Syllabus
Spring 2009
ISSUES IN COMMUNICATION:
CONTEMPORARY DEBATES IN MEDIA & POLITICS
COURSE: COM 399APROFESSOR: Robert Watson, Ph.D.
ROOM: Assaf 202OFFICE: Freiburger Hall Office Suite
TIME: TTh 11:00-12:15PHONE: 561-237-7432
HOURS: MWF 10:00-12:00; T&Th 12:30-2:00E-MAIL:
COURSE DESCRIPTION
A variable topic seminar dealing with research and issues in mass communication, this particular course will examine historic and contemporary debates in American politics and will explore themedia coverage of politics and the political management of the news. The class will be filmed (and made available online) and conducted in the format of a televised political talk show, whereby students help conduct the interviews and manage all facets of the show.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
General Objectives
• To develop critical thinking and reasoning skills, such as demonstrating the ability to evaluate the quality and relevance of evidence and demonstrating the ability to create and recognize reasoned arguments and perspectives
• To develop written communication skills, such as demonstrating skills in integrating critical thinking with the written expression of ideas and demonstrating the ability to write with logic and clarity and in a well-reasoned and effective manner
• To develop oral communication skills, such as demonstrating the ability to speak effectively in both formal and informal settings with clarity and effectiveness, and demonstrating the ability to use multiple forms of expression while employing appropriate presentational formats, technologies, and rhetorical styles
• To develop information literacy skills, such as knowing how to locate information in a library or online and being able to evaluate the reliability and relevance of information, while using it in an effective manner
Course-specific Objectives
• To think critically about the most important and most enduring debates in American politics
• To develop an understanding of the challenges of and manner in which the media covers politics and politicians in America
• To develop an understanding of the manner in which politicians attempt to manage the news media
• To gain a sophisticated appreciation for the impact of the mass media on American democracy and politics
COURSE POLICIES
• Students are expected to both attend and participate in the class.
• Students with a learning disability/physical handicap requiring any accommodations should contact the professor early in the term to make any necessary arrangements for assignments. Students with disabilities have the right to reasonable accommodation under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. If special accommodations are needed, please contact the ADA Compliance Officer at 237-7794 to assist in documenting and defining those needs. For any accommodation, the instructor must be presented with the form specifying the needs during the first week of classes.
• Plagiarism and cheating of any kind are unacceptable. Anyone engaging in such activities will automatically fail the course. Plagiarism is defined as intentionally or unintentionally representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own and directly or verbatim quoting material without citing it. Cheating is defined as intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information, or study aids in any academic exercise or infringing on the academic rights of others.
• It is expected that students come to class prepared, having read the appropriate assignments prior to class.
• Assignments are to be turned in on time. Late assignments will be penalized a full letter grade unless arrangements have been made with the professor.
• Grades will be based on the standard 0-100 scale, whereby anything less than a 60 is failing:
A 93-100 A- 90-92
B+ 87-89 B 83-86
B- 80-82 C+ 77-79
C 73-76 C- 70-72
D+ 67-69 D 60-66
TEACHING PHILOSOPHY
Learning and fun are not mutually exclusive. Students learn best when they are enjoying both the material and the process and when they have little anxiety about the learning process. As such, every effort will be made by the professor to make this course interesting and enjoyable and all questions and concerns by students will be appreciated and respected. At the same time, the other side of our “social contract” this term is that students have the responsibility of participating in the course and accepting the challenge of learning new materials.
TEXT
In place of a text, a number of websites and readings will be used, including (a complete list will be provided by the instructor in class):
EVALUATION
1. Quiz: Political and Media Vocabulary (20% of grade)
Students must become familiar with basic terms in politics and the media.
2. Interview (20% of grade)
Several politicians and reporters will either be coming to class or calling in on speaker phone to the class. Working in groups of two, students must (a) contact the guest and invite her/him to class, (b) develop interview questions (based on the topics listed in assignment #3), (c) organize the filming of the interviews, and (d) conduct a 30-minute interview.
Possible Interviews:
• George McGovern, 1972 Democratic nominee for president and former U.S. senator (SD)
• Michael Dukakis, 1988 Democratic nominee for president and former governor (MA)
• Pat Schroeder, 1988 Democratic candidate for president, former U.S. congresswoman (CO)
• Ken Hechler, aide to Presidents Roosevelt and Truman and former U.S. congressman (WV)
• Alan West, former Republican nominee for Congress (Dist. 22) and former Army colonel
• Mark Foley, former Republican congressman (Dist. 16)
• Peter Roghaar, News Director for WPTV Channel 5 (NBC)
• Kelly Dunn, Anchor, WPTV Channel 5 (NBC)
• Paige Kornblue, Reporter, WPTV Channel 5 (NBC)
• Russ Morley, Anchor/Host, WFTL Talk Radio 850 AM
• Manny Munoz, Prodcuer, WIOD News Radio 610 AM
• Barry Epstein, Anchor/Host, Clear Channel 1230
• Wendi Lipsich, Aide to Congressman Robert Wexler (Dist. 19)
• Tara Laxer, Aide to Senator Ted Deutch
3. Facilitating Debates on the Issues (20% of grade)
Working in the same groups of two (from assignment #2), each group will facilitate a class discussion and debate on the topics discussed in the interviews and listed below. Make a brief (5 minute) presentation on the main arguments surrounding the issue, develop five questions on the issue, and lead the class in a discussion.
Debate issues:
#1 Whether or not the media is politically biased
#2 How the nature of media coverage impacts public opinion on the issues
#3 The extent to which political reporting is adversarial in nature and the distrusting relationship between the press and politicians
#4 The media’s focus on politicians rather than policy and on scandal rather than substance
#5 The extent to which the media must consider ratings and profits when determining news content, and how that impacts reporting
#6Trends in political reporting and the main challenges of political reporting
#7 How politicians attempt to manage the news to assure they receive positive coverage
#8 How political campaigns and the media coverage of campaigns have changed on account of new technologies
#9 Whether or not politicians must be media savvy in order to be successful
#10 The responsibility of the press in assuring accountability and openness in politics
#11 The challenges of serving in political office in terms of privacy
#12 The importance of and art of political communication
4. Final Paper(20% of grade)
Select twonews sources – one on the political “left” and one on the political “right”– from the list below. Pick an important news story during the semester (please obtain approval for your story/topic from the professor prior to starting your research) and compare and contrast the coverage in terms of (a) whether the coverage is positive, neutral, or negative in tone, (b) whether it focuses more on the person or the policy issue, (c) whether the coverage tends toward a“horse-race” or an explanation of the issue, and (d) whether you can identify political bias in the coverage (give examples and quotes of the wording and content. Submit a four-page paper with your findings.
Right-leaningLeft-leaning
Fox News New York Times
Washington Times Washington Post
Wall Street Journal National Public Radio
The American Spectator Doonesbury
The Weekly Standard Bill Moyers
National Review Mother Jones
American Conservative Magazine Air America
Federalist Society Randi Rhodes
American Enterprise Institute Bill Press
Bill O’Reilly The Progressive
Sean Hannity (Hannity & Colmes) American Prospect
Rush Limbaugh The Nation
5. Participation (20% of grade)
Students are expected to participate in all facets of the class.
RUBRICS
Written Assignments
• Excellent (A) papers provide a clear thesis statement of the aim of the paper, are written with proper language and are readable, support each point or argument with data, examples, or citations, follow instructions, demonstrate mastery of both the topic at hand and related topics presented in class, and draw reasoned and thoughtful conclusions about the subject.
• Good (B) papers provide a statement of the aim of the paper, are written with acceptable language and are somewhat readable, attempt to support each point or argument, follow instructions, show some understanding of both the topic at hand and related topics presented in class, and draw conclusions about the subject.
• Fair (C) papers provide only a marginal thesis statement of the aim of the paper, use marginal language and are difficult to read, support some points or arguments, follow instructions, show minimal understanding of the topic at hand, and draw marginal conclusions about the paper.
• Poor (D) papersbarely introduce the topic or aim of the paper, are written with improper language and are hard to read, demonstrate very little understanding of the topic at hand, do not follow instructions, and do not draw reasoned conclusions about the subject.
• Failed (F) papers accomplish none of the objectives of “excellent” papers.
Oral Presentations
• Excellent (A) presentations will gain the interest of the audience, clearly introduce the topic, integrate the topic with the course material at hand, use clear and appropriate language, support each point or argument made, demonstrate mastery of the subject, effectively draw conclusions and lessons from the material, and be delivered from memory.
• Good (B) presentations will catch the attention of the audience, introduce the topic, relate the topic to the course, use clear and appropriate language, provide support for each argument, demonstrate some understanding of the subject, draw conclusions from the material, and deliver the presentation with minimal use of notes and reading.
• Fair (C) presentations attempt to catch the attention of the audience, only marginally relate the topic to the course materials covered, employ marginal language and grammar, demonstrate little understanding of the subject, and rely on notes to “read” the presentation.
• Poor (D) presentations do not gain the interest of the audience, fail to introduce the topic, make little effort to integrate the topic with the other facets of the course, use unclear and inappropriate language, support only some points and arguments, reflect a lack of understanding of the subject, and rely completely on notes rather than memory to present.
• Failed (F) presentations accomplish none of the objectives of “excellent” presentations.
COURSE OUTLINE
POLITICAL IDEOLOGY
1. A model to test your political ideology
Liberalism, conservativism, libertarianism, populism, and other “isms”
POLITICAL NEWS MANAGEMENT
2. Framing andreframing the issues
Communicating through the media lens and the campaign lens
The language of politics and bureaucracy
Pro-life/Pro-choice? Socialized medicine? Femi-nazi? Death tax? Patriotism?
Political speeches and political rhetoric
3. Spin controland news management
Sound bites and photo ops
Audience plants and press corps plants
Press conferences and press releases
FDR’s Fireside chats and JFK v. Nixon
Virtual “chum” – yard signs, bumper stickers, buttons to the Internet
Political pros & hired guns: polling, image, media relations
4. Forming, measuring, andmanipulating public opinion
Voting behavior, polling,andpolitical participation
New developments in polling
Push-polls and e-canvassing
Focus groups and thermometer polls
Opposition research, attack ads, issue advocacy, & 527’s
MEDIA COVERAGE OF POLITICS
5. Types of political coverage
Print, radio, television
Internet, the soft news, info-tainment, Drudge, and new developments
Free/earned media
Yellow journalism and sensationalism
The penny press
For-profit and corporate media
The “YouTube” effect
6. Elements of campaignand political coverage
The narrative and the personal!
Scandal
Fundraising, soft money, matching funds, public financing
Issues, debates, and town halls
The blogosphere
7. Basic Media & Political Vocabulary
From primary & general elections to incumbents & open seats
QUIZ
8. How to conduct a political interview
Do your homework – research the issue and politician
Get permission for the interview
Agree on the time and place of the interview
Get the correct spelling of the politician’s name, title, and all facts and dates
Quote correctly or tape the interview
Put the politician at ease
Opening question
Be respectful but firm and professional
Don’t let your personal views interfere with interview
Don’t interrupt unless necessary (the politician is giving a speech or going on and on…)
Silence is sometimes a way to get the interviewee to talk more
Make sure questions flow – use transition questions
Prepare follow-up questions to further explore a point
Consider asking the question (or a hypothetical) in another way
Do not allow politician to change the question and give a “stump speech”
POLITICAL AND POLICY DEBATES
9. Student interviews with politicians and journalists
10. Student interviews with politicians and journalists
FINAL PAPER
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR
Robert Watson, Ph.D. joined the faculty of Lynn in 2007 and is the coordinator of the new American Studies Program. Dr. Watson has published over 25 books and hundreds of journal articles, book chapters, reference essays, and newspaper columns on American politics and history. He has been interviewed by hundreds of local, national, and international media outlets, writes a regular column for the Sun-Sentinel newspaper, is a regular guest on a weekly political talk show on 1230 AM (Clear Channel), and is the political analyst for WPTV NBC 5, WFTL 850 AM, and WIOD 610 AM. He serves on boards of numerous presidential foundations, academic associations, and scholarly journals and has lectured as a visiting fellow at universities and presidential sites across the country. For his work, Dr. Watson has received numerous awards including the International Abraham Lincoln Award, Children’s Hero Award, the Distinguished Professor of the Year, and Faculty Service Award.
IMPORTANT DATES & INFO
Group members/contacts: ______
Interview subject: ______
Issue debate topic: ______
Holidays: ______
Spring Break: ______
Quiz date: ______
Interview date: ______
Issue debate date: ______
Final exam date: ______