes?

C. Voting Behavior Among Youth and Consequences

  1. MTV Voting Campaign

II. PUBLIC POLICY PROCESS

A. Problem Identification

B. Agenda Setting

C. Policy Formulation

D. Policy Implementation

  1. Policy Evaluation

III. COMMUNICATION THEORY

A. Contemporary Mass Media

B. Inter-relationships of Print and Electronic Media

C. Content Analyses of Media Coverage

D. Stereotyping and Media Bias

IV. MEDIA & POLITICS

A. Agenda Setters

B. Gate Keepers

C. Watchdogs

D. Yellow Journalism

V. RACE & MASS MEDIA

A. Willie Horton

B. Rodney King Beating and 1992 Los Angeles Riots

C. O.J. Simpson Trial

D. Susan Smith Case

  1. Content Analyses of News Coverage

F. MIDTERM EXAM (Short Answers & Essays)

VII. FREEDOM OF SPEECH VS. CENSORSHIP

A. Flynt v. Faldwell

B. ACLU v. Christian Coalition

C. Tipper Gore v. 2 Live Crew

  1. Bill Clinton v. Sister Souljah
  1. MUSIC AND POLITICS

A. Tupac Shakur

  1. Gangsta Rap
  2. Eminem and Hate Speech
  3. Punk
  4. Rave

IX. THE POLITICS OF VIOLENCE

A. 1994 Crime Control Act

B. Influence of the NRA

C. Columbine Tragedy

D. Film: Bowling for Columbine

E. The 2002 Sniper Attacks

F. Video Game: Grand Theft Auto III

X. THE POLITICS OF SEX

A. The Pornography Debate

B. Regulating the Internet

C. ACLU v. Christian Coalition

  1. Clinton – Lewinsky Scandal
  1. REGULATING YOUTH BEHAVIOR
  1. Congressional Oversight Committees
  2. Congressional Oversight Hearings
  3. Regulation Through Litigation
  4. Federal Communications Commission
  5. Mediascope
  6. FINAL EXAM (Short Answers & Essays)

VIII. Instructional Methods

Lectures, discussions, and group projects; use of Powerpoint, overhead, and videos.

IX. Evaluation and Outcomes

Students will be required to bring current event articles to class. Students will do two (typed) one-page homework assignments, two 5-6 paged papers, and take two short answer/essay exams.

X. Assessment

Students will complete a survey at the end of the course, which will ask:

1) Do you feel competent in your ability to examine the influence of pop culture on public policies?

2) Do you understand the regulatory function of Congress in monitoring youth behavior?

3) Do you have a broader perspective of contemporary issues in public policy?

4) Are you able to identify fundamental features of the policymaking process?

5) Do you have a substantial understanding of the causes and consequences of policy decisions?

The course will also be evaluated by examining excerpts from exams, papers, and homework.