COMMUNICATION 2117
MEDIA ETHICS
WINTER 2017
Professor: Erna MacLeod Classroom: CE-313
Office Location: CC-266B Email:
Office Hours: Tues/Thurs 11:30-2 p.m.Telephone: 563-1124
Course Overview:
Because media pervade our private and public lives, technologies and the messages they convey are fundamental to the negotiation of identities, relationships, and societies. Media are essential for creating, sustaining, and transforming all communities including transnational cultures. They distribute information, establish communication networks, and powerfully shape our beliefs, values, desires, and realities. The decisions of media producers—and the work of media scholars— therefore have profound ethical implications, raising questions of authority, inclusion, voice, and autonomy.
This course introduces theoretical approaches to media ethics and analyzes a range of case studies to apply those theories and practices to ethical decision-making strategies. Students will gain enhanced awareness of ethical issues associated with media. Collaboratively, the class will develop ethical guidelines for media producers and consumers and offer recommendations for ethical communication in a globalized mediated world.
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The objectives of this course are: 1) to identify a range of ethical challenges and issues arising in mediated cultures, 2) to practice critical thinking in assessing specific messages and situations, and 3) to develop skills for ethical decision-making in our multiple and overlapping social roles as cultural producers and consumers, and as citizens in a media saturated world.
Required Text:
Ward, Stephen J. A. (2013). Global Media Ethics: Problems and Perspectives. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
Supplemental readings will be on reserve in the library and/or posted on the course Moodle site.
Course Requirements:
(1) Case Study 1: Written Assignment
Your text includes specific examples of situations involving a range of media ethics issues. For this assignment, you will choose one of those issues and conduct a case study analysis, examining the factors and stakes involved, the ethical questions raised, the media’s response, individual and community actions, and the outcomes of the situation. Consider how we, as community members—and as producers and consumers of media—might act ethically in similar situations. Your analysis must include a minimum of 3-5 scholarly sources that support your arguments and provide points of comparison. This assignment should be 1200-1500 words in length excluding the bibliography. Give your paper an original title that relates to the topic. Proofread your writing before submitting it to minimize typographical errors.
Value: 20 points
(2) Case Study 2: Oral & PowerPoint Presentation
For this assignment, students will be assigned to groups and asked to choose a second issue from the collection of media ethics cases provided in your text. Each group then will prepare an oral presentation to familiarize the class with the ethical dilemma posed. You must support your discussion with a PowerPoint presentation that includes print and visual elements (e.g. photographs, video, etc.). In your presentation, highlight the ethical complexity of the issue and the responses of those involved—i.e. media producers, advertisers, government representatives, community members, etc. Offer your views on how those involved might respond ethically to this and similar situations. Research your topic and include at least 3-5 scholarly sources in your analysis. You also may consult nonacademic media sources such as news articles, government policy documents, websites, etc.
Your presentation should be 15-20 minutes in length. You must submit your PowerPoint presentation, a 500-word summary of your topic, and a bibliography one day before delivering your discussion to the class.
Value: 25 points
(3) Midterm Test
This test will evaluate your understanding of course concepts, issues, and readings introduced over the first half of the semester. We will discuss details of the test as the semester progresses.
Value: 20 points
(4) Final Exam
Your final exam will include course concepts, issues, and readings from the last half of the semester. We will discuss specifics of your exam later in the semester.
Value: 25 points
(5) Attendance and Class Participation
Communication 2117 is designed to enhance your critical thinking, writing, and public speaking skills. Your intellectual development in this course depends centrally on your participation in discussions and activities that engage with various ethical approaches and arguments. This component of your grade will be based on your attendance and informed participation during classes where you are not assigned to formally present course material to your classmates. You may have one unexcused absence with no penalty but subsequent absences will result in deductions from this portion of your final grade.
Value: 10 points.
Grading Criteria:
Case Study 1: Written Assignment20 points
Case Study 2: Oral & PowerPoint Presentation25 points
Mid-term Test20 points
Final Exam25 points
Attendance and Class Participation10 points
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Total100 points
Important Additional Information:
In the event of unforeseen events (such as inclement weather) resulting in class cancellation, we will adjust the reading schedule and, if necessary, the due date for assignments and presentations. I will announce changes in class before revising our reading schedule or assignment deadlines.
Students with disabilities are encouraged to contact the Jennifer Keeping Centre () to access support and services. I will accommodate students’ needs to ensure success in the course.
Plagiarism is a serious academic offence that will result in penalties affecting your grade and, for repeated infractions, your enrolment at CBU. We will discuss plagiarism and how to avoid it in class. I have posted information regarding academic honesty and CBU’s plagiarism policy on the Moodle site for Comm 3XXX. Please consult this information and/or see me if you have further questions.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
FIRST DAY OF CLASS (JAN 5): Introduction and Overview
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WEEK 1 (JAN 10 & 12):
Couldry: “Why Media Ethics Still Matters”
Ess: “Global Media Ethics? Issues, Requirements, Challenges, Resolutions”
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WEEK 2 (JAN 17 & 19):
Christians: “Global Ethics and the Problem of Relativism”
Hanitzsch, Plaisance, Skewes: “Universals and Differences in Global Journalism Ethics”
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WEEK 3 (JAN 24 & 26):
Tumber: “The Role of the Journalist in Reporting International Conflicts”
Houston: “Global Journalism Networks: Funding and Ethical Hurdles”
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WEEK 4 (JAN31 & FEB 2):
Wasserman: “Media Ethics in a New Democracy: South African Perspectives on Freedom, Dignity, and Citizenship”
Berenger and Taha: “Contextual Ethics and Arab Mass Media”
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WEEK 5 (FEB 7 & 9):
Film: Born into Brothels
Patterson and Wilkens: Case Study 4-E (pp. 100-102)
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WEEK 6 (FEB 14 & 16):
Wahl-Jorgenson and Pantti: “The Ethics of Global Disaster Reporting: Journalistic Witnessing and Objectivity”
Patterson and Wilkens: “Privacy: Looking for Solitude in the Global Village” (pp. 108-120)
*Case Study Assignment 1 (Feb. 16)
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READING WEEK (FEB 21 & 23): NO CLASSES
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WEEK 7 (FEB 28 & MAR 2):
*Midterm Test (Feb. 28)
Dunwoody and Konieczna: “The Role of Media in Telling the Climate Change Story”
Patterson and Wilkens: “The Ethical Dimensions of Art and Entertainment” (pp. 254-268)
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WEEK 8 (MAR 7 & 9):
Bell: “Affective Experiencing: The Journalism Ethics of Celebrity Sourcing”
Patterson and Wilkens: Case Study 10-E (pp. 278-79)
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WEEK 9 (MAR 14 & 16):
Ward: “Global Media Ethics: Utopian or Realistic?”
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WEEK 10 (MAR 21 & 23):Course Wrap-Up & Exam Review
Class Symposium (Media Ethics Case Study Presentations)
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WEEK 11 (MARCH 28 & 30):
Class Symposium (Media Ethics Case Study Presentations)
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WEEK 12 (APRIL 4): LAST DAY OF CLASSES. COURSE WRAP UP & REVIEW
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